Softball Hosts Louisville Slugger Invitational In Home Debut This Weekend

Friday, March 6

Long Beach, Calif.

9 a.m.

Long Beach State University

Minnesota vs. Cal State Fullerton

Photo by: John Fajardo

Softball Hosts Louisville Slugger Invitational In Home Debut This Weekend

3/5/2020 9:56:00 AM | Softball

Week 5 Louisville Slugger Invitational

The Beach makes their home debut Friday, March 6 at 2 p.m.

By: Roger Kirk, Assistant Athletics Director, Athletic Communications

Finally Long Beach State comes back to the LBSU Softball Complex! Beach Softball will once again play host to the Louisville Slugger Invitational, hosting nine games over four days at home and playing in four games themselves. All four LBSU games will be streamed through Beach Vision, and live stats for each game can be found at www.beachlivestats.com.

LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State once again posted a winning record for a third straight tournament, picking up wins on the road at San Diego and over Brown and North Dakota at the San Diego Classic. Breezy Wise hit. 556 and slugged 1.222 to lead the squad offensively, while Kellie White had 17 strikeouts in 17.0 innings pitched on the weekend, collecting two wins.

• Once again participating in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Long Beach State went 3-2, with the team's best win coming against Oregon State, 2-1 in extra innings behind a dominant effort from Ashley Coleman and a game-winning hit from Sydney McCollum. Coleman went 2-0 in the tournament, allowing two runs in two complete games, while McCollum hit .474 with 5 RBI on the weekend.

• Long Beach State stunned No. 2 Oklahoma to highlight the team's time in Tucson at the Hillenbrand Invitational. Taking care of business as well against Bryant and Northern Iowa, the Beach rallied from three runs down with two outs against the Sooners with a four-run rally capped by a two-run walkoff double from Alyssa Gonzalez. The two losses for the Beach both came against No. 4 Arizona, the tournament hosts playing at home.

• On opening weekend, Long Beach State competed in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge for the second time, and despite coming in under .500 played well over the first five games. The offense carried the day in two blowout wins over Nevada and George Washington, and the Beach acquitted themselves well against then No. 3 Oklahoma and a 4-1 defeat to Oregon, who joined the Top 25 after last weekend.

• 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 ranks in the nation's top 100 teams in batting average hitting .293 as a team. Seven players are batting over .280, led by senior Breezy Wise who is hitting .382.

• 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.

PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Kellie White has been outstanding in 2020. Earning All-Tournament Honors in Puerto Vallarta, White has struck out 58 in 64.0 innings pitched, going 6-4 with a 2.30 ERA while pitching against some of the top teams in the country. Three of her four losses were against Oklahoma, Arizona and Utah in a trio of close games. White was also the winning pitcher in the win over the Sooners in Tucson, going the distance in the victory.

• Ashley Coleman has again been the other main arm for the Beach, tossing 36.1 innings in eight appearances so far this season. Coleman was at her best in Cathedral City, throwing two complete games, including limiting Oregon State to four hits in a 2-1 extra innings victory.

• Senior Breezy Wise earned a sport in the starting lineup and has delivered, earning all-tournament honors at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge after hitting .429 with a pair of doubles and five runs scored. Wise is currently leading the team offensively with a slash line of .382/.462/.618, best on the team in all three categories.

• Junior Alyssa Gonzalez earned All-Region and All-Big West honors last season, and has continued to find success in 2020, batting .306 with a team high 15 RBI. Slugging .419 on the year, "Gonzo" has come through in big moments, most notable in the bottom of the seventh against No. 2 Oklahoma, hitting a two-run double to complete a four-run, two-out walkoff comeback against the Sooners.

• Senior Sydney McCollum earned third-team All-Region honors in her first season with Long Beach State a year ago as a junior college transfer, and is off to a hot start in 2020. McCollum is batting .359 while starting all 19 games at shortstop, and has four stolen bases with a .450 on-base percentage while ranking among the nation's leaders in hits.

• Freshman Sara Olson has also played a big role early, second on the team in batting at .373. Starting 13 games over multiple positions, Olson is slugging .529 and hit a home run against Oklahoma in the team's win over the Sooners.

• Junior college transfer Rylie Seip has earned a spot in the starting lineup, and is now batting .348 while sharing in the team lead with three home runs. Seip hit a grand slam to help the Beach defeat Bryant, and is a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts.

• Senior Abby Lockman has started 18 games as the designated player for LBSU after coming in as a graduate transfer from Tennessee. A two-run home run against Oklahoma was a highlight from the opening weekend, and Lockman now has 12 RBI and three home runs, slugging .554 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 is well on her way to more this season, starting 19 games 2020, driving in 7 RBI.

• 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. Anchoring the third base position, Salazar has started all 20 games and is batting .277 with seven walks.

• 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. Hernandez has started 18 games in 2020, primarily at second base.

• 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. This season, Ruffin is batting .286 and has four walks in addition to playing some outstanding defense in center field.