Long Beach State Softball Makes 25th NCAA Tournament Appearance Starting Friday

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State returns to the postseason after a one-season absence, making a 25th total NCAA appearance. The Beach earned the right with a three-game sweep of Cal State Fullerton to capture a ninth Big West Conference Championship with a 22-2 league record, and will start the Los Angeles Regional with a rematch against No. 2 UCLA.

LEADING OFF
• The Beach will head to UCLA for the eighth time in their postseason history, and will face off with more familiar foes in the regional. Long Beach State has played UCLA 84 times, Fresno State 55 times and Minnesota on 13 occasions.

• The Bruins won the two previous meetings this season against LBSU in Long Beach, while the two games against the Bulldogs to start the season were scratched due to a COVID-19 pause within the LBSU program. The Beach has also played Minnesota three times in the last five years, going 2-1 against the Golden Gophers.

• Long Beach State was one of the final programs to get started in 2021 due to local health regulations. LBSU had its first practice on February 15, and due to an early pause, played its first game on March 4. After splitting the first eight games of the season, Long Beach State has gone 26-5 since March 21.

• Kim Sowder's efforts in navigating the 2021 season earned the skipper in her 15th season Big West Coach of the Year honors for the fourth time in her career. Closing in on 500 career wins, Sowder won her 200th Big West game last weekend and has guided the Beach to eight
postseason appearances.

• Senior Kellie White was honored as the Big West Pitcher of the Year, the 13th player from LBSU to earn that honor. Facing a critical series against the Titans, White pitched every inning, including a 1-0 complete game shutout in a must-win game to lead Long Beach State to the title. White finished the regular season with an ERA of 1.94 and 1.54 in Big West play, and led the league in conference wins with 14 and was second in conference strikeouts with 85. Additionally, Shannon Haddad was named the Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year, going 8-0 with 64 strikeouts in 13 appearances prior to a season-ending injury.

• In total, Long Beach State also had seven other players earn All-Big West honors. In addition to White and Haddad, Alyssa Gonzalez, Suzy Brookshire, Naomi Hernandez and Breezy Wise were all named First Team All-Big West. Additionally, catcher Justine Briones, second baseman Emily Salazar and outfielder Lilyanna Martinez all earned Honorable Mention.

• White and Wise were named the Big West Pitcher and Player of the Week for the final week of the season for their role in sweeping the Titans and taking home the championship. White's three wins are noted above, while Wise hit .556 against the Titans and had at least one RBI in each game, hitting a two-run homer in game two and drawing the game-winning walk in the 1-0 game three victory.

PLAYER NOTES
• A first-team All-Big West selection, Alyssa Gonzalez hit .463 and didn't strike out in 24 games of Big West competition. In all games, Gonzalez led the Big West with a .418 batting average and has started every game for Long Beach State, hitting seven home runs with 33 RBI while primarily batting third. The junior is graduating in May and is the LBSU career leader in batting average.

• A national freshman of the year finalist in 2018, Naomi Hernandez has caught the same spark in 2021 as a junior. Batting .400 with a team-high on-base percentage of .500, Hernandez was second in the Big West in walks and OBP, and ranks in Long Beach State's career Top 5 in both runs scored and doubles.

• Senior Breezy Wise returned after leading the Beach in batting in 2020, and is having another outstanding year, batting .381 with 10 doubles, five triples and five home runs while driving in 40 RBI. Wise ranks second on the team in the RBI and is in the nation's top 10 in triples and also earned first-team All-Big West consideration.

• Suzy Brookshire is also hitting over .400 this season at .417, and leads Long Beach State and the Big West with 49 RBI and has hit 10 home runs. Brookshire ranks tenth in the country in RBI per game, and is slugging .791, second in the Big West. Brookshire earned first-team All-Big West honors in her first season at LBSU.

• In the series finale against UC Riverside, Suzy Brookshire etched her name in the Long Beach State record books, going 3-for-3 with a trio of home runs, the first player in the 41-year history of Beach Softball to hit three home runs in a game.

• In the circle, Long Beach State has gone three deep with Kellie White, Shannon Haddad and Samantha Fowler. The trio rank in the top ten in the Big West in ERA, opposing batting average and strikeouts, with Fowler picking up the majority of innings in Haddad's one month absence.

• Kellie White is was second in the Big West with a 1.54 ERA in conference play, and is 16-6 with one save on the season. Her 116 strikeouts lead the tea, as do her 130.0 innings pitched.

• Meanwhile, as a freshman, Shannon Haddad was an unbeaten 8-0 record in 11 starts, and had 56 strikeouts in ten league appearances. With 64 strikeouts on the year and just 10 walks, Haddad ranks 16th in K/BB ratio nationally and played a part in four shutouts this season, but has not pitched since April 17.

• Samantha Fowler has stepped up in the absence of Haddad. Making five starts, Fowler is now 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA and has 51 strikeouts on the year which ranks 8th in the Big West in limited innings. The sophomore has set two season highs for the Beach, striking out 12 in a win at Hawai'i while throwing a nine inning complete game victory against Cal with eight strikeouts.

• Junior Emily Salazar has also had a solid season. Starting 31 games in the middle infield, Salazar is hitting .303 with seven doubles and a home run and has driven in 17 RBI on the year, earning Honorable Mention All-Big West honors.

• Gonzalez, Hernandez and Emily Salazar have all had extended hitting streaks which have landed in the LBSU Top 10. Alyssa Gonzalez was one away from matching the school record with a 17 game streak, while Salazar had a 12-game hitting streak broken earlier this year. Hernandez also had a 16-game hitting streak end against UCLA.

• Cam Cecil has played every game in Big West play at shortstop, making 33 starts in total on the year. Hitting .310 with 18 RBI and a pair of home runs, Cecil has also been excellent defensively, making seven errors on the year along with some highlight reel plays.

• Two juniors have split the duties behind the plate this season, returner Justine Briones and transfer Ashley Machado. Briones in particular came on late, hitting .288 with three home runs and four doubles. Her triple against Cal State Fullerton in game one was the game winning hit, and the junior had 16 RBI in league play. Machado is hitting .226 with 8 RBI, including a critical three-run home run against Loyola Marymount.

• Lilyanna Martinez has been a bright spot among the true freshman who have joined the program this season. Martinez made 20 starts and is hitting .351 as well as showcasing her speed on the basepaths, a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen base attempts on the way to earning Honorable Mention All-Big West honors. Sophia Fernandez has also had a strong start at the plate, hitting .300 with a pair of walks in 13 plate appearances.

Calendar

Long Beach State Softball Makes 25th NCAA Tournament Appearance Starting Friday

Players Mentioned

Justine Briones

Suzy Brookshire

Cam Cecil

Sophia Fernandez

Samantha Fowler

Alyssa Gonzalez

Shannon Haddad

Naomi Hernandez

Ashley Machado

Lilyanna Martinez

Emily Salazar

Kellie White

Breezy Wise

Long Beach State University Athletics