Long Beach State Softball Hosts Cal State Fullerton In Pivotal Series

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State Softball is ready to take their turn on the national stage, getting three national broadcasts in a rivalry series with Cal State Fullerton. Saturday's doubleheader will be broadcast live on ESPN3 starting at 1 p.m., followed by a national TV game on ESPNU Sunday at 4 p.m.

LEADING OFF
• Sam Farber and Long Beach State alumna Erin Jones-Wesley will be on the call Saturday, with Trey Bender and Erin Miller taking over on ESPNU Sunday.

• Long Beach State has played their first two series on the road, but bounced back with a series win at UC Riverside, closing the series with a 7-0 win behind a complete game shutout from Kellie White. The Beach scored 24 runs in the series and had four players hit five home runs, led by a pair from Lauren Lombardi.

• Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State finished atop the Big West standings last season, and this weekend is a crucial series for the Beach who enter this week two games behind the Titans at the top of the standings. The Titans won their last series at home against CSUN after sweeping UC Santa Barbara to start Big West action.

• 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 on track to be Long Beach State's 10th career .300 hitter, Fry ranks in the top ten in triples, home runs, RBI and hits 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 six home runs, and is leading the team in batting at .368, in slugging at .624 and RBI with 36 along with scoring 28 runs on the season. The senior has started every game this season in left field.

• Wren is one of a trio of Long Beach State hitters batting over .400 in league play. Alyssa Gonzalez is batting .450, while Wren is hitting .429 with both sharing in the team lead with nine hits in six games. Also of note is senior Lauren Lombardi, who is slugging .765 and hitting .412 in her return to the regular starting lineup after missing most of the last three seasons with multiple injuries.

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 transfer from Ole Miss is now batting .358 and has 33 RBI, second on the team in both categories with nine doubles and five home runs on the year.

• Lauren Lombardi has started five of six games in conference play and is playing extremely well. Going 7-for-17 in the first two series, Lombardi has also hit a pair of home runs and walked twice, driving in five RBI with a .474 on-base percentage in league action.

• Junior Sydney McCollum has also given Long Beach State a lift. The junior college transfer is third on the team in batting at .340, hitting nine 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 and sparking a triple play with an incredible catch at UC Riverside.

• Long Beach State's other big bat in the middle of the lineup, Tierra Falo is hitting .309 on the season while starting 27 games with nine walks on the year. Falo now has 12 career home runs as well as 76 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 .295 with a team-leading 20 walks with an OBP of .406.

• Sophomore Justine Briones has been a steady presence for the Beach, starting 32 of 35 games behind the plate and hitting .256 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 23 games for Long Beach State, hitting .259 with a four doubles and a home run with 10 RBI.

• Ashley Coleman is leading Long Beach State in appearances following her return to competitive softball. The Cal Baptist transfer has started 16 games for the Beach with seven complete games. Leading the team with eight wins, the junior is holding batters to .242 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 19 appearances, White leads the team with 68 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 89.1. Her latest start was excellent, striking out six with no walks in a complete game shutout to close the UC Riverside series.

• Junior Devyn Magnett returns to the circle after a ten-win season for the Beach in 2018, and has recorded a 3.04 ERA in 12 appearances.

• Two freshmen have also played their part in the circle for the Beach this season. Samantha Fowler made an impression against Hawai'i, retiring 12 straight batters with a career-high five strikeouts and has now thrown 16.2 innings with 12 Ks. Presley Miraglia has also had four appearances, totaling 6.0 innings pitched on the year.

• 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 missed seven games due to injury, however, and is just now returning to action, hitting .264 on the year.

• Long Beach State has had a trio of players vying for time in center field in Breezy Wise, Maddy Ruffin and Kasey Hutton. Combined, the group has 20 hits and 14 RBI on the year.

THIS AND THAT
• A three-time Big West Coach of the Year selection, Kim Sowder finished her 12th season in 2018 as head coach at Long Beach State, her Alma Mater, where she was an All-American shortstop. Sowder ranks fifth in career wins as a member of the Big West, and the coach now has over 400 wins as the skipper of the Beach. Long Beach State passed the 30-win plateau for the seventh time under Kim Sowder in 2018 as well, and reached 40 wins for the ninth time in school history.

• Long Beach State continues to have continued historical success, and has reached the 20-win mark in 34 straight seasons. Additionally, Long Beach State has competed in 5 Women's College World Series, made the NCAA Tournament 24 times, and claimed 8 Big West titles.

• Long Beach State has a pair of players that rank in the Top 10 in career home runs at the Beach in Lauren Lombardi and Nichole Fry, who joined the list this season. Two more power hitters could join the list as Tierra Falo and Taylor Rowland sit just outside the Top 10.

Calendar

Long Beach State Softball Hosts Cal State Fullerton In Pivotal Series

Players Mentioned

Justine Briones

Ashley Coleman

Tierra Falo

Samantha Fowler

Nichole Fry

Alyssa Gonzalez

Katelyn Hanson

Naomi Hernandez

Kasey Hutton

Lauren Lombardi

Devyn Magnett

Sydney McCollum

Presley Miraglia

Taylor Rowland

Maddy Ruffin

Kellie White

Breezy Wise

Jamie Wren

Long Beach State University Athletics