National Writer's Miller Park Visit

USA Today web columnist Eric Sorenson recently visited BYU's Miller Park and has written the following comments:

A new player?

Brigham Young University must feel lucky that the Utah Jazz owner Larry Miller is such a big softball fan. Because of that, the Cougar baseball and softball teams have a new complex to show their wares in; sparkling-new Miller Park. The Jazzman helped front a good portion of the money needed to make the new complex a reality.

The grandstand seats 2,300 and the yet-to-be-completed press box will have all the bells and whistles of a first class facility. But the most striking feature of Miller Park is the tensile roof that is constructed from a teflon fabric and held together with cables. The style and look is similar to the new Denver airport terminal, the white peaks of which mirror the nearby snowcapped mountains.

According to Sports Information Director Ralph Zobell, the BYU brass are already planning to put in a bid to the NCAA to host a regional this year. With attendance in the 1,200-to-1,500 range for the BYU home games so far, that's more than attendance figures that other regional sites have posted in the last two years. So will they get one? Well, you know what the NCAA selection committee thinks about placing regionals in untraditional locations, right? ... Hmmm.

Okay, on to the games.

WEST

Honorable mention:

BYU (3-0)

The Cougars took all three games from conference leader San Diego State, 15-9, 17-5 and 13-12. Obviously BYU had their bats grooving, hitting .441 against the Aztecs beleaguered staff. Leading the assault was shortstop Seth King who returned to the lineup after missing six games with a broken finger and went 7-for-14 with five RBI for the series. BYU has won 14 of their last 17 and have a two game lead in the MWC.

Notes from the region:

Mountain West Conference

How well have things gone for BYU pitcher Nate Fernley this year? Not even a line drive that knocked his glove and his wedding ring off his finger could stop the slinky-built hurler from getting his national-best 12th win of the year against San Diego State on Thursday. He found the ball in time to make the throw to first and get the out. His catcher found the ring and saved him from an upset wife.

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