BYU Softball Earns Automatic-Bid, Headed To 16th Consecutive NCAA Tournament

PROVO, Utah – BYU softball is back in a familiar place, the NCAA Tournament. The WCC Champions were one of 31 teams that received an automatic bid in the 64-team field.

BYU posted a 36-15 record in the 2021 season. This season was BYU’s seventh consecutive WCC Championship. BYU has won all seven titles since the WCC began fielding softball as a sport in the league.

#BYU Softball will face Virginia Tech on Thursday in the Tempe Regional of the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) May 17, 2021

BYU will face Virginia Tech in the Tempe Regional. Due to BYU not playing games on Sunday, the Tempe Regional will begin on Thursday, while all the other regionals begin Friday. Arizona State is the host school, they are the 15-seed in the tournament.

Virginia Tech is 33-13 overall and finished third in the ACC with a 23-11 record.

The first pitch is Thursday at 5:30 p.m. (MDT) and will be televised on ESPN3.

📍 Tempe, Arizona bound 😏

We will face Virginia Tech on Thursday in the Tempe Regional 🔥🔥🔥#GoCougs | #BYUsoftball pic.twitter.com/fNoW4myBME

— BYU Softball (@byusoftball) May 17, 2021

Getting out of an NCAA regional has been the challenge for Gordon Eakin’s program. BYU hasn’t advanced to a Super Regional since 2010 when the Cougars were members of the Mountain West Conference.

It’s the first year the NCAA has fielded an NCAA Softball Tournament since the 2019 season. Last year’s tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Outfielder Rylee Jensen-McFarland is a star to watch on this year’s BYU Softball team. Jensen-McFarland took advantage of the NCAA granting an extra year to seniors last year because of the pandemic. The senior standout is batting .400 and has 18 home runs on the year.

BYU enters the NCAA Tournament winners of nine of their last 10 games and 25 of their last 27.

BYU Softball History in NCAA Tournament

2019

NCAA Regional (Stillwater, Oklahoma): 1-2

2018

NCAA Regional (Eugene, Oregon): 1-2

2017

NCAA Regional (Salt Lake City): 2-2

2016

NCAA Regional (Columbia, Missouri): 1-2

2015

NCAA Regional (Eugene, Oregon): 1-2

2014

NCAA Regional (Seattle, Washington): 1-2

2013

NCAA Regional (Eugene, Oregon): 0-2

2012

NCAA Regional (Eugene, Oregon): 2-2

2011

NCAA Regional (Seattle): 2-2

2010

NCAA Regional (Austin, Texas): 3-0

NCAA Super Regional (Tucson): 0-2

2009

NCAA Regional (Columbus, Ohio): 1-2

2008

NCAA Regional (Chapel Hill, North Carolina): 2-2

2007

NCAA Regional (PROVO): 2-2

2006

NCAA Regional (PROVO): 1-2

2005

NCAA Regional (Fresno, California): 1-2

2001

NCAA Regional (Palo Alto, California): 0-2

Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for KSLsports.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.