By Evelyn Burns
It''s time to see if long practice hours and hard work have paid off for the Cougar softball team as it makes its way to the first tournament of the season.
The players are traveling Thursday Jan. 30 to play in the Third Annual Thunderbird Canyon Park Classic in St. George, hosted by Southern Utah University.
The team will kick off its season with a scrimmage against Dixie College on Thursday afternoon. The scrimmage is a light warm-up for the players. School uniforms will not be worn, no umpires will be present and the game will not count in the tournament standings.
The game against Dixie will help to prepare the players for two games on Friday against Oregon State and Southern Utah and two games on Saturday against Cal-Poly and Saint Mary''s.
'We are ready to stop practicing and start playing,' coach Gordon Eakin said. 'We are cautiously optimistic about the tournament this weekend.'
The softball team has a chance to start with a bang this season. The first game, against No. 23 Oregon State University, is sure to be filled with intense competition. In the tournament last year, Oregon State managed to beat three of its four competitors, excepting BYU. The Cougars beat the Beavers in a 4-1 win last January.
Top returning players for the Beavers are senior power hitters Brynnen Gutherie and Clare Burnum. Gutherie had a .342 batting average and 25 RBIs last season. On the mound for the Beavers will be junior pitcher Monica Hoffman, who recorded a school-record 3 no-hitters and a 1.42 ERA last season.
Game two on Friday matches the Cougars against the SUU Thunderbirds. The T-Birds will bring experience, with fifth-year coach Laurel Simmons, and a 12-8 stint in conference play last year. The record of BYU and SUU play is at even, with 12 victories on both sides.
The Thunderbirds bring back Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year Lacee LePrey and first-team All-Mid-Continent Conference selections April Cox, Precious Gallo and Anna Leeman. LePrey led the team last year with a 2.44 ERA, a .335 batting average and 34 RBIs. The T-Bird pitching rotation will be the biggest strength with LePrey, returning senior Tracy Evans Jones and freshman Mandy Brown.
The first game on Saturday is against the Cal-Poly Mustangs. The Mustangs have had five straight losing seasons, dropping 14 of their last 21 games last season. BYU has not played against Cal-Poly in the SUU tournament before, and the game could prove to be an exciting first for both teams.
The Mustang infield is something for the Cougars to look at, though. The Mustangs boast three returning All-Big West selections from last year''s team, including infielder Roni Sparrey, first baseman Holly Ballard and catcher Carrie Schubert.
The Cougars will end the tournament against Saint Mary''s. The Gaels have 13 of their 16 players returning from last season. Although the Gaels had a losing season last year, only winning 17 games, the team''s experience will still make it a tough competitor for BYU.