SEASON REVIEW. BYU is off to an 11-8 start in 2025 and is 1-2 in Big 12 play. The Cougars hosted UCF at Miller Park last weekend, winning game two 8-7 while dropping the bookend games of the three-game series 9-8 and 7-6. After splitting the opening series of the year at Fresno State (2-2), BYU won three-straight series, including two on the road at CSUN (2-1) and Gonzaga (3-0), before winning its first home series over Stetson (3-1).
CONFERNECE LEADERS. As a team BYU is top five in the Big 12 in several statistical categories including, home runs (4th, 28), doubles (4th, 46) and total bases (5th, 335). Defensively the Cougars lead the conference in double plays (17).
OFFENSIVE LEADERS. BYU first baseman Cooper Vest continues to lead the Cougars in several offensive categories and is among the top 10 in the Big 12 in total bases (2nd, 58), home runs (3rd, 7), doubles (T3rd, 8), runs scored (6th, 19), RBI (7th, 24) and slugging (10th, .725). The week two Big 12 Player of the Week also leads the Big 12 defensively in chances (180), putouts (167) and double plays (17).
Vest is hitting .313 and leads BYU in nine offensive categories including at bats, runs, doubles, triples, home runs, RBI, total bases, slugging and hit by pitch.
BYU outfielder Bryker Hurdsman is leading BYU in batting average (.393) and stolen bases (6) and is second in slugging (.661), runs (18) and on base percentage (.485). Leadoff hitter Crew McChesney is top three on the team in several offensive categories including batting average (.354), hits (23), doubles (2), RBI (16), walks (12), on base percentage (.449) and stolen bases (4).
Luke Anderson is also top three in several categories for the Cougars including batting average (.346), at bats (78), hits (27), total bases (44), slugging (.564) and walks (10). Anderson has also played three different positions for the Cougars in 2025, manning left field, right field and second base while posting a perfect fielding percentage (1.000) with 31 put outs, three assists and one double play.
ON THE HILL. BYU’s weekend starters are 6-2 on the year and have combined for 73.2 innings in 15 starts, good for an average of 4.9 innings per start. Game one starter Payton Gubler is 3-1 and leads the Cougars in wins. The sophomore righty is holding opposing hitters to a .198 average and is among the Big 12 leaders in innings pitched (2nd, 30), few home runs allowed (T3rd, 1) and earned runs (6th, 2.70). He leads the BYU staff in wins (3), innings pitched (30) and strike outs (20).
Game-two starter Jaden Harris is 1-0 with 20.1 innings and 13 strikeouts over five starts. He is holding opposing hitters to an average of .253. Series finale starter Garrison Sumner is 2-1 with wins over Gonzaga and Fresno State. He has 13 strikeouts in 20.1 innings and holds opposing hitters to an average of .253.
OUT OF THE PEN. The Cougars top three relievers have combined for 32.0 innings and have surrendered 12 earned runs. Left hander Justis Reiser has eight appearances with 13.1 innings in relief and is holding opponents to a .167 average, while striking out 15 with one save and a win. Nolan Ficklin has logged eight innings in nine relief appearances, good for T3rd in the Big 12. The lefty also has seven strikeouts. Right hander Cayson Bell has logged 9.2 innings in four appearances with six strikeouts.
CLOSE THE DOOR. BYU preseason first-team All-American closer Stone Cushing has one save and a win in eight appearances with six strikeouts in 7.2 innings. He currently has 11 career saves and is tied for fourth all-time at BYU with Jordan Muir (2006-09).
SERIES HISTORY. The Cougars and Bearcats had never met in baseball until a season ago when the two Big 12 newcomers matched up in Provo on May 9-11, 2024. Cincinnati took a 3-0 lead in the young series by sweeping BYU, 9-5, 4-2, 12-5. Despite the losses, true freshman Crew McChesney made an early impression in his BYU career with starts in each of the three games. McChesney hit .600 for the series with three doubles, two runs, an RBI and three walks while slugging .900 and posting an on-base percentage of .692.
BYU IN THE BUCKEYE STATE: BYU baseball will play its first ever games in Ohio when it visits Cincinnati March 20-22. Thursday marks just the 13th all-time meeting between the Cougars and a team from Ohio. BYU is 5-7 all-time in its previous meetings with Cincinnati (0-3), Ohio State (4-3) and Bowling Green (1-1). Prior to the 2024 Cincinnati series, BYU had only faced Ohio State and Bowling Green at neutral sites.
KNOW THE FOE. Cincinnati headman Jordan Bischel led the Bearcats to a fifth-place finish in their first season in the Big 12 in 2024 with a 32-25 (17-13) record. Despite posting three returners on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team and leading the league in returning production (62 percent), Cincinnati was picked to finish 10th in 2025.
Through 18 games, the Bearcats are 11-9 overall and 0-3 in Big 12 play after being swept by Arizona (3-8, 2-14, 1-11) in their conference-opening series. After starting the season with wins in two of three games at then-No. 11 Duke (8-3, 5-6, 19-5), Cincinnati fell to 3-5 in their next eight during a road trip at UNLV and UC San Diego. The Bearcats enter the BYU series having won six straight at home in non-conference matchups with Toledo, Canisius and Miami (OH).
Preseason All-Big 12 infielder Kerrington Cross leads Cincinnati with a season average of .381 along with 18 runs scored and 9 RBI. Outfielder Landyn Vidourek holds a team-high 20 RBI while batting .323 with four doubles and six home runs. Vidourek also leads the Big 12 in stolen bases with 16. As a team, the Bearcats share the Big 12 lead and rank 19th nationally with 48 stolen bases on 54 attempts.
Cincinnati’s pitching staff boasts preseason all-conference starter Nathan Taylor and his 1.50 ERA. Taylor is 2-0 on the season with 35 strikeouts and 24 innings pitched in four appearances.
