Saturday, May 4
Long Beach, Calif.
1 p.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
UC Davis
Photo by: John Fajardo
Softball Returns To LBSU Softball Complex Saturday
5/2/2019 10:43:00 AM | Softball
All three games against UC Davis will be broadcast nationally
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State will play host to three nationally broadcast games this weekend as the Beach hosts a critical late-season series against UC Davis. Saturday's doubleheader, beginning at 1 p.m., will be broadcast on ESPN3 while Sunday's contest will be televised live on ESPNU at 2 p.m.
LEADING OFF
• The Beach has now won two series in a row after taking two of three on the road at Cal Poly. Senior Jamie Wren had a monster series, going 7-for-13 while the team got a spark from Big West Freshman of the Week Jacey Bourgeois, who made her collegiate debut hitting .500 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in two starts behind the plate.
• UC Davis has piled up a 36-11 record on the strength of a tremendous season from Brooke Yanez. Last season's Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year, Yanez is 23-5 with 227 strikeouts and a 0.97 ERA. The series will feature the top pitching side in the league against the No. 2 hitting team in the Beach in what should be a good matchup.
• 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.
• Fry set a new runs scored mark, playing for the 140th time at Cal Poly to pass Darian Tautalafua for a new school record. The senior is also four doubles away from tying the school record.
• 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. The senior has now hit seven home runs, leading the team.
• 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 six home runs, and is leading the team in batting at .364 and RBI with 40, slugging .583 with a team-high 11 doubles. The senior has started every game this season in left field and stolen four bases.
• Offensively, LBSU has been very good in league play, hitting .308 as a team with seven regulars hitting .300 or better, led by Wren, Taylor Rowland and super senior Lauren Lombardi.
PLAYER NOTES
• Taylor Rowland returned to action after missing seven games, and the 2018 second-team All-American is coming back into form. Rowland is now batting .367 in conference play, driving in five runs and reaching base at a team-best .486 in Big West action.
• 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 .326 and has 35 RBI, second on the team along with nine doubles and five home runs on the year.
• Lauren Lombardi has started 14 of 15 games in conference play and is playing extremely well. Hitting .359 with two home runs, Lombardi is tied for the team lead with nine RBI in Big West games as well as walking eight times. Lombardi is finishing her sixth year at Long Beach State after earning All-Big West honors in 2014 and 2015 as a freshman and sophomore before multiple knee injuries.
• 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 ten doubles as well as leading the team with seven stolen bases on the year. McCollum has also played multiple positions defensively, making just three errors in the infield and sparking a triple play with an incredible catch at UC Riverside.
• Naomi Hernandez returns for the Beach following a tremendous first season that saw the outfielder earn Big West Freshman Player of the Year honors. Hernandez continued a hitting streak that ended at 15 games to start the season, and is batting .283 with a team-leading 24 walks with an OBP of .401.
• Long Beach State's other big bat in the middle of the lineup, Tierra Falo is hitting .280 on the season while starting 28 games with 9 walks on the year. Falo now has 12 career home runs as well as 76 RBI in her career at the Beach.
• Freshman Maddy Ruffin had an outstanding series against UCSB, hitting .500 over three games. Delivering in the clutch, Ruffin is tied for the team lead with nine RBI in league play and is hitting .313 in Big West action.
• Senior Kasey Hutton has joined Ruffin in playing center field for the Beach, primarily as a defensive replacement, while junior transfer Breezy Wise has also competed in the outfield, hitting .260 with three pinch hit singles in the last two series.
• Ashley Coleman is leading Long Beach State in appearances following her return to competitive softball. The Cal Baptist transfer has started 20 games for the Beach with nine complete games. Leading the team with 11 wins and two saves, the junior is holding batters to .245 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 24 appearances, White leads the team with 77 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 110.0. White picked up a pair of victories in the last series for the Beach, allowing just one run in 13.0 innings against Cal Poly.
• Junior Devyn Magnett returns to the circle after a ten-win season for the Beach in 2018, and has recorded a 2.72 ERA in 15 appearances.
