PREVIEW: Battle of the Cougars This Weekend at Cougar Softball Stadium

HOUSTON – The University of Houston Softball team continues a five-game homestand with a three-game series against BYU.

The series kicks off at 6 p.m., Thursday, before a 6 p.m., Friday, matchup. Both sets of Cougars will close the weekend at noon, Saturday.

Friday is Houston's Bark in the Park game with fans encouraged to bring their furry friends to the ballpark (limit one dog per adult fan). Fans will also have the opportunity to receive a throwback t-shirt while supplies last.

Houston will celebrate its 25^th anniversary season on Saturday with alumni recognized throughout the game. The first 150 fans will receive a 25^th anniversary commemorative ticket in celebration of the event.

BYU
Date \| Time				March 20 \| 6 p.m. \| Watch \| Live Stats \| Tickets March 21 \| 6 p.m. \| Watch \| Live Stats \| Tickets March 22 \| Noon \| Watch \| Live Stats \| Tickets
Location				Cougar Softball Stadium
Game Notes				Game Notes

SERIES vs BYU

All-Time: 7-3
in Houston: 1-1
Last Houston Win: 9-6; March 29, 2024
Last BYU Win: 17-15 (9); March 29, 2024
Last 10 in Series: 7-3
Current Streak: L1

HEAD COACH KRISTIN VESELY
Overall record: 228-201-1 (9th season)
At Houston: same

FIRST PITCH

In its last time out, Houston flexed its offense in a 10-6 win over Lamar.
Freshmen are well represented in the starting lineup for this year's squad. Out of 248 positional start this season, first-years have earned 116 of them (47 percent) while underclassmen as a whole have snagged 220 of the team's 248 starts (89 percent). It is believed to be both one of the most freshmen heavy lineups and underclassmen heavy lineups.
Houston has hit back-to-back home runs four times this season, all at Cougar Softball Stadium. The Cougars started against Tarleton on Feb. 25 before completing the feat twice as part of back-to-back-to-back homers against Iowa State on March 7. Junior Mandy Esman and sophomore Makenna Mitchell completed the most recent occurrence against Lamar on March 16.
The Cougars hold a 1-1 series record in Big 12 Conference play this season. Houston opened league play by winning two-of-three games against Iowa State before falling in a lone game to #15/#14 Oklahoma State.
Last year's rubber match against BYU was the highest scoring game in program history as the teams combined for 32 runs.
Houston has been drawing walks at a prolific rate this season. Picking up 155 bases on balls through the first 25 games, the Cougars lead the country in walks, sitting two walks ahead of second-place Oklahoma who has played one more game. In the total is five games where Houston drew double-digit walks, including 13 against New Mexico on Feb. 7 which is the second most walks drawn in a single game by a NCAA Division I team this season as well as a new program record for walks in a game.
The Cougars' walk total this season has already eclipsed the season total from 10 of Houston's seasons.
Houston used a 5-3-5 triple play to clinch a 4-3 win against Pitt on Feb. 15. It was the team's second triple play in program history and its first since April 7, 2007, against UTEP. The Cougars are one of six NCAA Division I teams to turn a triple play this season, joining Alcorn, Campbell, Elon, Jackson State and ULM. Houston, Alcorn and Campbell all completed the feat in the second weekend of the season.
After tying the record for most runs through 11 games with 94 runs last season, Houston is back to its run-scoring ways this year. Averaging 10.2 runs per game through five games, Houston broke its record for most runs to start the season in that span, besting its previous mark of 39 runs in 2022.
Cougar Softball Stadium features multiple upgrades for the 2025 season, including an expanded concessions menu, new safety netting and a new sound system.
Houston filled the third assistant coach role permitted by the NCAA last summer, hiring Barrett Barnes to complete the coaching staff. The Cougars' staff of Head Coach Kristin Vesely and assistant coaches Nadia Taylor, Hope Trautwein and Barnes are the only staff in the Big 12 who all have played either softball or baseball professionally.
Vesely has defeated a ranked team in every season as head coach of Houston, including knocking-off top-ranked Texas last season for the Cougars' first win against a #1 opponent in program history.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Softball by supporting LinkingCoogs – UH's very own NIL collective – and by joining the Diamond Club which provides financial support directly to Houston Softball for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarSB on X, formerly known as Twitter, and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at Houston Softball. Fans also can follow the team on Instagram at @UHCougarSB.

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