Friday, February 7
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
8 a.m.
Long Beach State University
vs
Nevada
Photo by: Alex Honeycutt
Long Beach State Softball To Open 2020 At Puerto Vallarta College Challenge
2/3/2020 11:37:00 AM | Softball
The Beach will participate in one of collegiate softball's premiere opening weekend tournaments to start the year.
LONG BEACH, Calif. -- For the second time in program history, Long Beach State will be participating in the Puerto Vallarta College Classic to start the season. The tournament is one of the premiere opening week showcases, and once again features some of the top competition in the country.
LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State participated in the Puerto Vallarta College Classic in 2018, and went 4-1 in a springboard to a historic season. The Beach finished the year 43-14, advancing to the NCAA Regionals and finishing the season ranked No. 20 in the nation. Junior Naomi Hernandez was named to the All-Tournament team in her debut weekend for LBSU, going 12-for-19 on the way to Big West Freshman of the Year and NFCA All-Region honors in that campaign.
• The Beach returns six starters from last season and 13 total letterwinners, supplementing that strong core with a pair of Division I transfers and five other newcomers in a group that has experience and will look to lead LBSU to a 25th NCAA postseason appearance.
• Earning a pair of first-place votes, Long Beach State was picked to finish second in the Big West by the conference's coaches in advance of the season. The Beach was picked just behind defending champions Cal State Fullerton and in front of other contenders Hawai'i, CSUN and UC Davis.
• Long Beach State continues to be a strong offensive team, and has batted over .280 as a team in six of the last seven seasons. Alyssa Gonzalez, Sydney McCollum, Naomi Hernandez and Taylor Rowland all return for the program after hitting better than that mark one season ago.
• In the circle, Long Beach State returns 98.7 percent of its innings pitched from a year ago, and all 50 starts. A trio of seniors were responsible for a large part of that, as Kellie White and Ashley Coleman both pitched over 130 innings in 2018 and were supplemented by 36 innings from Devyn Magnett.
• In 2019, Long Beach State battled back from six games under .500 to close out the season at 25-25, finishing in fourth place in the Big West with a 12-9 overall record, but did not advance to the postseason.
• Beach softball closed out the 2019 season by winning four straight series and took five out of seven in Big West action. The Beach had a few signature wins in the non-conference schedule and ultimately had a Top 100 RPI to close the season of 80. Long Beach State was 4-10 against the Top 50, and had wins against North Carolina, Oregon State and San Jose State in addition to beating Cal State Fullerton in Big West play.
PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Taylor Rowland was named the fifth All-American in program history in 2018, and begins her senior season just two home runs away from joining the Top 10 in program history in home runs. Her 58 RBI in 2018 were a single-season record, and she earned All-Big West honors for a second straight season.
• Senior Kellie White was one of two starting arms through much of the season for the Beach. A transfer from Utah State, White struck out 101 batters in 138 innings pitched, leading the team in both categories with a team-low 2.89 ERA.
• Also in the circle for the Beach was Ashley Coleman. Sharing the team lead in appearances with White, Coleman went 13-11 with a pair of saves and had seven shutouts on the season, including a no-hitter against Loyola Marymount. Both Coleman and White earned Honorable Mention All-Big West.
• Senior Devyn Magnett returned to the circle after a ten-win season for the Beach in 2018, and recorded a 2.72 ERA in 15 appearances.
• Junior Alyssa Gonzalez lived up to her hype in 2018 during her first season at the Beach after transfering from Ole Miss, earning All-Region and All-Big West honors. Gonzalez hit .338 on the year, third-best on the year with 10 doubles, a triple and five home runs while finishing the year as one of four players with an OBP over .400. The offensive threat also tied a pair of school records against Boston, smashing a pair of home runs while knocking in seven RBI.
• Junior Sydney McCollum also gave Long Beach State a lift, earning third-team All-Region honors. The junior college transfer finished the year batting .313, 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 five errors in the infield and sparking a triple play with an incredible catch at UC Riverside. McCollum finished the year as an All-Region selection at third base.
• Naomi Hernandez returned for the Beach following a tremendous first season at the Beach in 2019. The Big West Freshman of the Year in 2018, Hernandez started 49 games for the Beach and hit .287 and led the team with 25 walks on the year, earning honorable mention All-Big West honors.
• Freshman Maddy Ruffin delivered in the clutch for Long Beach State in Big West play during 2019, earning honorable mention All-Big West honors in addition to an All-Freshman team selection. In league play, Ruffin was second on the team with 14 RBI, and hit .318 while stealing four bags against Big West foes.
