Cougars picked fifth, Owens named to Big 12 Preseason Team

Cougars picked fifth, Owens named to Big 12 Preseason Team

BYU softball was picked to finish fifth in the conference, with Lily Owens named to the league's preseason team.

Author Cameron Muh
Lily Owens takes of running from first base during fall game against Snow College in October 2024Lily Owens takes of running from first base during fall game against Snow College in October 2024
Joey Garrison/BYU Photo
BYU softball picked fifth in 2025 Preseason Big 12 Poll

IRVING, Texas — BYU softball was picked to finish fifth in the Big 12 and had utility player Lily Owens as a unanimous pick on the Preseason Team, the conference announced on Friday.

As voted on by the league's head coaches, the Cougars came in behind Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Arizona and Baylor, all four of which are ranked in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Top 25 poll. BYU sits in front of Utah, UCF, Arizona State, Kansas, Iowa State and Houston.

2025 Big 12 Softball Preseason Poll
Rank Team Votes (First Place Votes)
1 No. 4 Oklahoma State 99 (9)
2 No. 10 Texas Tech 90 (2)
3 No. 17 Arizona 81
4 No. 19 Baylor 75
5 BYU 54
6 Utah 52
7 UCF 51
8 Arizona State 36
9 Kansas 34
10 Iowa State 23
11 Houston 10
Lily Owens named to Preseason Big 12 Team

Owens was one of five unanimous picks on the 18-player Big 12 Preseason Team. The utility player was ranked No. 74 on Softball America's Preseason Top 100 list, and was also an NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team honoree last season.

Starting 48 of the Cougars' 51 games in 2024, including at four different positions and nine games as the designated player (DP), Owens returns the team's best batting average from last year, at .348. She tallied 54 hits, 40 RBI, 39 runs scored and six homers, and also went 9-for-9 on stolen bases.

BYU will begin its 2025 campaign at UC San Diego's La Jolla Invitational on Thursday, Feb. 6, opening the year with a matchup against the Tritons at 6 p.m. PST.

View the full Big 12 release at the league's website.