PROVO, Utah — After hosting its home opener against Abilene Christian on Tuesday afternoon, BYU softball will hit the road again, heading down to St. George for Utah Tech's Trailblazer Classic.
The Cougars (6-17, 0-3 Big 12) will face Omaha twice and Utah Tech once during the tournament. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
| Trailblazer Classic | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opponent | Date | Time | Stream | Live Stats |
| Omaha | Friday, Mar. 13 | 11 a.m. MT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
| Utah Tech | Friday, Mar. 13 | 2 p.m. MT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
| Omaha | Saturday, Mar. 14 | 11 a.m. MT | ESPN+ | StatBroadcast |
BYU took its home opener against the Wildcats in five innings, 10-1 on Tuesday. The Cougars scored in the first three innings of the contest and used a five-run third to pull away, allowing just two hits and one run in the run-rule victory.
Hailey Shuler and Lily Owens both homered in the game, while Bre Townsend, Maddie Udall-Woolley and Kaiya Fabela picked up RBI as well.
Shuler finished with a career-high four RBI while also earning the win in the circle. The sophomore pitched four innings, giving up just two hits and one run while striking out five ACU batters.
Fellow sophomore Jada Villegas took over for Shuler in the fifth, retiring the Abilene Christian side in order and striking out the last two batters.
On the season, BYU is hitting .259, and has four hitters with averages of .300 or better: Shuler (.344), Rita Tavita (.333), Danica Acosta (.327) and Owens (.322).
In the circle, the Cougars have a 7.78 ERA, with Shuler's 5.25 ERA a team low. She and Gianna Mares have each picked up three of the team's six wins.
Amidst its Big 12 bye week, BYU ranks 55th nationally in strikeouts per seven innings (5.80), which ranks fourth in the Conference. The Cougars are also 91st in the country with eight double plays.
Individually, Villegas (No. 22 nationally, two saves), Ilove'a Brittingham (No. 46, five runners caught stealing) and Owens (No. 76, 0.74 walks per game) each rank second in the league. Mares is also No. 52 nationwide, averaging eight strikeouts per seven innings.
After facing an ACU squad it had never met previously, BYU will now square off with Omaha for the first time in series history.
Omaha (14-6, 0-0 Summit League)
- The Mavericks head to St. George on a three-game losing streak, having dropped their last three contests to top 10 Arkansas and Nebraska teams.
- Omaha is 13-1 in neutral site contests this season.
- This is the first meeting in series history between the two teams.
Utah Tech (10-14, 0-0 WAC)
- The Trailblazers went 2-3 at UNLV's Red & Black Classic last week, leaving Vegas with a 9-5 win over North Dakota State on Sunday morning.
- UTU is 6-3 at home this year.
- BYU leads the all-time series, 10-0, and is 5-0 against Utah Tech at Karl Brooks Field.
At the conclusion of their Big 12 bye week and trip to St. George, the Cougars will resume Conference play, visiting No. 21/15 Oklahoma State in Stillwater for a three-game series beginning on Thursday, Mar. 19 at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN+.