Softball Continues Tournament Play In Las Vegas Starting Friday

2/15/2018 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Feb. 15, 2018

Long Beach, Calif. -

LEADING OFF
• After a strong start to the season, Long Beach State continues tournament play this week in Las Vegas, taking part in the Marucci Desert Classic. Action for the Beach starts on Friday night against Iowa State at 6 p.m., and then LBSU will also play BYU, Boise State, Buffalo, Idaho State in Nevada.

• Long Beach State opened the season with a 4-1 overall record in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, taking their only loss in extra innings and splitting two games with a ranked James Madison squad. Cielo Meza was named the tournament's Co-MVP after going 2-0 with 27 strikeouts in three starts. Junior Tierra Falo and freshman Naomi Hernandez also earned All-Tournament Team honors.

• Hernandez claimed the first Big West Field Player of the Week award for 2018 as well after a tremendous debut for Long Beach State. The freshman from Corona went 12-for-19 in Mexico, and had multiple hits in all five games at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

• Falo also had a strong start to earn All-Tournament honors, hitting a crucial 3-run home run in a 7-6 win over Nevada, and driving in 7 RBI in the first five games for Long Beach State while batting .333. In 2017, Falo tied for the team lead with four home runs, and had 11 RBI and scored 10 runs with 13 walks while primarily playing as a designated player.

• Despite bringing in 10 newcomers, the Beach is very experienced entering the 2018 season, featuring 15 upperclassman in a mix of returners, Division I transfers and junior college additions. Grayce Majam of Ole Miss joins seven returners in the senior class, while four returning juniors are joined by two junior college products and Ohio transfer Jamie Wren.

• Sophomore Cielo Meza returns for her third year at Long Beach State after claiming Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and First-Team All-Big West honors one season ago. After taking a medical redshirt in 2016, Meza returned after missing nearly a year of action on March 28, 2017, and finished the season with a 1.26 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 12 starts for LBSU. Her 1.26 ERA was best in the Big West and ranked 20th in the nation.

• Meza struck out 85 batters in 67.2 innings pitched before missing the second half of the 2016 season with injury, and her recovery stretched through the first 30 games of 2017.

PLAYER NOTES • Jessica Flores played a crucial two-way role for Long Beach State one year ago, pitching 65 innings while starting playing in the field for 30 games. Flores led the team in both slugging percentage and on-base percentage over the whole season, and had a tremendous conference campaign, earning second-team All-Big West honors. In league play, Flores led the team with a .349 batting average with three home runs, and was a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases. Additionally, Flores was tremendous in the circle, throwing 22.2 innings in relief with 14 strikeouts and posting a 1.24 ERA.

• Along with Meza and Flores, Long Beach State returns one other pitcher in sophomore Devyn Magnett, who made eight starts and pitched 72.2 innings one season ago. Magnett had a solid first week, throwing 9.1 innings in relief and posting a 3.00 ERA in Puerto Vallarta. The staff depth will also be bolstered by incoming freshman Cindy Robles, as well as Ohio transfer Jamie Wren, who has pitched at the Division I level while also hitting .282 over two seasons with the Bobcats.

• Junior Nichole Fry returns for her third season as the starter at shortstop for Long Beach State. Fry led the team with 10 doubles one season ago and hit .270 with 17 walks, and hit .250 with a home run and five RBI to start the season in Mexico.

• A two-year starter at second base for Ole Miss, Majam is returning to her native California for her final season of college softball, and got off to a quick start at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, hitting .389 while starting all five games at second base.

• Behind the dish, Long Beach State will once again rely on senior Lauren MacLeod, who started 47 of the team's 52 games one season ago while leading the team with 19 walks and catching every single inning of Big West play one season ago. The senior enters the year with six career home runs and 33 RBI. Freshman Justine Briones will also help shoulder the load, and started two games last week while batting .250.

• Two other seniors are returning for their fourth season as starters. Julia Lombardi has started 145 games in her career while batting .283 in the last three seasons for the Beach, while LT Torres is working on a position change, moving to third base after three seasons as a starter at second. Torres has started 144 games for the Beach, and has hit .262 in her career.

• Two junior college All-Americans will bolster the depth for the team as well. Kasey Hutton patrolled the outfield last season at Santa Ana CC, finishing with 51 stolen bases while hitting .481 on the year. She'll challenge for immediate time in the outfield, while Taylor Jaurique will give the Beach another option at catcher. Jaurique starred for Mt. SAC, hitting .465 with 51 RBI and 14 home runs one year ago.

• In addition to Falo and Lombardi, Aniesa Maulupe and Taylor Rowland are two corner infield/DP candidates in the 2018 campaign. Maulupe led the Beach with 20 RBI last season as a true freshman, while Rowland comes to the Beach after playing last season at Tennessee, where started 31 games and hit a pair of home runs.

• A quartet of returning players will help Long Beach State capitalize on baserunners, with senior Rachel Loera, junior Jessica Nogosek, sophomore Andrea Guzman and redshirt freshman Taylor Tiger providing additional speed from the bench for the Beach.

• Lauren Lombardi, who ranks in Long Beach State's career top ten in both home runs and RBI will likely miss the entire season, still recovering from a season-ending knee injury sustained in 2017.