Boise State softball clinches Mountain West title. Former Bronco invited to NFL minicamp

Ron Counts
·2 min read

Boise State pitcher Lindsey Walljasper threw a one-hitter and the Broncos’ softball team clinched its second regular season Mountain West title in program history Friday with a 3-0 win at Fresno State.

It’s the Broncos’ first conference title since 2018.

They will be the No. 1 seed in the Mountain West tournament, which begins Thursday at San Diego State. Boise State also earned the right to host the tournament next year, assuming the university adds lights at Dona Larsen Park before then.

“I am so proud of this team,” Boise State head coach Justin Shults said in a statement. “It feels really good to be the regular season champs, but we still have a lot of work to do.”

Walljasper threw a complete-game shutout, walking two batters and striking out five. It was her first solo shutout of the season, and she improved her conference record to 7-1.

Kelsey Hall led the Broncos at the plate, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and a double. She’s tied for second on the team with 11 home runs, and she’s one of four Broncos with at least 10 home runs this season.

The Broncos ended the regular season with a 2-1 loss at Fresno State on Saturday. They won the series, 2-1, and head into the postseason with a 31-15 record (16-5 in the Mountain West).

Boise State set program records for wins (40) and home runs (74) in a season last year. They set the home run record again this season, blasting 79.

Hosting conference tourney action is a Boise State softball goal. It needs lights first

Pierce picks up NFL invite

Former Boise State safety DeAndre Pierce was invited to rookie minicamp with the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday.

Pierce played at Boise State from 2016 to 2019. He appeared in just nine games during his final two seasons because of injuries, but he racked up 144 tackles, seven tackles for loss, a sack and an interception during his time with the Broncos. He finished his college career at Arizona State.

The 5-foot-11, 185-pound native of Long Beach, California, spent last year as a recruiting assistant at Boise State, but he got back on the field in March when he joined 10 other former Broncos at Pro Day.

Pierce wasn’t eligible for the NFL Draft because his college career ended in 2021, but now he has a shot to follow in his father’s footsteps. Pierce’s father, former NFL linebacker Antonio Pierce, is the Raiders’ linebackers coach.