×
×
homepage logo
SUBSCRIBE

BYU roundup: Cougar softball puts three on freshman watch list

By BYU/UVU sports information - | Jan 14, 2025

Courtesy BYU Photo

BYU softball players celebrate after a home run during the game against Oklahoma State at Gail Miller Field in Provo on Friday, March 22, 2024.

BYU softball had three student-athletes represented on Softball America’s Freshman Watch List, the outlet announced on Tuesday morning.

Catcher Ilove’a Brittingham, infielder Danica Acosta and left-handed pitcher Jada Villegas were the three Cougars named to the 170-player list that was based on conversations that the outlet had with coaches who believe their student-athletes will make an impact this upcoming season.

Brittingham, a 5-foot-9 Nipomo, California native, was a two-time CalHiSports All-State Team honoree, the 2024 NCSAA National Hitter of the Year and 2024 All-CIF Southern Section Team honoree. She hit .540 as a senior with 47 hits, 42 runs, 38 RBI, 19 homers and a .972 fielding percentage.

Acosta is a two-time 18U Alliance national champion (2022-23). The 5-foot-four El Centro, California product was an all-league honoree to go along with a CIF title and all-league nod in volleyball.

Also a two-time 18U Alliance national champion (2022-23), Villegas is a 5-foot-8 southpaw out of San Bernardino, California. She is a two-time all-state honoree (2022-23), two-time Citrus Belt League MVP (2022-23), was the 2023 AFCS Most Outstanding Player and was named to the All-Citrus Belt First Team in 2022 and 2024.

The Cougars, who begin their 2025 slate with five games at UC San Diego’s La Jolla Invitational starting Thursday, Feb. 6, have also had Bre Townsend named the D1 Softball’s D100 Freshman Watch List and Lily Owens ranked No. 74 on Softball America’s Preseason Top 100 list.

View the full Freshman Watch List at the Softball America website at https://www.on3.com/softball/news/2025-softball-america-freshman-watch-list.

Cougar baseball adds new assistant coach

BYU head baseball coach Trent Pratt announced Tuesday the hiring of Brycen Campbell as an assistant coach. Campbell joins the Cougars from UC San Diego where he was an assistant coach for the Tritons in 2024.

“We are extremely excited to have Brycen and his wife Morgan and their three kids, Isla, Elle and Blair, join our program,” Pratt said. “Brycen is well respected across the country and will bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to BYU.”

Campbell’s will serve as the Cougars’ hitting coach and recruiting coordinator.

Prior to UCSD, Campbell spent two seasons at Washington State as the director of operations for the baseball program. In 2023, he helped the Cougars post a 29-23 record and make an appearance at No. 20 in the Collegiate Baseball News Top 25 Poll, WSU’s first national ranking since 2010.

Campbell joined WSU after working the previous two seasons (2020-21) at Point Loma Nazarene in California as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Prior to his appointment at Point Loma, Campbell worked two seasons (2018-19) as an assistant baseball coach and strength and conditioning coordinator at Riverside City College. He began his coaching career as a student assistant for two seasons at New Mexico State (2016-17).

During his coaching career, Campbell has helped develop 10 players into MLB draft picks, coached three All-Americans and helped 17 junior college players earned Division I baseball scholarships.

Campbell, a native of Farmington, New Mexico, played collegiately as an outfielder at Eastern Arizona (2013-14), where he was selected to play in the 2013 ACCAC Conference All-Star game. He later transferred to NMSU where he played the 2015 season. Campbell and his wife, Morgan, have two daughters, Isla and Elle, and a son, Blair.

BYU women’s tennis to start season with doubleheader

The BYU women’s tennis team will begin their 2025 season on Jan. 16 with two matches against Weber State and Utah Tech.

The Cougars will first travel to Ogden and face the Wildcats at 10 a.m. MST. The match will not be streamed.

The team will return to the Indoor Tennis Courts in Provo to compete against the Bison at 5:30 p.m. MST. Livestreams for all four courts can be found on byucougars.com at the start of the match.

Follow @byuwtennis on social media for live updates, and visit byucougars.com for results throughout the match.