• Senior Breezy Wise was a clutch pinch hitter in conference play for LBSU last season, ultimately finishing the year 5-for-12, driving in three RBI and hitting a home run. Wise was fourth on the team with three home runs and made 39 appearances on the year.
• Junior Justine Briones will play a key role behind the plate this season for the Beach, returning as the team's starting catcher. Briones started 38 games behind the dish last season and had a pair of home runs while throwing out 11 baserunners.
• Sophomore Emily Salazar played in 31 games as a true freshman for the Beach and played multiple positions while also serving as a pinch hitter and runner.
• LBSU welcomes a pair of Division I transfers in Abby Lockman and Kyra Snyder. Lockman continues a legacy of Tennessee transfers joining the Beach and many have gone on to All-Big West honors including Jennifer Griffin, Haley Tobler, Alley Perkins and now two-time teammate Taylor Rowland. Lockman spent three seasons with the Volunteers before returning to Southern California as a graduate transfer following a 2018 campaign where the everyday starter hit eight home runs with 33 RBI. Snyder was a two-year starter at Louisville, hitting over .280 in both of her seasons with the Cardinals while playing in over 100 games.
• Rylie Seip is a junior college outfielder coming to the program from Santiago College, and joins an incoming class of four freshmen. The Beach will supplement their depth in the circle with two highly-touted arms in Morgan Quinlan and Shelby Frutoz while bringing in two versatile position players in Sara Olson and Kylie Cox.
THIS AND THAT
• A three-time Big West Coach of the Year selection, Kim Sowder finished her 13th season in 2019 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.
• In addition to Sowder, Associate Head Coach Panita Thanatharn also played for the program, finishing her career as an All-Big West selection in 2007. Assistant Coach Kevin Castillo is in his fourth year with the program, and is a member of the USA Men's Fastpitch Softball National Team. Mariah Ramirez returns for her second season as the team's Volunteer Assistant Coach following a standout career at Utah.
• The Beach will also welcome back Nichole Fry as an Undergraduate Assistant Coach. The 2019 Big West Defensive Player of the Year and a four-year starter at shortstop for the Beach, Fry will join the dugout while she completes her degree. After four years at the top of the lineup for Long Beach State, Fry is the program's career runs leader and ranks in the program's Top 10 in doubles, triples, hits, home runs, and RBI. Fry was a two-time first-team All-Big West selection.
• Long Beach State continues to have continued historical success, and has reached the 20-win mark in 35 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.
LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State participated in the Puerto Vallarta College Classic in 2018, and went 4-1 in a springboard to a historic season. The Beach finished the year 43-14, advancing to the NCAA Regionals and finishing the season ranked No. 20 in the nation. Junior Naomi Hernandez was named to the All-Tournament team in her debut weekend for LBSU, going 12-for-19 on the way to Big West Freshman of the Year and NFCA All-Region honors in that campaign.
• The Beach returns six starters from last season and 13 total letterwinners, supplementing that strong core with a pair of Division I transfers and five other newcomers in a group that has experience and will look to lead LBSU to a 25th NCAA postseason appearance.
• Earning a pair of first-place votes, Long Beach State was picked to finish second in the Big West by the conference's coaches in advance of the season. The Beach was picked just behind defending champions Cal State Fullerton and in front of other contenders Hawai'i, CSUN and UC Davis.
• Long Beach State continues to be a strong offensive team, and has batted over .280 as a team in six of the last seven seasons. Alyssa Gonzalez, Sydney McCollum, Naomi Hernandez and Taylor Rowland all return for the program after hitting better than that mark one season ago.
• In the circle, Long Beach State returns 98.7 percent of its innings pitched from a year ago, and all 50 starts. A trio of seniors were responsible for a large part of that, as Kellie White and Ashley Coleman both pitched over 130 innings in 2018 and were supplemented by 36 innings from Devyn Magnett.
• In 2019, Long Beach State battled back from six games under .500 to close out the season at 25-25, finishing in fourth place in the Big West with a 12-9 overall record, but did not advance to the postseason.
• Beach softball closed out the 2019 season by winning four straight series and took five out of seven in Big West action. The Beach had a few signature wins in the non-conference schedule and ultimately had a Top 100 RPI to close the season of 80. Long Beach State was 4-10 against the Top 50, and had wins against North Carolina, Oregon State and San Jose State in addition to beating Cal State Fullerton in Big West play.
PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Taylor Rowland was named the fifth All-American in program history in 2018, and begins her senior season just two home runs away from joining the Top 10 in program history in home runs. Her 58 RBI in 2018 were a single-season record, and she earned All-Big West honors for a second straight season.
• Senior Kellie White was one of two starting arms through much of the season for the Beach. A transfer from Utah State, White struck out 101 batters in 138 innings pitched, leading the team in both categories with a team-low 2.89 ERA.
• Also in the circle for the Beach was Ashley Coleman. Sharing the team lead in appearances with White, Coleman went 13-11 with a pair of saves and had seven shutouts on the season, including a no-hitter against Loyola Marymount. Both Coleman and White earned Honorable Mention All-Big West.
• Senior Devyn Magnett returned to the circle after a ten-win season for the Beach in 2018, and recorded a 2.72 ERA in 15 appearances.
• Junior Alyssa Gonzalez lived up to her hype in 2018 during her first season at the Beach after transfering from Ole Miss, earning All-Region and All-Big West honors. Gonzalez hit .338 on the year, third-best on the year with 10 doubles, a triple and five home runs while finishing the year as one of four players with an OBP over .400. The offensive threat also tied a pair of school records against Boston, smashing a pair of home runs while knocking in seven RBI.
• Junior Sydney McCollum also gave Long Beach State a lift, earning third-team All-Region honors. The junior college transfer finished the year batting .313, 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 five errors in the infield and sparking a triple play with an incredible catch at UC Riverside. McCollum finished the year as an All-Region selection at third base.
• Naomi Hernandez returned for the Beach following a tremendous first season at the Beach in 2019. The Big West Freshman of the Year in 2018, Hernandez started 49 games for the Beach and hit .287 and led the team with 25 walks on the year, earning honorable mention All-Big West honors.
• Freshman Maddy Ruffin delivered in the clutch for Long Beach State in Big West play during 2019, earning honorable mention All-Big West honors in addition to an All-Freshman team selection. In league play, Ruffin was second on the team with 14 RBI, and hit .318 while stealing four bags against Big West foes.
• Senior Breezy Wise was a clutch pinch hitter in conference play for LBSU last season, ultimately finishing the year 5-for-12, driving in three RBI and hitting a home run. Wise was fourth on the team with three home runs and made 39 appearances on the year.
• Junior Justine Briones will play a key role behind the plate this season for the Beach, returning as the team's starting catcher. Briones started 38 games behind the dish last season and had a pair of home runs while throwing out 11 baserunners.
• Sophomore Emily Salazar played in 31 games as a true freshman for the Beach and played multiple positions while also serving as a pinch hitter and runner.
• LBSU welcomes a pair of Division I transfers in Abby Lockman and Kyra Snyder. Lockman continues a legacy of Tennessee transfers joining the Beach and many have gone on to All-Big West honors including Jennifer Griffin, Haley Tobler, Alley Perkins and now two-time teammate Taylor Rowland. Lockman spent three seasons with the Volunteers before returning to Southern California as a graduate transfer following a 2018 campaign where the everyday starter hit eight home runs with 33 RBI. Snyder was a two-year starter at Louisville, hitting over .280 in both of her seasons with the Cardinals while playing in over 100 games.
• Rylie Seip is a junior college outfielder coming to the program from Santiago College, and joins an incoming class of four freshmen. The Beach will supplement their depth in the circle with two highly-touted arms in Morgan Quinlan and Shelby Frutoz while bringing in two versatile position players in Sara Olson and Kylie Cox.
THIS AND THAT
• A three-time Big West Coach of the Year selection, Kim Sowder finished her 13th season in 2019 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.
• In addition to Sowder, Associate Head Coach Panita Thanatharn also played for the program, finishing her career as an All-Big West selection in 2007. Assistant Coach Kevin Castillo is in his fourth year with the program, and is a member of the USA Men's Fastpitch Softball National Team. Mariah Ramirez returns for her second season as the team's Volunteer Assistant Coach following a standout career at Utah.
• The Beach will also welcome back Nichole Fry as an Undergraduate Assistant Coach. The 2019 Big West Defensive Player of the Year and a four-year starter at shortstop for the Beach, Fry will join the dugout while she completes her degree. After four years at the top of the lineup for Long Beach State, Fry is the program's career runs leader and ranks in the program's Top 10 in doubles, triples, hits, home runs, and RBI. Fry was a two-time first-team All-Big West selection.
• Long Beach State continues to have continued historical success, and has reached the 20-win mark in 35 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.
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