Final five-game tournament takes BYU back to California

PROVO, Utah – In its final five-game tournament, BYU softball takes one last trip to California for the UCLA/Long Beach State Invitational.

BYU Game Notes Week 5

BYU came to this tournament in 2017 splitting its games 2-2, beating Dartmouth twice and losing to UCLA twice. 

The Cougars will play five different teams, starting with Robert Morris and Long Beach State on Thursday, March 7 at 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. PT, respectively. Both games will be played at LBSU Softball Complex.

The tournament continues on Friday, March 8, with BYU playing against Ohio at 11:30 a.m. and Boston University at 2 p.m. PT, both at UCLA’s Easton Stadium in Los Angeles. The Cougars finish the tournament on UCLA’s home turf taking on the No. 2 team Saturday, March 9 at 3 p.m. PT.

Live stats will be available on the BYU schedule page with a live stream on the Big West Conference Network for the game against Long Beach State and a live audio feed for the game against UCLA. 

BYU Storylines

FIVE-GAME TOURNAMENT. The UCLA/Long Beach State Invitational is the last of four straight five-game tournaments BYU will attend. It is the third and final week that the Cougars will travel to California until conference play begins on April 5 against Loyola Marymount. 

POWER AT THE PLATE. BYU captain Libby Sugg returns for her final season at BYU. The two-time captain has been named to the USA Softball College Softball Player of the Year watch list and was named NFCA All-American Third Team after the 2018 season. 

RANKED OPPONENTS. The Cougars will take on No. 2 UCLA in the tournament. This will be the fourth top-25 ranked team this season (No. 9 South Carolina, No. 18 Baylor, No. 4 Oklahoma. It will be the second top 5 team, after playing No. 4 Oklahoma in Palm Springs. 

WCC WEEKLY AWARDS. Rylee Kerisa Viramontes won her first WCC Pitcher of the Week award after her performance in San Diego. Viramontes pitched a one-hit shutout against Florida Gulf Coast in a complete game where she allowed no walks. This is the fourth total WCC weekly selection for BYU this season. Autumn Moffat and Rylee Jensen have 

Opponent Outlook
Robert Morris | Thursday, March 7 | 9 a.m. PT | 

• The Colonials have compiled a 3-10 record so far this season. They most recently competed at the Liberty Softball Classic.

•This is the second meeting between the two teams as BYU won the last game 7-2 in 2016.

•Interim Head Coach Jexx Varner is in his first season with the Colonials. 

Long Beach State | Thursday, March 7 | 11:30 a.m. PT | 

• In 2019, the 49ers have a 7-10 overall record. They also competed at the San Diego Classic last week going 1-2.

• Last season, the 49ers advanced to the NCAA regional in Tempe and finished the season ranked No. 20.

• Long Beach State leads the series with a 5-3 record, last season they took the win 5-4 in Las Vegas.

• Kim Sowder is in her 13th season as head coach of the Spartans holding a 399-258-1 overall record.

Ohio | Friday, March 8 | 11:30 a.m. PT | 

• The Bobcats currently have a 11-7 overall record during the 2019 season, including going 4-1 last weekend at the Duke/NC State Invitational.

• Last season, Ohio was the Mid-American Conference Champions and advanced to the NCAA Regionals. 

• This will be the first meeting between the two teams.

• Kenzie Roark starts her first season with the Bobcats.

Boston University | Friday, March 8 | 2:00 p.m. PT | 

•During the 2019 season, the Terriers are currently 8-5. Last weekend, BU went 2-2 at the Wooo Pig Classic.

• BU went to the Norman NCAA Regionals last season but lost to No. 2 Oklahoma and Missouri.

• The two teams have met once before as the Cougars took the win 9-0 in 2017.

• Ashley Waters enters her 4th season leading the Terriers compiling an overall record of 92-71.

No. 2 UCLA | Saturday, March 9 | 3:00 p.m. PT | 

• The Bruins are 17-1 in the 2019 season, including going 9-12 in the Big West.

• UCLA recorded its only loss of the season last week against Michigan at the Judi Garman Classic.

• In 2018, the Bruins were defeats by the National Champion’s in the first round of the College World Series.

• Kelly Inouye-Perez starts her 13th season with the Bruins recording a 561-167-1 overall record including leading her team to fourth straight appearances in the College World Series.