BU Softball Seeking to Win Fourth Straight Patriot League Title This Weekend
Terriers enter as top seed in tournament, which begins Thursday on BU Softball Field
The Terriers celebrate a doubleheader sweep against Merrimack on May 2. Photo by Dan Koerner/BU Athletics
BU Softball Seeking to Win Fourth Straight Patriot League Title This Weekend
Terriers enter as top seed in tournament, which begins Thursday on BU Softball Field
Hoping to secure its fourth consecutive Patriot League title, the Boston University softball team is back to hosting the conference tournament, which begins on Thursday, after playing last year’s championship away.
BU rattled off a 16-2 record in Patriot League play to regain the conference regular season title. The Terriers are excited to host the tournament again, as their record at the BU Softball Field is 21-1. Last season was the first time since 2017 the Terriers didn’t host the tournament, which was held at Army West Point.
“We show up to the field the same, no matter where we’re playing,” Kylie Doherty (CAS’27) says. “But it is nice to walk to the field instead of driving six hours.”
The tournament will take place from May 7 to 9 in a double-elimination format. BU is slated to face Lafayette on Thursday at noon in its opening game.
The Terriers are riding a nine-game winning streak entering postseason play. In BU’s three matchups against Lafayette this season, the Terriers are 3-0. The team’s confidence level is high.
“We play our best when we trust each other and we have fun,” Kasey Ricard (Sargent’26) says. “We’re just going to try and keep that going through the tournament, and not change our game just because the stakes are higher.”
Much like the champion BU softball teams of the past, this year’s Terriers are led by a high-flying offense. As a team, BU is hitting a whopping .339 and is averaging 7.7 runs per game.
Leading the way offensively is Doherty, who is first on the Terriers in batting average (.401), hits (71), home runs (24), and runs batted in (84).
“Kylie is having a season for the ages; you can’t say enough about her ability or what she’s done,” head coach Ashley Waters (Wheelock’22) says. “It’s the consistency and I think that is what makes her special.”
But the team’s offense is not just Doherty, Waters adds: Brooke Deppiesse (Questrom’26), Camryn Lyons (Sargent’28), Kyomi Apalit (SHA’27), Megan Coyle (CAS’26), and Irys Kline (CAS’29) all have batting averages over .300.
Dominating the circle for the Terriers is a familiar face—Ricard. The senior posted a 30-6 record with a 2.81 earned run average this season and 1.09 WHIP.
“What’s not to say about Kasey’s season? She’s just a powerhouse,” Doherty says. “I’ve seen her play so many years, and I think some of the best games I’ve ever seen her pitch were this year.”
BU has goals that reach far beyond the Patriot League tournament. Doherty says the team knows it can advance past the NCAA regionals. And the Terriers success against the likes of Duke, Ohio State, and Northwestern earlier this season suggests she’s right.
“We have a high ceiling this year and we’re not gonna put a limit on a regional or a super regional,” Doherty says. “We just go as far as we can.”
But, at the end of the day, BU knows its season is on the line this weekend, and any tournament team can win the title—so the Terriers have to be at their best.
“When you look too far ahead, that’s when it’s going to bite you,” Waters says. “We respect everybody, we know our focus needs to be on this tournament, because we don’t have the other one until we earn it.”
The BU softball team will begin Patriot League tournament play Thursday, May 7, against Lafayette at noon at the BU Softball Field. The tournament, which is a double-elimination format, will continue on Friday, May 8, and Saturday, May 9. All games will be streamed on ESPN+.