How ‘impressive’ is this Boise State softball freshman? Check out the numbers
The first home run of Makenzie Butt’s collegiate softball career was a three-run shot over the left-field fence in a 15-5 win at UC Davis on Feb. 9.
Three innings later, Butt went yard to right-center field with a runner on base.
The Boise State freshman first baseman has been on a tear ever since.
Butt ranks second nationally in total RBIs (73) and RBIs per game (1.49), is tied for fifth in home runs (21) and is seventh in home runs per game (.43). She owns Boise State’s single-season RBI record, and her 21 home runs is tied for the program’s single-season record going into this weekend’s final homestand of the season, against Utah State.
The Broncos (30-20, 8-11 MW) host the Aggies (26-22, 11-8) at Dona Larsen Park at 6 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday and noon Saturday.
“When there’s runners on and she doesn’t get a hit, I’m almost like frustrated because I’m like, ‘That never happens,’” Boise State coach Justin Shults said. “So I have to take a step back and realize what she’s been doing is just special.
“We knew very early on in the fall that she was going to be a big part of our lineup, but it’s always hard to predict what types of numbers you’re going to get to. So for her to be breaking all types of records in terms of RBI and home runs is just really, really impressive.”
Butt’s season is nothing short of rare. She is the 12th freshman in NCAA history to record at least 20 home runs and 70 RBIs. She currently ranks No. 9 in the Softball America First Base Player Power Rankings and was named a Top 25 Freshman by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.
The Garden Grove, California, product also has a school-record 21 multi-RBI games this season.
“I try not to think about those things that much,” Butt said. “I mean, my dad’s all over that, and I just try to separate myself from it. (Boise State center fielder) Sophia Knight went through the same thing, and I actually had a talk with her about it, because it kind of got in my head a little bit during the season.
“I was like, ‘How did you deal with it?’ And she was like, ‘You just have to ignore it.’”
Knight, who was named a Softball America Freshman All-American and the Mountain West Freshman of the Year last season, is the perfect example for Butt to follow. Knight leads the Broncos this season with a .500 batting average and has a nation-leading 95 hits.
But the individual accolades won’t feel nearly as memorable if Boise State doesn’t close out the season on a high note.
The Broncos are sixth in the Mountain West standings, and the top six teams advance to the Mountain West Tournament May 7-10 at SDSU Softball Stadium in San Diego, California. Boise State can secure a spot in the tournament with at least one win against Utah State this weekend, or a Colorado State loss.
“We always say, play for the front of your jersey, not the back,” Butt said. “So that’s something we’ve been saying and we know we can win this Mountain West Tournament. There’s been games that we shouldn’t have lost and we lost, and we know that.
“The No. 1-ranked team in our conference, Nevada, we beat them the first game, so we know we can do it. That’s what we just have to stick to.”
