TEMPE, Ariz. — BYU softball saw its NCAA Tournament run come to a close at Farrington Stadium on Saturday, falling to No. 21 Virginia Tech 11-3 by mercy rule in the Tempe Regional Final.

“We just struggled to feel the ball and make plays,” said BYU associate head coach Pete Meredith. “You've got to tip your hat to them. They're a good team, they played hard and were the better team today.”

Game Highlights:

• Huntyr Ava’s three-run home run in the fifth inning scored the Cougars’ first runs of the game

Player Highlights:

• Huntyr Ava: 2-3, 1 R, 3 RBI
• Violet Zavodnik: 1-3, 1 R
• Erin Miklus: 1-2, 1 R 

The Hokies took a 2-0 first inning lead, reaching base twice on errors and then getting two singles, one that scored a runner and another that scored due to an obstruction call. 

Virginia Tech tacked on another run in the second, scoring after a leadoff double and an error on a bunt to go ahead 3-0. Four runs in the third, including a solo homer and two-run shot then made it 7-0. 

BYU had runners on first and second with no outs in the fourth, but three consecutive strikeouts ended a possible Cougar rally. 

Another solo home run in the fourth gave the Hokies an 8-0 lead before the Cougar bats got going in the fifth. Erin Miklus singled and Violet Zavodnik doubled to put two Cougars in scoring position with two outs. Huntyr Ava delivered a three-run blast over the left field fence and it was 8-3, Hokies. 

Virginia Tech took all three runs back in their half of the fifth, however, belting a triple to beat the shift, launching a two-run homer and then a solo home run to end the game on the NCAA’s eight-run mercy rule, 11-3 and advance to the Super Regional.

With the loss, the Cougars finish the season with a 38-17 record, going 2-2 in the Tempe Regional.

PROVO, Utah — After winning a 12th-consecutive conference title and clinching an automatic bid to the NCAA regionals, BYU softball will head to the Tempe Regional to take on Virginia Tech on Thursday, May 20, the NCAA revealed Sunday night. 

This will be the 16th-straight NCAA Regional appearance for BYU (36-15, 11-1 WCC) and 17th in program history. The Cougars won the West Coast Conference championship for the seventh time in as many years and have won conference titles the last 12 tries through four different leagues. 

The four-team, double-elimination tournament will take place May 20-22 at the Sun Devils' Alberta B. Farrington Stadium. The host Arizona State (32-14), will take on Southern Illinois (37-14), while BYU and Virginia Tech (33-13) match up in the first round. 

The top team from each of the 16 regional sites will advance to the NCAA Super Regionals held May 27-30 on eight campus sites. At each site, two teams play in a best-of-three tournament format. The winners from each site advance to the NCAA Women's College World Series (WCWS). 

NCAA Regional BYU Game Notes

The Cougars and Hokies will play at 7:30 p.m. EDT. The game will be televised on ESPN3. The remaining is as follows: 

Thursday: 

7:30 p.m. EDT — (Game 1) BYU vs. Virginia Tech

10:00 p.m. EDT — (Game 2) Arizona State vs. Southern Illinois 

Friday: 

4:00 p.m. EDT — (Game 3) Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

6:30 p.m. EDT — (Game 4) Non-Winner Game 1 vs. Non-Winner Game 2

9:00 p.m. EDT — (Game 5) Non-Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

Saturday: 

6:00 p.m. EDT — (Game 6) Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5

8:30 p.m. EDT — (Game 7) If necessary

Opponent Outlook: 

Virginia Tech | Thursday, May 20 | 7:30 p.m. EDT | ESPN3

• The Hokies finished the regular season with a 33-13 record, including 23-11 in ACC play. 
• This is the first time the Cougars and Hokies will meet on the softball field.
• Virginia Tech's last NCAA Tournament appearance was in 2019. The Hokies went 2-2 in the Lexington Regional.

Arizona State (32-14)

• The Sun Devils went 32-14 this season, with 12-9 record in Pac-12 play.
• This is the eight time Arizona State has hosted a Regional. The Sun Devils are 24-6 all-time during NCAA Regional play in Tempe.
• BYU and Arizona State met in the Cougars' first two games of the season. The Sun Devils swept the doubleheader in Tempe, winning 7-2, and 7-5 in eight innings. Arizona State leads the all-time series, 12-0.

Southern Illinois (37-14) 

• The Salukis finished the regular season with 37-14 while going 16-10 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• This is Southern Illinois' 12th NCAA Tournament appearance. The Salukis last played in the postseason in 2019.
• BYU and Southern Illinois have previously met twice at the 2015 Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico. The Cougars beat the Salukis in both games, 8-0 and 8-1. 

BYU Storylines

• The Cougars have won 24 of their last 26 games after starting the season 11-13. Included in those 24 wins is a series sweep against then-No. 25 Baylor and a walk-off thriller against Utah. 
• Rylee Jensen broke four school records last week and is now No. 1 all-time in runs scored, doubles, games played and games started. 
• Arissa Paulson eclipsed the 400-career strikeout milestone in game one of a doubleheader against Dixie State last week.
• BYU will be looking to advance to the Super Regionals for just the second time in program history. The first and only appearance came in 2010.