Senior Day Highlights Final Weekend For Softball Against CSUN

Friday, May 10

Long Beach, Calif.

1 p.m.

Long Beach State University

CSUN

Senior Day Highlights Final Weekend For Softball Against CSUN

5/8/2019 2:14:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes - CSUN

Long Beach State hosts CSUN on Friday and Saturday.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State closes the 2019 season with a trio of home games against CSUN. The series starts on Friday, May 10 with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. before Senior Day on Saturday, May 11. The Beach will recognize their eight seniors following the game,

LEADING OFF
• The Beach will bid farewell to eight seniors on Saturday in Tierra Falo, Nichole Fry, Kasey Hutton, Taylor Jaurique, Lauren Lombardi, Jessica Nogosek, Sophia Valenzuela and Jamie Wren.

• Long Beach State has now won three series in a row, taking two of three against UC Davis at home last weekend. The Beach held on for a 3-2 win in the opener before blowing out the Aggies in game two of Saturday's doubleheader, 10-0 in five innings. Lauren Lombardi and Maddy Ruffin both had three RBI in the victory.

• CSUN is in a similar position to the Beach, with the series winner guaranteed to finish the season .500. The Matadors are led by Megan Stevens, who is having an outstanding junior season, leading the Big West in batting at .440, slugging at .887 and on-base percentage at .542. Stevens has hit 20 doubles and 13 home runs with 55 RBI, but is the only CSUN player batting over .300.

• 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 seven different categories. In addition to being on track to be Long Beach State's 11th career .300 hitter, Fry ranks in the top ten in triples, hits, home runs and RBI.

• Additionally, Fry is now the school's career runs scored leader, having scored 143 times after four years as a leadoff hitter. 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.

• Offensively, LBSU has been very good in league play, hitting .310 as a team with seven regulars hitting .300 or better, led by seniors Lauren Lombardi, Jamie Wren and Nichole Fry.

• 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 .363 and RBI with 40, slugging .573 with a team-high 11 doubles. The senior has started every game this season in left field and stolen four bases.

PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Lauren Lombardi has been on an incredible run during Big West play. Lombardi has now started 17 of 18 games in league action, hitting .383, and slugging .596 with four doubles and a pair of home runs, walking nine times. Her 14 RBI in conference also leads the team. 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.

• 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 37 RBI, second on the team along with nine doubles and five home runs on the year.

• Junior Sydney McCollum has also given Long Beach State a lift. The junior college transfer is fourth on the team in batting at .331, hitting ten doubles as well as leading the team with eight stolen bases on the year. McCollum has also played multiple positions defensively, making just four 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 .294 with a team-leading 25 walks with an OBP of .407.

• 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 .306 in conference play, driving in five runs with six walks.

• Long Beach State's other big bat in the middle of the lineup, Tierra Falo is hitting .273 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 has been delivering in the clutch for Long Beach State in Big West play. Second on the team with 13 RBI in league action, Ruffin is batting .325 against conference opponents and has three doubles as well as stealing four bases in conference play.

• Ashley Coleman is leading Long Beach State in appearances following her return to competitive softball. The Cal Baptist transfer has started 21 games for the Beach with ten complete games. Leading the team with 12 wins and two saves, the junior is holding batters to .243 hitting and has thrown seven 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 26 appearances, White leads the team with 89 strikeouts and is second in innings pitched at 124.0. White pitched a pair of complete games in Long Beach State's last series, picking up the win in the opener before striking out eight in a loss against UC Davis.

• 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.