Previewing the New Big 12 Baseball Teams: Now Batting – BYU

The Cougars look to show they have what it takes to hang with the Big 12.

Author:
Carson Wersal
Publish date:
Feb 13, 2024 6:37 PM EST

While many of the Big 12 teams have star freshmen or 4th and 5th-year veterans returning for their program, BYU's baseball program finds itself in a unique position. With Head Coach Trent Pratt beginning his second full season, the other parts of the coaching staff have changed as well. The two new assistant coaches for BYU are Adam Law, a former BYU infielder (2009-2013) and mental performance coach with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Tyler Coolbaugh, who recently was on staff with the Texas Rangers and Abilene Christian University.

The daily view at Larry H. Miller Field.
BYU Baseball Twitter/X

2023 Season for BYU

The 2023 season was a step in the wrong direction for the Cougars. Compared to their 2022 season, when they went 33-21, the 2023 season was disappointing as they finished 24-28, with a 13-14 conference record. Their best series wins last year were against Pepperdine and UNC-Greensboro (3-game-sweep).

With multiple infielders acquired via the transfer portal, additions to the coaching staff, and experienced pitching staff, Coach Pratt and his squad will look to get back to the baseball that brought BYU to Omaha many years ago.

Returning Players

When talking about BYU's hitting and what it will look like this season, it would be hard to leave Cooper Vest out of the conversation. The junior from St. George, Utah hit an impressive .359 last year with 16 doubles and 46 RBIs. Vest will most likely be the spark that the Cougars offense needs to compete with some of the better teams in the Big 12.

Mason Olson headlines BYU's pitching staff after notching a 5.53 ERA in the 2023 season. Olson had 81.1 innings pitched for the Cougars and was a pitcher that Coach Pratt relied on in 2023. Boston Mabeus led the team last year in efficiency with a 3.25 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched. Mabeus had four saves in 2023 and is expected to be an integral part of the pitching staff, no matter his role.

BYU at a Glance

Location: Provo, Utah
# of Students: 30,039
Best D1 Season Record: 32-16 (CWS Appearance)
Head Coach: Trent Pratt
Stadium: Larry H. Miller Field
Stadium Capacity: Approx: 1,165
Notable MLB Players: Rick Aguilera, Ken Hunt, Jeremy Guthrie, Jack Morris, Austin Deming

Conference and Tournament Career

Two of BYU's best seasons came in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The Cougars made it to Omaha in both 1968 and 1971 but haven't been able to make it back since their two appearances. In recent memory, the Cougars' best season came in 2017 when they won the West Coast Conference Tournament for the first time in program history, as well as earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament in the Stanford Regional.

Under Head Coach Gary Pullens from 1963-1999, BYU made an impressive 11 trips to the NCAA tournament, four of which resulted in a Sweet 16 appearance.

Other Big 12 Newcomers:

For the last couple of weeks, we've been previewing the baseball programs of the four new Big 12 schools. You can read those previews here: