PROVO, Utah — BYU softball hosts Iowa State in a three-game Big 12 series at Gail Miller Field this week.
| BYU vs. Iowa State | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Time | Live Stream | Live Stats |
| Thursday, April 18 | 6 p.m. CDT | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| Friday, April 19 | 6 p.m. CDT | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
| Saturday, April 20 | 1 p.m. CDT | Big 12 Now on ESPN+ | Stat Broadcast |
The Cougars (23-19, 5-13 Big 12) beat Idaho State, 10-4 on Tuesday night, backed by a trio of two-run home runs, including two from catcher/shortstop Hailey Morrow, the third multi-homer game by a BYU hitter this season.
It also marked the Cougars’ 12th multi-home run game and 20th multi-hit game as a team in 2024. BYU is 17-3 this season when recording 10+ hits.
Going 1-3 last week, the Cougars pulled off an upset win at then-No.1/2 Oklahoma, beating the Sooners, 9-4 on Friday night. The victory gave OU its first home Big 12 loss since 2017, and was also the most hits (11) and runs (nine) that Oklahoma had given up since 2021 and 2020, respectively.
Heading into its series with Iowa State, BYU is tied for eighth place in the Big 12 with Baylor, its series opponent next week.
The Cyclones sit just above the Cougars and Bears in seventh. All three teams have five wins in conference, but ISU has just 10 losses as it had a series against Texas Tech canceled due to weather.
BYU ranks third in the Big 12 in batting average (.327), ranking fourth in scoring (6.76), stolen bases per game (1.12), total stolen bases (47) and walks (140).
On an individual scale, shortstop Ailana Agbayani leads the league in hits (59), as do pitchers Kate Dahle and Chloe Temples in appearances (29), Agbayani in runs per game (1.19), left fielder Maddie Bejarano in sacrifice bunts per game (.40) and Dahle in saves (3).
Bejarano also paces the country in sacrifice bunts, while Agbayani’s runs per game are good for ninth. First baseman Huntyr Ava’s 49 RBI ranks No. 14 in the nation, along with Bejarano’s 0.81 walks per game at 14th as well.
The Cougars are now hitting .327 on the year, but that season average drops to .279 in Big 12 play. Six BYU batters have averages of .300+ in 2024, but just three of them remain that high in conference.
With a team ERA of 5.02, the Cougars’ Temples, Dahle and Gianna Mares have combined for roughly 83-percent of the pitching staff’s innings in the circle. Temples has a team-low 4.76 ERA to go along with 82 strikeouts. Dahle and Mares have 53 and 32 strikeouts, respectively.
BYU and Iowa State have met just six times previously, but this weekend’s series will be the second in the last three seasons.
Iowa State (16-22, 5-10 Big 12)
- The Cyclones picked up a series win over then-No.5 Oklahoma State last week, taking the first two games en route to their upset of the Cowgirls.
- ISU also has wins over common opponents Utah Valley, Long Beach State and UC Santa Barbara.
- BYU leads the all-time series between the two teams, 5-1. The Cougars swept the only previous series with the Cyclones during the 2022 season, held in Provo, by a combined score of 22-7.
With no midweek game next week, BYU will next take the field for its senior week series against Baylor from Thursday-Saturday, April 25-27.