Michigan State Opens Season with Power Surge, Rallies Past BYU 8-4
Michigan State softball opened its 2026 campaign with a statement win Friday night, rallying late to top BYU 8-4 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida. Behind clutch hitting from veterans Britain Beshears and Hannah Hawley, and a composed relief effort from Autumn Behlke, the Spartans flipped a mid-game deficit into an emphatic season-opening victory.
Let’s break down how it all unfolded-and why this win says a lot about the potential of this MSU squad.
Veteran Bats Come Up Big
The heart of Michigan State’s order came ready to swing. Seniors Hannah Hawley and Britain Beshears each went 2-for-3, and both left the yard in key moments.
Hawley got the Spartans on the board in the third with an RBI single, then added a solo shot in the fifth that doubled the lead to 2-0. Her presence at the plate was steady all night, and BYU clearly took notice-later in the game, they intentionally walked her to load the bases.
That decision? It set the stage for the biggest swing of the night.
Beshears stepped in with the bases juiced in the sixth and didn’t waste any time. On a 1-1 pitch, she launched a grand slam over the wall in left-center, blowing the game wide open. It was a veteran moment from a player who’s been in these spots before-and delivered.
Behlke Steadies the Ship
After sophomore Jacey Schuler worked through two hitless innings to start the game-stranding the bases loaded with a clutch strikeout in the second-freshman Autumn Behlke took over in the circle and gave the Spartans exactly what they needed.
Behlke threw five innings in relief, allowing just four hits and walking two. She retired the Cougars in order in the third, fourth, and sixth innings, showing poise well beyond her experience level. Even after BYU’s four-run fifth inning briefly gave them the lead, Behlke settled back in and kept the Cougars from adding on.
That calm under pressure gave MSU the breathing room it needed to mount its sixth-inning comeback.
Sixth-Inning Surge Turns the Tide
Down 4-2 heading into the top of the sixth, Michigan State wasted no time flipping the script.
Hannah Greer led off with a bloop single, and when Kendall Smiley reached on an error, the Spartans had something brewing. Payton Conroy stepped up and delivered her first hit of the season-a two-RBI single to right-center that tied the game at 4-4.
From there, the momentum kept building. A fielder’s choice and an intentional walk to Hawley loaded the bases, and Beshears did the rest-sending a no-doubt grand slam over the fence to give MSU the 8-4 lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
The Spartans sent 10 batters to the plate in the inning, scoring six runs and making BYU pay for a combination of errors and missed pitches.
Fresh Faces Make Their Mark
It wasn’t just the veterans who contributed. Freshman Zoie Bernard made her collegiate debut and showed off her plate discipline with two walks, scoring the game’s first run and swiping a base.
That kind of composure in your first game? Impressive.
Sophomore pitcher Jacey Schuler may not have gone deep into the game, but her early strikeout with the bases loaded in the second inning kept BYU off the board and gave MSU a chance to settle in. Meanwhile, Sophia Grillo picked up her first hit as a Spartan in the sixth, part of the rally that helped turn the game around.
A Gritty, Imperfect, but Promising Opener
This wasn’t a flawless performance-both teams combined for five errors and left 17 runners on base-but that’s what early-season games are often about: finding your rhythm, shaking off the rust, and learning how to win when things don’t go perfectly.
Michigan State showed resilience and firepower, two traits that could define this team moving forward. They answered a four-run BYU rally with a six-run inning of their own.
They got production from both seasoned leaders and fresh faces. And they walked away with a win that felt earned, not handed.
The Spartans (1-0) wrapped up their Friday slate with a late showdown against Auburn, while BYU (2-0) looked to bounce back after being no-hit by Tennessee the night before.
If this opener is any indication, Michigan State has the tools-and the toughness-to make some noise this season.