College Softball News

BYU, McKenna Bull building something special in Provo

Photo courtesy of BYU Athletics

The No. 20 Brigham Young University Cougars made a statement in their 12-1 run-rule victory over Nebraska to start the season in Puerto Vallarta back in February. Then they beat Washington and suddenly the softball world took notice.

Not only did heads turn for the team but McKenna Bull, a senior pitcher, was now in the spotlight.

“What’s there not to like about that kid,” asked pitching coach Pete Meredith. “McKenna as a senior has really stepped up. She’s always been a steady presence in the center for us but this year she’s taken it above and beyond. She works extremely hard and everything is working for her.”

He’s exactly right, everything is working for her. The right-hander from Ogden, Utah, is 21-4 this season with a 1.56 earned run average. In 148 innings she has allowed 115 hits, 42 runs, 33 earned runs and 45 walks. She has struck out 159 hitters and opponents have a .209 batting average against her. Among active leaders, Bull is second in appearances (167), second in games started (135), second in wins (98), fourth in complete games (88), fourth in innings pitched (842), and fifth in shutouts (29).

“I think honestly, I’ve always worked hard to get where I am and if something isn’t working, I go out and work on it,” said Bull. “I grew up with great coaches and I have a lot of support on this team. They go out and score me runs, they defend me and I credit a lot of everything to them too.”

BYU is 31-10 with additional key wins over Georgia, Utah and Oregon State. The Cougars have also been in a close decision against Auburn, UCLA and Oregon. But playing powerhouse programs doesn’t affect BYU’s mentality.

“Every game has a certain amount of pressure and every game you want to win,” said Bull. “But we have nothing to lose. No one expects us to come in and win. We come in and go full throttle because nobody expects us to win. There’s less pressure on us that way and it only helps us more if we do win.”

Fastpitch News has had BYU ranked for the majority of this season. The program has steadily been building to be a consistent Top 25 program and according to Meredith, it all starts in the circle.

“We’re trying to turn this into a Top 10 program and it all starts in the middle. She’s stepped up to the challenge and we feel we’ve got kids coming for our future to keep us a contender and at the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. Good pitching always takes care of good hitting.”

BYU will finish out this season against Utah Valley, San Diego, Grand Canyon, Santa Clara, Utah State and Saint Mary’s.

“We’ve got something to prove and we’ve got a few seniors that have a chip on their shoulder and we’re looking forward to continued success in the West Coast Conference,” said Meredith. “We’ll play hard every game and see how all this turns out.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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