BYU’s NCAA Tournament hopes could hinge on weekend series against Utah at Gail Miller Field

Whenever BYU and Utah get together to compete in anything, emotions run high and the contests are ultra-important to both sides.

That’s obviously how this weekend’s softball series — the first-ever Big 12 softball games between the rivals — at BYU’s Gail Miller Field in Provo are being viewed, but the Cougars have a little more at stake Thursday, Friday and Saturday than the Utes do.

First pitch on Thursday and Friday is at 6:30 p.m., while Saturday’s game begins at 1:30 p.m.; All three games can be live-streamed on ESPN+.

BYU (8-7, 26-12) has a bit more on the line because it is squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble with an RPI of 44, while Utah (4-11, 12-31) is having a tough year and can only make the Big Dance on the diamond by winning the Big 12 tournament next month in Oklahoma City.

Utah’s RPI is 114, and the Utes have lost eight straight, including a 6-0 setback to Weber State on Tuesday.

“Utah is down on RPI, but Utah-BYU games, no matter the records or where they are at, are always a challenge,” BYU coach Gordon Eakin said Wednesday after practice. “Anybody could beat anybody in those games, as everybody knows.”

A few weeks ago, BYU was seemingly in the NCAA Tournament with an RPI in the mid-30s. However, a 6-4 loss to Utah Valley (RPI of 199) proved to be devastating to the Cougars’ RPI, and it dropped to the mid-40s. A 6-2 loss to Cal State Northridge in February was also costly.

“It is definitely still a rivalry, just because it is Utah-BYU. I don’t think anybody could escape that.”

“Every game is huge. I think if it doesn’t get worse than a 44 RPI (BYU) is probably in, but it is definitely on the bubble,” said Eakin, whose squad will play at Baylor next week and conclude regular-season play by hosting No. 14 Texas Tech May 1-3.

“I would say every game that we play through the rest of the year is big. Our RPI is not going to fall at all playing Texas Tech, because they are in the top 25, RPI-wise. Beating them would be big,” Eakin said. “Baylor is always a strong team, so we are hoping to go into Baylor and take the series. But you just have to take care of business. We have to win more than we lose this time of year.”

Utah, which made the NCAA Tournament last year and finished 2024 with a 35-22 overall record, has shown flashes this season and been in almost every game in Big 12 play. Thursday’s game will mark the first BYU-Utah conference softball game since 2011.

“It is definitely still a rivalry, just because it is Utah-BYU. I don’t think anybody could escape that,” said Eakin, a former University of Utah baseball infielder. “In the past, where we have played them one or two times a year, it could rise to the level of a football game, or something.

“I am a coach who has never liked the hating, or the fighting, of a rivalry,” he continued. “I just want to play the game. Of course, I want to beat them. But I want to beat everybody.”

The Cougars haven’t earned a trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2022, after making the tournament for 16-straight seasons. The program is celebrating its 25th year this season and has made it a priority to get back to the tournament, after Eakin and others believed it should have been in last year with a 31-23 record and 9-4 upset win at No. 1 Oklahoma, the four-time champion.

“After we got left out last year, when we thought we should have been in, it was talked about that we weren’t going to let that happen more,” Eakin said. “But my philosophy is the more we make that a bigger thing than the game we are playing the more chance we have to create stress and poor play.

Everybody knows what has happened. Everybody wants to get back there. But we don’t really focus on it.”

BYU has gotten where it is now with a powerful offense and above-average pitching, although injuries have weakened the pitching staff the past few weeks. BYU is 12th in the nation in home runs (65) and eighth in home runs per game (1.71).

The Cougars are 48th in team batting average (.314).

“We knew we had potential to be a powerful offense, but if you would have told me when the season started that we would have 65 at this point of the season, I probably would have said you are a little optimistic,” Eakin said. “We have hit the ball well.”

Ilove’a Brittingham leads BYU in hitting (.441), home runs (17) and RBI (57), while Lily Owens (.364) and Lindy Milkowski (.359) are also hitting well above .300. Milkowski has 15 dingers and Hailey Morrow has 10.

Riverton product Kaysen Korth has emerged as the staff ace with a 1.81 earned run average, while Bear River product Kate Dahle (2.41 era) has also pitched well.

“We have had a couple of hiccups that I regret having, and take accountability for, but overall we have had a pretty solid season,” Eakin said. “One thing that is hurting us is we have had four rainouts against teams we should beat, on paper. … I think that would have helped the win-loss record and our RPI would be better. And then a couple of losses that we just didn’t show up for. Outside of those two games, I think we have done a pretty good job all year.”

BYU players gather during break in play during Big 12 game against Central Florida on April 10, 2025. | Ellie Alder/BYU Photo