LAWRENCE, Kan. — Four hitless innings from closer Ashton Johnson and timely hitting from the BYU offense combined to deliver a series-opening 7-5 win for the Cougars over Kansas on Thursday night at Hoglund Ballpark.

With the win, BYU bounces back above .500 at 24-23 and 8-17 in Big 12 play while the Jayhawks go to 37-14 (15-10). The Cougars have now won their sixth conference series opener in nine weeks this season.

BYU used a four-run third inning to lead 5-1 through the top of the fifth. KU responded with three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to square the game 5-5. Timely singles from Luke Anderson and Crew McChesney along with a Keoni Painter sacrifice bunt helped BYU retake a 7-5 lead in the eighth.

“We found a way to win tonight with some big hits early and manufactured those two late,” said BYU head coach Trent Pratt. “We just have to keep playing good baseball like this and we’ll be in position for something good at the end of the season.”

Johnson took command of the mound in the bottom of the sixth and went on to retire 11 of 13 batters faced on his way to four hitless innings and his third win of the season.

“Ashton walked on in the fall, didn’t have a guaranteed spot on the team but he just kept pitching,” Pratt said. “He’s done so much for us this year.”

Justis Reiser started the game on the hill for the Cougars and pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Together, the BYU pitching staff allowed just four Jayhawk hits, their fewest since April 11 at TCU.

KU’s four hits resulted in five runs with an error and eight stranded. The Cougars’ seven runs came on nine hits with an error and just five left aboard.

Softball eliminated from Big 12 Tournament

OKLAHOMA CITY — No. 6-seed BYU softball dropped a 4-2 contest to No. 3-seed Iowa State in the quarterfinal of the Big 12 Championship at OGE Energy Field at Devon Park on Thursday night.

The Cougars (32-17, 13-11 Big 12) took an early lead on an Aleia Agbayani home run, but gave up runs in the third, fourth and fifth frames, including two Cyclone home runs of their own, that put them in a deficit they were unable to come back from.

BYU recorded six hits to Iowa State’s seven, and also left six runners on base to the Cyclones’ seven, but tallied two errors to ISU’s one.

Kate Dahle (8-6) took the loss after pitching four innings with two walks and a strikeout.

On Deck BYU will now await its postseason fate, with the NCAA Selection Show slated for Sunday, May 11 at 5 p.m. MT on ESPN2.

Jones-Perry makes US Women’s Volleyball VNL roster

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — BYU women’s volleyball alum Roni Jones-Perry has been named to the U.S. Women’s National Team’s 2025 Volleyball Nations League (VNL) roster, USA Volleyball announced on Thursday afternoon.

Jones-Perry makes her second appearance on the American VNL roster, having previously represented the United States in 2023.

One of ten returning VNL players, Jones-Perry is one of 30 athletes on the team that will be narrowed down to 14 as the U.S. prepares for the world’s premier annual international tournament.

18 of the world’s top teams will compete in three weeks on preliminary play, taking part in four matches per week. Games will be played in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (June 4-8), Belgrade, Serbia (June 18-22), and Arlington, Texas (July 9-13).

The top eight countries will then advance to the Final Round, set for July 23-27 in Łódź, Poland.

Playing at BYU from 2015-18, Jones-Perry was a two-time AVCA All-American for the Cougars, and was both the 2018 WCC and AVCA Pacific South Region Player of the Year.

Former Skyridge star Housley joining UVU men’s hoops

Utah Valley University men’s basketball head coach Todd Phillips has announced the signing of former WAC All-Freshman Team honoree Braden Housley, a transfer guard who spent last season at Utah State after a standout redshirt freshman campaign at Southern Utah.

“Braden is an outstanding combo guard who brings toughness and skill to our team,” said Phillips. “He knows the WAC well and brings a fiery competitiveness every time he steps on the court. We love his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting, and he’s a player who can help us in a lot of different ways.”

Housley, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound guard, started all 31 games during the 2023-24 season at Southern Utah, earning WAC All-Freshman honors while averaging 10.8 points, 3.6 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game. He logged a team-high 34.7 minutes per contest and led the Thunderbirds in both assists (111) and steals (49), ranking sixth and fifth in the WAC in those categories, respectively.

A product of Skyridge High School in Lehi, Housley was a second-team all-state and first-team all-region selection as a senior. He averaged 16.4 points, 7.1 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.1 steals while setting the school’s single-season assist record (164). His 127 career steals also remain a school record.

On Thursday, UVU announced the signing of UCF transfer Tyler Hendricks. The 6-foot-6 guard joins the Wolverines after spending the past three seasons at UCF, including a breakout redshirt sophomore campaign in 2024-25.

“We’re excited to welcome Tyler to the Wolverine family,” said Phillips. “He brings a wealth of experience and knowledge from his time in the Big 12, and we expect him to have an immediate impact in all facets of the game. His superpower is his versatility–he can play multiple positions and score at all three levels.”