🥎 Kansas Hosts Big 12 Newcomer BYU This Weekend

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas Jayhawks (27-21-1, 11-13 Big 12) host Big 12 newcomer BYU (27-22, 8-16 Big 12) in a three-game series at Arrocha Ballpark from May 2-4, Thursday-Saturday. This will be the first time Kansas and BYU have squared off at Arrocha. Saturday, KU will celebrate its eight seniors in its annual senior game event. 

Last week, Kansas faced off against Kansas City and No. 4 Oklahoma State. At Oklahoma State, Kansas played in a doubleheader on April 26, when it fell 5-2 and 6-5. Kansas took the lead first in all three games against OSU. 

The Jayhawks currently have the No. 28 ranked strength of schedule in the country. This season, Kansas has faced seven ranked opponents in 15 games, most recently at No. 4 Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Kansas has earned four ranked wins this season as it has defeated No. 18 Texas A&M and No. 19 Baylor. 

Sophomores Presley Limbaugh, Campbell Bagshaw and Hailey Cripe hold three of the top-five batting averages on the team, and Aynslee Linduff has started in left more than 40 times with 40 hits. Limbaugh leads the team with an average of .364, which sits just outside the top-10 on the KU single season records list. Cripe leads the squad with 10 doubles, 42 hits and 34 RBI, including her first career multi-home run game at Houston on March 22. She has hit two grand slams this season, most recently at Iowa State, and with her most recent home run against No. 1 Texas, Cripe tied Lyric Moore for the most home runs on the team with six.

Defensively, Cripe holds down the left side of the infield as the shortstop as she leads the team with 104 defensive assists, third-most in the Big 12, and 12 double plays. Bagshaw has come into her own this season after only seeing a few innings last season. She has solidified herself in the starting lineup and has amassed a batting average of .301, the third-best average on the squad. She hit her first home run, a grand slam, against Wichita State on March 12 and hit her second career home run in the very next game against Baylor. She scored Kansas’ lone run against Oklahoma on March 28 with a solo blast to right center to put her total at three home runs.

Lyric Moore has also had a stellar season, as she has already topped her home run total from a year ago with six and leads the Big 12 with 11 runners caught stealing. She has led the way in conference play this season, as she has amassed a .333 batting average in 66 at-bats, along with three home runs and 11 RBI.

This season, Kansas has been led by its stellar pitching, specifically left-hander Kasey Hamilton and right-hander Katie Brooks. Hamilton has earned six shutouts and has thrown 17 complete games, the 16th-most in the NCAA and most in the Big 12, in 24 starts this season. Hamilton leads the team with 90 strikeouts in 148.2 innings pitched, the most IP in the Big 12. Her six shutouts lead the Big 12 and rank 16th in the nation. This season, she has allowed 70 earned runs and an opponent batting average of .234.

In her junior season, Brooks has earned a 12-5 record in 103.2 innings pitched. One of her best performances came against UTSA on Feb. 23, when she struck out 10 batters in just five innings of action. She has the best ERA (2.90) among qualified pitchers and has struck out 64 batters while allowing just four home runs this season, third-least in the Big 12. After picking up three wins against Wichita State and Baylor, Brooks was selected as the D1Softball National Pitcher of the Week (3/19).

Kansas and BYU have met nine times, most recently on February 20, 2009, when Kansas won 3-1 in Palm Springs, California. This will be the first meeting between the two teams at Arrocha Ballpark and just the third matchup not at a neutral site.

HOW TO FOLLOW ALONG
Fans can watch every pitch via Big 12 Now on ESPN+, or follow play-by-play action with live statistics. Fans are also encouraged to follow the official Kansas Softball X Account for live updates throughout each contest. Fans that are wishing to attend can purchase tickets here.

UP NEXT
Kansas will compete at the 2024 Phillips 66 Big 12 Softball Championship in Oklahoma City at USA Hall of Fame Stadium with the first game of the tournament set for May 8. Last season, KU won its first game in the Big 12 Championship since 2007 when it came back against Oklahoma State and won 8-7.