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 |
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.