Softball to take on two ranked opponents in Tuscaloosa

PROVO, Utah – For the first time this season, the BYU softball team will head to the South for the T-Town Showdown hosted by Alabama to take on the No. 10 Crimson Tide, Bryant and No. 3 Texas.

BYU at T-Town Showdown Game Notes

The tournament will be BYU’s first-ever trip to Rhoads Stadium in Tuscaloosa.

The Cougars kick off the tournament on Thursday night against the host Alabama at 6 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network with radio coverage on Praise 93.3. On Friday, March 13, BYU will play its first game against Bryant at 1 p.m. The Cougars will take on Bryant again Saturday, March 14 at 11 a.m. immediately followed by a match-up against Texas at 1:30 p.m.

This will be the first tournament in 2020 where BYU will face two top-25 teams. The Cougars faced Texas last season in Tennessee, falling in two games. 

BYU Storylines

20 Years of BYU Softball. The start of the 2020 season marks the 20th anniversary of the start of BYU softball. February 4, 2000, the Cougars defeated Sacramento State 3-2 in San Jose to start the program off with a win. In the 20 years, BYU has captured 14 conference titles and made 16 appearances in the NCAA tournament. Head coach Gordon Eakin has been part of the BYU softball program since its inception and took over the head coaching duties in 2002.

Heading South. This will be the first weekend that the BYU softball team will be heading to the South as it travels to Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Last season, the Cougars made two trips to the South for games at Tennessee, Texas A&M and UTEP.

Freshman Power. Freshman Huntyr Ava has quickly become a clutch power hitter for the BYU softball team. Following her performance at the Judi Garman Classic, including five homers and 10 RBI, she was nationally ranked at No. 4 in RBI per game (1.42), No. 7 in homers (8) and RBI (27) and No. 16 in home runs per game (0.42).

NFCA National Player of The Week. Rylee Jensen-McFarland earned her third career NFCA National Player of the Week. The senior outfielder finished the weekend batting .643 with eight RBI and seven runs scored. Jensen-McFarland, who doubled, tripled and launched three home runs, slugged 1.500 and registered a .684 on-base percentage (four walks).

WCC Player of the Week. Rylee Jensen-McFarland earned WCC Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks after her performance at the Judi Garman Classic. It was her 10th career Player of the Week award.

Opponent Outlook

No. 10 Alabama (14-8) | Thursday, March 12 | 6 p.m. CT | SECN+
Series: 0-2
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-2
Under Eakin: 0-2
Longest win Streak: --
Last win: --
Longest Losing Streak: 2
Last loss: 7-6, 3/2/18

Bryant (4-11) | Friday/Saturday, March 13/14 | 1 p.m. /11 a.m. CT 
Series: 0-0
Home: 0-0
Away: 0-0
Neutral: 0-0
Under Eakin: --
Longest win Streak: --
Last win: --
Longest Losing Streak: --
Last loss: --

No. 3 Texas (7-11) | Saturday, March 14 | 1:30 p.m. CT | ESPN3
Series: 2-6
Home: 0-0
Away: 2-2
Neutral: 0-4
Under Eakin: 2-6
Longest win Streak: 2
Last win: 4/1/16
Longest Losing Streak: 4
Last loss: 3-0, 3/16/19