PROVO, Utah – After winning the West Coast Conference title and an automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals, BYU softball will head to the Stillwater Regional to take on No. 13 Oklahoma State on Thursday, May 16, announced Sunday night.
This will be the 15th-consecutive NCAA Regional appearance for the Cougars (29-24, 12-3 WCC) and 16th in program history. BYU has taken the WCC crown for six straight seasons, part of 11 conference championships in a row through four different leagues.
The four-team, double-elimination tournament will take place May 16-18 at Stillwater, Oklahoma. The host Oklahoma State (39-14), will take on the Cougars, while Arkansas (38-18) and Tulsa (35-18) match up in the first round. Detailed game schedules and broadcast plans will be announced later.
The top team from each of the 16 regional sites will advance to the NCAA Super Regionals held May 23-26 on eight campus sites. At each site, two teams play in a best-of-three tournament format. The winners from each site advance to the NCAA® Women’s College World Series (WCWS).
The Cougars and the Pokes will play at 7:30 p.m. CT. The game will be televised on ESPN3. The remaining schedule is as follows:
Thursday:
5:00 p.m. – (Game 1) Arkansas vs. Tulsa
7:30 p.m. – (Game 2) Oklahoma State vs. BYU
Friday:
12:00 p.m. – (Game 3) Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
2:30 p.m. – (Game 4) Non-Winner Game 1 vs. Non-Winner Game 2 5:00 p.m. – (Game 5) Winner Game 4 vs. Non-Winner Game 3
Saturday:
3:00 p.m. – (Game 6) Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 5:30 p.m. – (Game 7) If necessary
Opponent Outlook
No. 13 Oklahoma State | Thursday, May 16 | 7:30 p.m. CT | ESPN3
• The Pokes finished the regular season with a 39-14 overall record with a 13-5 conference record. Oklahoma State won the Big 12 Championship beating Iowa State 17-2.
• This is the first time Oklahoma State has hosted a NCAA Regional since 1998. The Pokes are 14-4 all- time during NCAA Regional action in Stillwater
• This is the first time the Cougars will play the Cowgirls in Stillwater with BYU holding the advantage in the series 6-5 after winning 10-2 in 2015 at Gail Miller Field.
Tulsa (35-18, 16-5 American)
• The Hurricanes finished with a 35-18 overall record with a 16-5 record in the American Conference.
• BYU has played Tulsa three different times with BYU holding the series 2-1.
Arkansas (38-18, 12-12 SEC)
• The Razorbacks hold a 38-18 record in the 2019 season while going 12-12 in SEC play.
• This will be the first time that the two teams have met.
BYU Storylines
• NCAA REGIONAL APPEARANCES. The Cougars are making their 15th-straight NCAA Regional appearance and 16th overall. This is the first time that BYU has traveled to Stillwater for a Regional or a regular season game.
• TOP WCC AWARDS. Following a sixth-straight West Coast Conference championship, BYU softball received three top awards: Lexi Tarrow earned WCC Player of the Year, Arissa Paulson won BYU’s third-consecutive WCC Pitcher of the Year award and Erin Miklus earned WCC Defensive Player of the Year.
• ALL-WCC TEAMS. Seven Cougars earned All-WCC honors, including five named to the All-WCC First Team: Marissa Chavez, Rylee Jensen, Autumn Moffat, Arissa Paulson and Lexi Tarrow. On the All- WCC Second Team Libby sugg received a nomination Taylei Williams was on the All-WCC Honorable Mention list.
• CLOSING IN ON BYU RECORDS. While many BYU players are making their way up the BYU record books, senior Libby Sugg is closing in on BYU’s all-time records. Currently No. 2 in both doubles
with 47 and RBI at 209. Sugg is four doubles away from holding the BYU record. She is also No. 4 in homers (48) and walks (105). Redshirt sophomore Arissa Paulson has also made a dent in the charts, currently holding the No. 6 spot in complete games (30), No. 7 in shutouts (9) and No. 8 in strikeouts (274). Lexi Tarrow also holds the No. 5 spot in triples (7) and No. 6 in stolen bases (36).
• NATIONAL ACTIVE CAREER LEADER. Libby Sugg has been one of BYU’s biggest contributors through her four years at BYU. Currently among active players in the nation Sugg ranks No. 5 in RBI (209), No. 17 in homers (49) and No. 26 in total bases (417).