The fourth week of Big 12 softball was also Golden Ticket weekend for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
Across the country, personnel from the AUSL were meeting prospective draft picks and handing out Golden Tickets to the draft Those tickets mean those players are guaranteed to be selected in the draft in May. They’ll learn then which of the league’s six teams they ended up with.
At least two Big 12 players received their Golden Tickets. Perhaps not by coincidence, their teams swept their series. In fact, it was a sweeping weekend in the league, as four of the five league series ended in three-game sweeps.
Here’s a wrap of Week 4 of Big 12 softball play.
Series Recaps
Kansas (25-10, 6-3) at BYU (11-22, 2-7)
Game 1: Kansas 6, BYU 4
Game 2: BYU 4, Kansas 3
Game 3: Kansas 10, BYU 3
First, do you enjoy walk-off home runs and light shows? Here’s a BYU walk off home run from Game 2.
Danica Acosta’s only hit of the game was a walk-off home run for a 4-3 win. Even better? It was her first collegiate home run. Meanwhile, Hailey Shuler threw a complete game six-hitter. But it was the only game the Cougars won this weekend.
Kansas took control of Game 1 with a four-run second inning and never trailed after that. Hailey Cripe’s home run extended the lead to 5-0. Blakely Barber improved to 6-1 in the circle.
Sunday’s win was a big one for the season and for the program. Home runs from Ella Boyer, Cripe, Campbell Bagshaw and September Flanagan helped the Jayhawks secure their third straight series victory, the first time the program has won three Big 12 series in a season since 2024.
No. 21/21 Oklahoma State (25-10, 7-5) at Utah (25-11, 4-5)
Game 1: Oklahoma State 2, Utah 1
Game 2: Oklahoma State 9, Utah 8
Game 3: Oklahoma State 4, Utah 2
The Cowgirls executed the sweep over the Utes, but all three games were close. OSU’s Lexi McDonald hit a go-ahead double to break the tie and Tia Warsop’s bases-loaded walk set the final score. Ruby Meylan (15-6) took the win and worked 18 innings for the week, including the mid-week game, and finished with 16 strikeouts.
OSU was down 6-1 after the first inning of Game 2 and chipped away before taking the lead in the sixth inning. Amanda Hasler’s RBI double gave the Cowgirls the lead for good and gave her the 150th RBI of her career.
The Cowgirls scored two runs in the second inning and made it stand. Hasler drove in both runs with a double.
Even with the sweep, the Utes’ Mia Gomez extended her on-base streak to 36 games. That included two hits and two RBI in the scorefest played in Game 2.
Iowa State (20-13, 3-6) at No. 2 Texas Tech (34-2, 11-1)
Game 1: Texas Tech 9, Iowa State 1 (5 innings)
Game 2: Texas Tech 10, Iowa State 2 (5 innings)
Game 3: Texas Tech 17, Iowa State 6 (5 innings)
The Red Raiders took care of business. And pitcher NiJaree Canady got a Golden Ticket for the AUSL draft in May.
Texas Tech took care of Iowa State in five innings in all three games. By Sunday, the Red Raiders hit their 75th home run of the season, which set a new program record for most home runs as a team in a season. TTU also scored 12 runs in the second inning of the finale.
Samantha Lincoln took the win in the final game to improve to 7-0. Kaitlyn Terry won the second game and improved to 13-0. Canady pitched in the opener to improve to 13-2. The offense was sensational weekend.
Iowa State’s bats were at its best in the finale as Kadence Shepherd hit a grand slam and Reagan Bartholomew had two solo home runs.
No. 22 UCF (28-10, 6-6) at Houston (17-21, 1-11)
Game 1: UCF 16, Houston 1
Game 2: UCF 11, Houston 0
Game 3: UCF 22, Houston 8
So, Texas Tech sets a program record for home runs in a season? Heck, the Knights set a program record for most home runs in a game on Sunday with 10. It was part of 19 home runs for the series.
The Knights that homered on Sunday included Kendall Yarnell (who hit two), Beth Damon, Izzy Mertes (who hit three), Sierra Humphreys (who hit three), and Ashleigh Griffin. That included an 11-run fifth inning. Earlier in the series, Aubrey Evans hit three home runs in a game. Mertes, Humphreys and Evans all tied the program record for most home runs in a single game.
Houston joined the home run parade on Sunday with a home run each from Hailey Gore and Maddie Hartley, who combined for seven RBI.
Baylor (21-12, 5-4) at No. 13 Arizona (27-8, 9-3)
Game 1: Arizona 10, Baylor 2
Game 2: Arizona 11, Baylor 7
Game 3: Arizona 6, Baylor 3
Speaking of Golden Tickets, Arizona’s Sydney Stewart has entered the chat.
The Arizona catcher got her Golden Ticket for the AUSL draft the same weekend that Canady did. She capped her weekend with three RBI in the series finale. Jalen Adams claimed the win in the circle to improve to 15-4. The finale was the lowest scoring game of the three.
Addison Duke homered in the second game while seven different Wildcats had at least one RBI. In the opener, Arizona run-ruled the Bears as Stewart, Grace Jenkins and Kez Lucas each homered. Stewart also had three RBI.
Baylor started the Big 12 slate 3-0 with a sweep over Iowa State. Since then, the Bears have gone 2-4. Kaygen Marshall was Baylor’s only home run of the weekend.
