Friday, April 19
Long Beach, Calif.
1 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
UC Santa Barbara
Photo by: John Fajardo
Softball Hosts UC Santa Barbara Starting Friday
4/17/2019 3:08:00 PM | Softball
The series begins with a double-header on Friday.
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Big West play continues for softball as Long Beach State hosts a second straight home series, welcoming UC Santa Barbara to the LBSU Softball Complex. To avoid the Easter Holiday the series will get an early start, with a doubleheader Friday at 1 p.m. before the series finale on Saturday, also starting at 1 p.m.
LEADING OFF
• Returning to the LBSU Softball Complex, Long Beach State rode a leadoff home run from Nichole Fry and a complete-game shutout from Ashley Coleman to a 1-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton, but surrendered late leads in the other two games to fall in the series against the Titans.
• UC Santa Barbara has struggled so far this season with a 7-32 overall record. The Gauchos have gone 1-8 in conference play, but have faced three of the top four teams in the league in the current standings.
• 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. Fry needs four runs scored and five doubles to earn the school record in both categories.
• 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 .359, in slugging at .602 and RBI with 37 along with scoring 30 runs on the season. The senior has started every game this season in left field.
• Wren is one of a quartet of Long Beach State hitters batting .333 or better in league play. Wren is leading the way with a .375 batting average, while Fry is just behind, hitting .367with a pair of home runs. The senior shortstop shares the lead in that category with Lauren Lombardi who is hitting .333 with two homers, and Alyssa Gonzalez is also hitting .333 with two doubles and five RBI.
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 .336 and has 33 RBI, second on the team along with nine doubles and five home runs on the year.
• Lauren Lombardi has started eight of nine games in conference play and is playing extremely well. Going 8-for-24 overall and hitting .333, Lombardi has also hit a pair of home runs and walked twice, driving in a team-high seven RBI with a .407 on-base percentage in league action.
• Junior Sydney McCollum has also given Long Beach State a lift. The junior college transfer is second on the team in batting at .347, hitting nine doubles as well as leading the team with five 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 .296 on the season while starting 28 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 .291 with a team-leading 20 walks with an OBP of .399.
• Sophomore Justine Briones has been a steady presence for the Beach, starting 33 of 38 games behind the plate and hitting .247 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 26 games for Long Beach State, hitting .241 with a four doubles and a home run with 11 RBI.
• Ashley Coleman is leading Long Beach State in appearances following her return to competitive softball. The Cal Baptist transfer has started 18 games for the Beach with eight complete games. Leading the team with nine wins and two saves, the junior is holding batters to .244 hitting and has thrown six shutouts this season.
• Kellie White has been the other arm in the circle for the Beach, striking out nine in her first start against North Dakota. In 21 appearances, White leads the team with 72 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 96.1. White struck 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.
LEADING OFF
• Returning to the LBSU Softball Complex, Long Beach State rode a leadoff home run from Nichole Fry and a complete-game shutout from Ashley Coleman to a 1-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton, but surrendered late leads in the other two games to fall in the series against the Titans.
• UC Santa Barbara has struggled so far this season with a 7-32 overall record. The Gauchos have gone 1-8 in conference play, but have faced three of the top four teams in the league in the current standings.
• 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. Fry needs four runs scored and five doubles to earn the school record in both categories.
• 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 .359, in slugging at .602 and RBI with 37 along with scoring 30 runs on the season. The senior has started every game this season in left field.
• Wren is one of a quartet of Long Beach State hitters batting .333 or better in league play. Wren is leading the way with a .375 batting average, while Fry is just behind, hitting .367with a pair of home runs. The senior shortstop shares the lead in that category with Lauren Lombardi who is hitting .333 with two homers, and Alyssa Gonzalez is also hitting .333 with two doubles and five RBI.
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 .336 and has 33 RBI, second on the team along with nine doubles and five home runs on the year.
• Lauren Lombardi has started eight of nine games in conference play and is playing extremely well. Going 8-for-24 overall and hitting .333, Lombardi has also hit a pair of home runs and walked twice, driving in a team-high seven RBI with a .407 on-base percentage in league action.
• Junior Sydney McCollum has also given Long Beach State a lift. The junior college transfer is second on the team in batting at .347, hitting nine doubles as well as leading the team with five 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 .296 on the season while starting 28 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 .291 with a team-leading 20 walks with an OBP of .399.
• Sophomore Justine Briones has been a steady presence for the Beach, starting 33 of 38 games behind the plate and hitting .247 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 26 games for Long Beach State, hitting .241 with a four doubles and a home run with 11 RBI.
• Ashley Coleman is leading Long Beach State in appearances following her return to competitive softball. The Cal Baptist transfer has started 18 games for the Beach with eight complete games. Leading the team with nine wins and two saves, the junior is holding batters to .244 hitting and has thrown six shutouts this season.
• Kellie White has been the other arm in the circle for the Beach, striking out nine in her first start against North Dakota. In 21 appearances, White leads the team with 72 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 96.1. White struck 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.
Players Mentioned
C
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
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P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UTL
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