• Sophomore Justine Briones has been a steady presence for the Beach, starting 36 of 44 games behind the plate and hitting .233 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 29 games for Long Beach State, hitting .242 with a five doubles, a home run and 12 RBI.
• 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
• The Beach has now won two series in a row after taking two of three on the road at Cal Poly. Senior Jamie Wren had a monster series, going 7-for-13 while the team got a spark from Big West Freshman of the Week Jacey Bourgeois, who made her collegiate debut hitting .500 with a run scored, an RBI and a stolen base in two starts behind the plate.
• UC Davis has piled up a 36-11 record on the strength of a tremendous season from Brooke Yanez. Last season's Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year, Yanez is 23-5 with 227 strikeouts and a 0.97 ERA. The series will feature the top pitching side in the league against the No. 2 hitting team in the Beach in what should be a good matchup.
• 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.
• Fry set a new runs scored mark, playing for the 140th time at Cal Poly to pass Darian Tautalafua for a new school record. The senior is also four doubles away from tying the school record.
• 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. The senior has now hit seven home runs, leading the team.
• 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 six home runs, and is leading the team in batting at .364 and RBI with 40, slugging .583 with a team-high 11 doubles. The senior has started every game this season in left field and stolen four bases.
• Offensively, LBSU has been very good in league play, hitting .308 as a team with seven regulars hitting .300 or better, led by Wren, Taylor Rowland and super senior Lauren Lombardi.
PLAYER NOTES
• Taylor Rowland returned to action after missing seven games, and the 2018 second-team All-American is coming back into form. Rowland is now batting .367 in conference play, driving in five runs and reaching base at a team-best .486 in Big West action.
• 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 .326 and has 35 RBI, second on the team along with nine doubles and five home runs on the year.
• Lauren Lombardi has started 14 of 15 games in conference play and is playing extremely well. Hitting .359 with two home runs, Lombardi is tied for the team lead with nine RBI in Big West games as well as walking eight times. Lombardi is finishing her sixth year at Long Beach State after earning All-Big West honors in 2014 and 2015 as a freshman and sophomore before multiple knee injuries.
• 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 ten doubles as well as leading the team with seven stolen bases on the year. McCollum has also played multiple positions defensively, making just three errors in the infield and sparking a triple play with an incredible catch at UC Riverside.
• Naomi Hernandez returns for the Beach following a tremendous first season that saw the outfielder earn Big West Freshman Player of the Year honors. Hernandez continued a hitting streak that ended at 15 games to start the season, and is batting .283 with a team-leading 24 walks with an OBP of .401.
• Long Beach State's other big bat in the middle of the lineup, Tierra Falo is hitting .280 on the season while starting 28 games with 9 walks on the year. Falo now has 12 career home runs as well as 76 RBI in her career at the Beach.
• Freshman Maddy Ruffin had an outstanding series against UCSB, hitting .500 over three games. Delivering in the clutch, Ruffin is tied for the team lead with nine RBI in league play and is hitting .313 in Big West action.
• Senior Kasey Hutton has joined Ruffin in playing center field for the Beach, primarily as a defensive replacement, while junior transfer Breezy Wise has also competed in the outfield, hitting .260 with three pinch hit singles in the last two series.
• Ashley Coleman is leading Long Beach State in appearances following her return to competitive softball. The Cal Baptist transfer has started 20 games for the Beach with nine complete games. Leading the team with 11 wins and two saves, the junior is holding batters to .245 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 24 appearances, White leads the team with 77 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 110.0. White picked up a pair of victories in the last series for the Beach, allowing just one run in 13.0 innings against Cal Poly.
• Junior Devyn Magnett returns to the circle after a ten-win season for the Beach in 2018, and has recorded a 2.72 ERA in 15 appearances.
• Sophomore Justine Briones has been a steady presence for the Beach, starting 36 of 44 games behind the plate and hitting .233 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 29 games for Long Beach State, hitting .242 with a five doubles, a home run and 12 RBI.
• 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
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