Bengals look to improve upon historic 2025 season, make run at first conference tourney title

POCATELLO — The Idaho State Bengals won a program-record 37 games last year. With two weeks left in the regular season, Alyssa Yee, Ava Brown and the girls are in position to improve upon that win total.

It was a historic season for the 2025 Bengals, but one that ended in the same heartbreak as every season before — with a loss in the conference playoffs. ISU (30-16, 6-3) is on pace, however, to make another run at the regular season title and challenge, once again, for their first-ever Big Sky Conference Tournament championship.

Led by a pair of Boise State University transfers, ISU claimed its 30th victory of the season Tuesday against BSU, beating the Broncos 5-3 at Direct Communications Field at Miller Ranch Stadium.

Senior lefty Kasey Aguinaga (13-4), who transferred from BSU to ISU before the 2025 season, earned the win in relief, striking out four while allowing two hits and two runs in her 2 innings of work. Fellow senior Sydney Groves, who made the move from Boise to Pocatello this year, hit her team-leading 14th homer of the year, a three-run shot, in the first inning to drive in what proved to be the winning runs.

Yee, a 2025 All-Conference First-Team selection, also homered, making it a 5-0 lead for the Bengals in the second inning.

Brown, the reigning unanimous All-Conference Player of the Year, has hit 13 long balls this year after setting a Big Sky Conference single-season record with 24 last year. While she is behind her homer pace from a year ago, Brown continues to be ultra-productive and is tied for the conference lead with 41 RBIs.

The Bengals have seven games remaining on their regular season schedule, including conference home games against Portland State (12-26, 2-7) on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday, and a final 2026 regular season home game against Utah Valley next Wednesday.

ISU, which holds a slim one-game advantage in the Big Sky standings, will finish the regular season with three games at Montana (15-26, 5-4) next weekend.

Because they are the reigning conference regular season champs, the Bengals will host the Big Sky Conference Tournament beginning on May 4.