Softball Begins Big West Conference Play Friday At Hawai'i

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Conference play begins this weekend for Long Beach State with a trip to the islands for a three-game series under the lights in Honolulu. Late starts Pacific time for this one, with first pitch scheduled for 9 p.m. Friday night in the opener before a doubleheader scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday.

LEADING OFF
• Hawai'i enters the opening weekend of conference play with a 19-9 overall record, but as is typical for the Rainbow Wahine, nearly all of those games have been played home. UH did go 3-1 in their lone trip to the mainland at Las Vegas.

• The Beach split a double-header in the team's final tune-up before league play. Ashley Coleman was dominant in a win, tossing the program's 31st no-hitter while giving up just one walk in a five-inning, 8-0 win over the Lions. Kellie White pitched well also, giving up just one earned run but the Beach fell in game one 3-0.

• Ashley Coleman has been in the midst of a phenomenal stretch in the circle. In her last four starts, all complete games, Coleman has given up just six hits total and allowed two runs while striking out 17.

• 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 second on the team in batting at .354, and leads the team in slugging at .615 and RBI with 32 along with scoring 22 runs on the season. The senior has started every game this season in left field.

• Junior Sydney McCollum has also given Long Beach State a lift. The junior college transfer is leading the team in hitting at .355, hitting eight doubles as well as leading the team with four stolen bases on the year. McCollum has also played multiple positions defensively, making just two errors in the infield.

PLAYER NOTES
• Sophomore Alyssa Gonzalez tied a pair of school records against Boston, smashing a pair of home runs while knocking in seven RBI. The sophomore transfer from Ole Miss is now batting .337 and has 28 RBI, second on the team with seven doubles and four home runs on the year.

• Long Beach State's other big bat in the middle of the lineup, Tierra Falo is hitting .300 on the season while starting 20 games with six walks on the year. Falo begins the season with 11 career home runs and now has 73 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 .286 with a team-leading 17 walks with an OBP of .404.

• Sophomore Justine Briones has been a steady presence for the Beach, starting 27 of 29 games behind the plate and hitting .266 with a pair of home runs. Additionally, her defense has been excellent, throwing out ten potential base-stealers while making just two errors on the season.

• Katelyn Hanson returned from an early-season injury and has now started 18 games for Long Beach State, hitting .256 with a four doubles and a home run with nine RBI.

• Ashley Coleman is leading Long Beach State in appearances following her return to competitive softball. The Cal Baptist transfer has started 14 games for the Beach with seven complete games. Leading the team with eight wins, the junior has lowered her ERA to 2.58 and is holding batters to .214 hitting.

• Kellie White has been the other arm in the circle for the Beach, striking out nine in her first start against North Dakota. In 14 appearances, White leads the team with 50 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 65.2 after throwing another complete game against LMU.

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

• 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 14 games and is hitting .233 on the season while stealing three bases.

• 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. The junior has missed the last seven games with injury.

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Players Mentioned

Justine Briones

Ashley Coleman

Tierra Falo

Samantha Fowler

Nichole Fry

Alyssa Gonzalez

Katelyn Hanson

Naomi Hernandez

Devyn Magnett

Sydney McCollum

Presley Miraglia

Taylor Rowland

Kellie White

Breezy Wise

Jamie Wren

Long Beach State University Athletics