A look behind the plate: BYU softball catcher Lindy Milkowski

For fifth-year senior catcher Lindy Milkowski, there was no better time to enter the transfer portal than while recovering from a season-ending injury.

Milkowski transferred to the BYU softball team after she had spent her senior year recovering from a torn ACL.

She did not know that this was a season-ending injury until the fall. Milkowski got injured during the spring of 2023 and continued to finish out her junior season, which continued to make the injury worse.

Milkowski and her family found out about her torn ACL in the fall of 2023. She was shocked that it was torn because it was not too painful in the beginning. Going through this recovery process, she decided to enter the NCAA portal after she graduated with a bachelor’s in psychology.

Milkowski is originally from Kansas and previously attended Eastern Illinois University, where she was able to play softball for three seasons. She transferred to EIU after her freshman season at Iowa. During her time at EIU, she became the leading hitter in the conference. She is not only a strong hitter; she also is a catcher and helps the team out from behind the plate.

There are certain times when an athlete is and is not allowed to enter the transfer portal. She had already transferred once after her freshman year, so she knew how the process worked.

Since Milkowski finished her four-year degree already, it made the process easier and faster to get into contact with different schools. They are more lenient with fifth-year athletes because of different graduate programs and time constraints.

She was able to get into contact with BYU coach Gordon Eakin quickly and even reached out to him first in an email. The subject line read “Not to brag, but I’m 0-1 in stolen bases.”

Mikowski’s mom owns a marketing firm and so her mom also helped her create this line to get Eakin’s attention. This led her to Provo and a spot on a Big-12 team. Milkowski also ended up seeing coach Eakin at a tournament in Kanas City, and she was able to hand him water and introduce herself.

Milkowski's transfer was announced on June 28, 2024. When announced, Eakin said that the coaching staff was excited to have her for the 2024-2025 season.

“She will have an impact both offensively and defensively,” Eakin said. “She is a serious home run threat and RBI producer.”

Throughout her life, Milkowski was always supported by her family playing collegiate sports. Her siblings grew up playing sports as well. Having her family to support her has lead her to where she is right now with BYU. Family played a vital role in how she grew up and what was considered normal for her family.

Milkowski is grateful that she was raised in a hectic household and it allowed her to appreciate all sports.

“We couldn’t spend time with our extended family because we were constantly at sporting events. … We constantly had practices, or we had to travel to get to a tournament.”

Growing up in a busy household was all she knew and with that she was able to take those skills and transition them into being a successful NCAA athlete. Having that support allowed her to build skill sets and continue to grow her athletic portfolio with BYU.

“So, part of it is that [I] have an appreciation for working hard and a hard work ethic,” said Milkowski. “I think [that] will last me for my entire career.”

During a recent interview posted on Instagram, the Kansas native stated that if she did not do softball, she would like to do college-level bowling. She has previously bowled a perfect 300 and would love to take that secret talent somewhere.

She also missed out on her senior season in high school because of the Covid-19 Pandemic. The fifth year feels her senior seasons are cursed because she has missed both so far in her softball career.

“So, the last two senior years I’ve had in my life, they’re supposed to be these magical moments. I’m like man, I don’t feel that," she said. "That’s why I refuse to say I’m a senior this year. I just say [that] I’m a fifth-year.”

During her junior year, she was a lead conference hitter and hopes to bring that energy to BYU.

Entering Utah is a culture shock to everyone coming from out of state, but Milkowski was especially shocked. Milkowski was surprised how nice everyone was in Utah and now often she is able to have simple street conversations. She is also very happy with the abundance of new restaurants to try.

“There is so many options of food," she said. "That is the biggest thing I’ve noticed. There’s like so many choices that I get bombarded with what to pick.”

What a great problem to have when trying to get accustomed to a new space.

Photo by BYU photo

Milkowski, despite her injuries and trials, is excited to finish out her NCAA career at BYU playing in the Big 12. Even though this is going to be her first and only season at BYU, she will be a leader out on the field with all of the experience that she has gained.

As a collegiate athlete, she has always expressed being an example in the field and in the batter’s box. She hopes to be a strong and dominant hitter in the batter’s box to finish out her NCAA career.

“With only having a year left, it’s about playing but It’s also about how can I give the underclassman, the knowledge that I’ve gained over the five years now that I’ve played in college,” Milkowski said.

She expressed that even though at the time, her ACL tear was a setback in her career, she was able to use that time to become even better at something. During her injured senior year, Milkowski spent most of her time behind the plate watching pitches so that she would be even better for when she could play again.

Milkowski has high expectations set for her fifth year. Not only to be a leader and an example on the team, but to also continue her skills. Softball is much more than a sport to her; she wants to improve on her skills constantly.

“I just want to have the place where I know that I can belong and the place where I feel free to play how I can and how I know I can," she said.

BYU is fortunate to have Milkowski on this team in its second season in the Big 12. Hopes are high for the Cougars — and high for her as well.