The BYU fall softball season has officially come to an end.
Fall games are meant to prepare the team for the spring season and help new transfers adjust to the team. With a mixture of upperclassmen, new signees and transfers, having these exhibition games are crucial to help this Cougars team to be more cohesive for their upcoming 2025 season.
BYU has a total of three transfers this season, all adding to the variety to positions that are needed to fill softball roster. They were picked from all over the country to make this BYU team better. NCAA transfers are tricky. There are certain time frame rules that the athletes must follow.
There are also different rules for fifth-year transfers. Since they already have a degree, there's more leniency about when athletes can talk to coaches. This all has to do with the time frames of applying to different master's and Ph.D. programs.
Looking at last season, BYU finished 11-16 in Big 12 play win its first season in the conference. Throughout the season, the Cougars had some struggles on the field, including in terms of pitching.
This season, they have added pitchers on the team to combat that. They added transfer Kenadee Belnap, who hopes to dominate the mound. Belnap is a transfer from Galveston Community College, where she played for one season and made a total of 13 appearances.
BYU also brought in five other transfers that have a variety of skill sets. These athletes were able to blend and gain experience with the Cougars and coach Gordon Eakin throughout these fall games.
One of those transfers is catcher Lindy Milkowski. Milkowski started out this fall season strong. She has been a consistent and timely hitter for the Cougars.
The 5-foot-8 catcher from Olathe, Kansas, played three seasons at Eastern Illinois after her freshman season at Iowa. Milkowski earned Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference Infielder honors in 2023, First Team All-OVC Catcher honors in 2022 and All-OVC Newcomer Team honors in 2021.
“I want to make sure that I’m somebody that pitchers hate to throw to," Milkowski said. "My biggest expectation is to be a consistent hitter. … I am clutch and being able to hit in pressure situations, being able to [thrive] in those situations.”
Throughout this upcoming season, the coaches will be sure to take advantage of transfer Miranda Mansfield. Mansfield is a utility player coming from just 40 miles north, Salt Lake Community College. Last season she held a .463 batting average.
These athletes are adding a variety of skills to the softball team this season and are eager to get their first year at BYU underway.