PROVO, Utah — BYU softball makes its annual visit to Palm Springs for five games at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic this week.
The Cougars make their 18th appearance at the tournament in 26 seasons, including 11 trips in the last 12 years. BYU went 4-1 at Mary Nutter last season, beating Bethune-Cookman, UC Riverside, Cal Poly and Rutgers, with run-rule wins over the Wildcats, Mustangs and Scarlet Knights.
| Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Washington | Thursday, Feb. 20 | 5:30 p.m. PST | FloCollege | Stat Broadcast |
| CSUN | Thursday, Feb. 20 | 8 p.m. PST | FloCollege | Stat Broadcast |
| Hawai'i | Friday, Feb. 21 | 3 p.m. PST | FloCollege | Stat Broadcast |
| UC Santa Barbara | Friday, Feb. 21 | 5:30 p.m. PST | FloCollege | Stat Broadcast |
| No. 11/14 Duke | Saturday, Feb. 22 | 9:30 a.m. PST | FloCollege | Stat Broadcast |
With all five games being streamed on FloCollege, the Cougars are slated to play three games at Big League Dream's Yankee Stadium, and another two at the complex's Fenway Park. BYU will close out the tournament against No. 11/14 Duke on Saturday morning, the Cougars' first ranked opponent in Palm Springs since No. 21/24 Missouri in 2023.
Opening the season with a 6-2 record, BYU heads to Mary Nutter after a 12-day road trip to San Diego and Mexico. Going 3-0 at UC San Diego's La Jolla Invitaitonal, the Cougars then went 3-2 at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge with wins against North Dakota State, Illinois State and Florida International.
Five BYU batters hit above .300 beyond the border: outfielder Lauren Flanders (.500), outfielder Lily Owens (.385), infielder Bre Townsend (.375), catcher Lindy Milkowski (.333) and utility player Danica Acosta (.333). Owens and Milkowski led the way with five hits apiece, with Owens and shortstop Hailey Morrow each scoring three runs. Milkowski also threw out a trio of runners attempting to steal.
Kaysen Korth paced the Cougars in the circle with a 2-0 record and 0.91 ERA on 15.1 innings pitched and 10 strikeouts. Jada Villegas posted a 1.91 ERA and Kate Dahle a 2.47, together combining for 18.2 innings of work and 11 strikeouts. BYU's opponents hit .246 on the week compared to the team's .282 average.
Through two weeks of play, the Cougars rank No. 16 nationally in triples per game (0.50), No. 16 in team ERA (1.48) and No. 20 in triples (4). They are also 26th in WHIP (1.08), 38th in shutouts (2) and in double plays per game (0.50).
Individually, BYU has four players represented in the top 20 of the country's statistical categories. Owens is tied for first with a perfect (1.000) stolen base percentage, now 4-for-4 on the year. Milkowski is No. 11, catching four runners stealing, and Korth is No. 14 with four victories. Her and Villegas are also tied for 17th, tallying one save apiece.
Going 23-25 (.479) at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic over their last 10 trips, the Cougars will face a handful of opponents familiar to BYU head coach Gordon Eakin this season, and one he has yet to see on the diamond during his 23-year tenure in the Blue Devils.
Washington (5-5, 0-0 Big Ten)
- The Huskies lead the all-time series, 10-3, and have taken the last three matchups. This will be the first meeting between the two teams when UW has not been ranked.
CSUN (2-7, 0-0 Big West)
- BYU leads the series, 6-1, and has taken five-consecutive matchups. The two teams last met at Mary Nutter back in 2018.
Hawai'i (8-2, 0-0 Big West)
- BYU leads the series, 17-2, and has won 12-straight matchups. The Cougars opened last season in Honolulu at the Rainbow Wahine's Paradise Classic, beating UH, 3-2.
UC Santa Barbara (8-3, 0-0 Big West)
- BYU leads the series, 11-2, winning the last five matchups. The Cougars beat the Gauchos at UC Davis' Capital Classic last season, 8-3.
Duke (7-3, 0-0 ACC)
- Saturday will mark the first meeting between the two teams in softball. The Blue Devils are one of just two teams on this year's schedule that Eakin has not faced previously during his career.
Returning to a familiar place in Palm Springs, BYU looks to replicate its success from last year's Classic and continue a strong start to the 2025 campaign.