CEDAR CITY, Utah - The Southern Utah University softball team will welcome in-state foe BYU to town this Wednesday as the team takes on the Cougars in their second to last home game of the season. First pitch is scheduled for 3 PM MT and the game will be available for viewing on ESPN+.

Game Info

Southern Utah vs BYU

Date: April 27, 2022

Game Time: 3:00 PM MT

Location: Cedar City, Utah

Venue: Kathryn Berg Field

Stream: ESPN+

Watch | Live Stats

Preview

The Thunderbirds (3-32, 0-15) are coming off of a tough series, during which they held multi-run leads in two of three contests; however, they failed to pick up a win against Idaho State.

SUU faces a difficult midweek challenge going up against a BYU squad that holds a record of 29-10 and has picked up marquee victories over California, San Diego State, New Mexico (2x), and Iowa State (3x).

The two teams faced off earlier this season in Provo, as BYU won both games of a doubleheader against the T-Birds.

BYU most recently competed against the University of San Diego, earning a three-game sweep over the Toreros this past weekend.

The Cougars will take on Dixie State this afternoon before making the trip to Cedar City for the contest tomorrow.

BYU has benefited from an incredible pitching rotation this season, led by fifth-year senior Autumn Moffat-Korth, who has compiled a 12-7 record through 24 appearances and 20 starts this year. Moffat-Korth has thrown 113.1 innings and compiled an impressive 2.22 ERA while holding opposing hitters to an average of .245 at the plate.

Behind Moffat-Korth, junior Chloe Temples has also put together a strong season on the mound for the Cougars. Temples holds a 2.33 ERA across 84 innings pitched, while holding opposing hitters to a meager .231 at the plate. 

Moffat-Korth and Temples have the third and fourth-best ERA's in the West Coast Conference, respectively.

As strong as the Cougars' pitching rotation has been, the BYU lineup has been equally impressive this season.

BYU currently leads the West Coast Conference in offense, assembling a batting average of .310 and OB% of .417 as a team this season.

The Cougars' lineup is loaded; but, Violet Zavodnik shines the brightest, boasting an average of .383 at the plate and an OB% of .475 this year. Zavodnik has also tallied a team-leading 39 RBI and totaled 89 bases this season.

The T-Birds have continued to improve on offense throughout the season. For the first time this year, freshman Jayne Sepulveda now leads the team in batting average.

Sepulveda is coming off of an impressive weekend that saw her go 5-11 at the plate, while hitting one home run and scoring four runs across the three-game series.

Senior Dream Weaver has improved her batting average to .241 this year and now ranks second on the team, following a game three performance in which she went 3 for 4 at the plate while scoring two runs.

Freshman Sophia Masut also had a strong weekend, as she went 3 for 6 at the plate and drew two walks, reaching base five times in just eight at-bats.

The SUU pitching staff has also continued to improve as of late and will look to have a strong showing against a lethal BYU lineup.

Fielding could prove to be a key factor, as the Thunderbirds will need to have a clean game on defense if they hope to upset the Cougars in their second-to-last game at Kathryn Berg Field this season.

History

Southern Utah's last win against the Cougars came in 2016, when the Thunderbirds beat BYU in back-to-back contests to win the season series.

Follow Us

Stay up to date on the Thunderbird Softball season by following @SUUSoftball on Twitter and Instagram and liking the Southern Utah Softball page on Facebook.