Long Beach State Closes Tournament Play At Easton Invitational

Friday, March 15

Fullerton, Calif.

11 a.m.

Long Beach State University

Boston University

Photo by: John Fajardo

Long Beach State Closes Tournament Play At Easton Invitational

3/13/2019 4:24:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes - Easton Invitational

The Beach will play five games this weekend in Fullerton.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State closes out the tournament season with five games scheduled this weekend in Fullerton at the Easton Invitational. The Beach will start off play with two games Friday beginning with Boston before playing one game Saturday and another doubleheader Sunday.

LEADING OFF
• The LBSU Softball Complex played host for a busy weekend, with 12 games played over four days. The Beach picked up an impressive 7-0 win over Liberty behind a complete game shutout from Ashley Coleman, and nearly upset No. 2 UCLA on the strength of a three-run homer from Jamie Wren, but the Bruins prevailed in extra innings 5-3.

• Senior Nichole Fry returns for her fourth season as a starter at shortstop and catalyst at the top of the order for the Beach. She was one of 50 players selected to the preseason USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year watch list, highlighting her importance for LBSU. The senior was a first-team All-Big West selection in 2018.

• Fry has been consistent and productive for the Beach through her career. She is well-placed to finish her career ranked in Long Beach State's Top 10 in eight different categories. In addition to being Long Beach State's 10th career .300 hitter, Fry is set to join the best ever at the Beach in hits, RBI, Walks, and At-Bats. She also already sits in the top ten in triples, and can easily finish her career with the most doubles and runs scored in school history.

• Missing the first seven games of the season with injury, Fry came through in the clutch in LBSU's win over Oregon State. In extra innings, Fry's first hit of the season was a two-run walkoff home run in a 6-4 win over the Beavers. Fry also played a role in all eight of LBSU's runs in a win over #24 North Carolina, scoring three and driving in five RBI in the win.

• Senior Jamie Wren has been outstanding in 2019. Opening the season hitting .421 with 13 RBI in Las Vegas, Wren has hit a pair of grand slams in her team-leading five home runs, and is the LBSU leader in hitting at .347, slugging at .667 and RBI with 48 along with scoring 15 runs on the season.

• Wren had another good weekend at home last week, hitting .467 with a triple and a home run. The senior went 3-for-3 with a sac fly in the team's win over Liberty, and hit her fifth home run of the season against No. 2 UCLA.

• Junior Sydney McCollum stepped up against the competition at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic and had a big week, hitting .563 while reaching safely in all five games. McCollum is batting .321 overall on the year, and has a team-best OBP of .429 along with eight walks.

PLAYER NOTES
• Sophomore Alyssa Gonzalez is hitting .292 with five walks and just three strikeouts while leading the team with six doubles. Gonzalez sat out 2018 after transferring from Ole Miss where she hit .290 as a true freshman with four home runs.

• Returning for her junior season, Taylor Rowland became the fifth player in school history to be recognized as an All-American in 2018, and the first since Brooke Turner in 2008. A season ago, Rowland set a new LBSU single-season record with 58 RBI, and has 11 this season, with five doubles and a home run.

• Long Beach State's other big bat in the middle of the lineup, Tierra Falo is hitting .267 on the season while starting 16 games with six walks on the year. Falo begins the season with 11 home runs and now has 70 RBI in her career at the Beach.

• Naomi Hernandez returns for the Beach following a tremendous first season that saw the outfielder earn Big West Freshman Player of the Year honors. Starting every game in 2019, Hernandez continued a hitting streak that ended at 15 games, the fourth-longest in school history, and is batting .279 with a team-leading 15 walks with on OBP of .417.

• Sophomore Justine Briones has been a steady presence for the Beach, starting 21 of 22 games behind the plate and hitting .283 with a pair of home runs. Additionally, her defense has been excellent, throwing out nine potential base-stealers while making just one error on the season.

• Katelyn Hanson returned from an early-season injury and has now started 11 games for Long Beach State, hitting .280 with a double and a home run with seven RBI.

• Junior Devyn Magnett returns to the circle after a ten-win season for the Beach in 2018, and leads the team with a 3.04 ERA in 11 appearances.

• Ashley Coleman is leading Long Beach State in appearances following her return to competitive softball. The Cal Baptist transfer has started 10 games for the Beach with three complete games, an 8.0 inning effort against Oregon State and two complete game shutouts coming against San Jose State and Liberty.

• Kellie White has been the other arm in the circle for the Beach, striking out nine in her first start against North Dakota. In 11 appearances, White leads the Beach with 34 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 46.2.

• Two freshmen have also played their part in the circle for the Beach this season. Presley Miraglia and Samantha Fowler have combined for 18.2 innings pitched and eight strikeouts in 10 appearances.

• Breezy Wise came to the Beach as a Division I transfer from Arizona State and made an immediate impact in the opening weekend, hitting .385 with a pair of home runs. Wise has now started 12 games and is hitting .229 on the season while leading the Beach with three stolen bases.