This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It appears that BYU's softball team will be loaded with pitching talent for a long time to come. Earlier this week, senior Hannah Howell earned Pacific Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week honors after she threw a perfect game against Loyola Marymount on April 13. Howell has a career record of 38-25 with 336 strikeouts and a 2.87 earned run average. Next year, the Cougars will have arguably the best pitcher in the history of the state of Washington. Ashley Thompson of Connell, Wash. — the same town that produced BYU linebacker Spencer Hadley — is a high school senior who is rewriting the Washington state record books, according to an article on the website Maxpreps.com. Thompson signed to play for BYU last fall. She has thrown six-straight no-hitters, giving her seven on the season. Both are state records. The six-straight no-nos ranks third best all-time in the country, according to the NHSSF record books. Thompson has her Connell team off to a 13-0 start. She has allowed just eight hits in 70 innings, while striking out 172 batters. She's also a dynamo at the plate, with 23 home runs in 2012 and 46 in her career. She has seven homers this year, and is hitting .710. She has driven in 210 runs in her career.