Softball Closes Non-Conference Play With Final Home Game Against California Baptist

Tuesday, March 15

Long Beach, Calif.

2 p.m.

Long Beach State University

California Baptist

Photo by: Scott Quintard

Softball Closes Non-Conference Play With Final Home Game Against California Baptist

3/14/2022 2:17:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes - California Baptist

The Beach will make their 2022 debut on ESPN+ on Tuesday.

By: Roger Kirk, Associate Athletics Director, Communications & Broadcast

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State will host one final home game before beginning the conference season on the road this weekend at UC Riverside. The Beach brings California Baptist to campus for a single game on Tuesday. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m., and the Beach will be making their 2022 debut on ESPN+.

LEADING OFF
• The Beach had a solid weekend at the San Diego Classic, going 3-1with their lone loss coming in extra innings. As a staff, Long Beach State had an ERA of 2.33 and held two opponents to just a single run while Naomi Hernandez and Marissa Caballero both hit over .600 while starting each game.

• Long Beach State faced a tough road right out the gate, playing eight teams ranked in the Top 25 in the first 14 games of the year, and six games against teams in the Top 10. The Beach grabbed a win against No. 24 BYU, and is 4-2 in the rest of their games so far this season.

• The Beach went 3-2 at the Mary Nutter Collegiate classic. Sophia Fernandez pitched a complete game against No. 24 BYU, and the Beach defeated Southern Utah and Texas Tech with big offensive showings, while their two losses came to Top 10 teams in No. 1 Oklahoma and No. 9 Oregon.

• For the third time, Long Beach State took part in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge to open up the season, and ended the first week with a 2-3 record. Freshman Marissa Caballero led the team in batting with a .462 batting average while making no errors in five starts at shortstop. Senior Justine Briones and sophomore Sara Olson both were named to the All-Tournament Team as well for the event, as Briones had a 3-run home run and Olson had five RBI on the weekend.

• Senior Naomi Hernandez is having another outstanding season, batting .397 to lead Long Beach State. Now in her fifth year with the program, Hernandez was a national freshman of the year finalist in 2018, as well as the Big West Freshman Player of the Year. A two-time All-West Region selection, Hernandez has also been named All-Big West three times, and was a first team honoree for the second time in 2021.

• Hernandez has already claimed plenty of space in the LBSU record books. She is fourth all-time at LBSU with a .344 career batting average, and ranks in the career Top 10 in runs scored, doubles and walks at the Beach.

PLAYER NOTES
• Catcher Justine Briones joins Noami Hernandez in her fifth year with the program. Having started over 100 games behind the plate in her career, Briones was an All-Big West selection in 2021 and hit .289 with 16 RBI in Big West Conference action. Briones started the year by hitting .375 with a three-run home run in Puerto Vallarta, earning All-Tournament team honors, and leads the team with two home runs while hitting .324 on the year with a team-high nine RBI.

• Samantha Fowler was the breakout pitcher in the circle for the Beach one year ago, and will be counted on to lead a group effort on the staff in 2022. Fowler leads the staff with 28 strikeouts, and has pitched 37.2 innings this season while making a team-high 13 appearances in the circle.

• Two lefties will play their part in the pitching staff this season as well. Sophia Fernandez leads the team with 42.0 innings pitched and has posted a 3-3 record, while Mo Quinlan has also made six starts for LBSU, including a complete game victory at San Diego. Redshirt freshmen Addison Kostrencich and Shelby Frutoz have also both made their debuts this season, each also pitching over 10 innings and recording a save.

• Kyra Snyder is another returning starter for the Beach, splitting time between first base and DP. Snyder opened the year by hitting .438 in Puerto Vallarta, starting all five games either and is batting .300 on the year in her third year at LBSU after transferring from Louisville.

• Sophomore Sara Olson was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, coming up with clutch hits in both of Long Beach State's wins, finishing the weekend with five RBI. Olson has now started in 22 games for Long Beach State, and is fourth on the team in batting at .308 on the year.

• Freshman Corissa Sweet is leading a collection of true freshman who are making a big impact in their first season. Sweet is second on the team in slugging at .457 while batting .326 with four doubles, a triple and eight RBI.

• Freshman Marissa Caballero has started every game at shortstop for Long Beach State, and is hitting .339 with two doubles and eight RBI on the year. Her primary middle infield partner is also a freshman, Jacquelyn Bickar, who has started 22 games at second base and hit a two-run home run against Oklahoma.

• Sophomore Sinclair Lawhorn has now started 12 games at first base, and fellow sophomore Mikayla Ceballos started a pair of games at Arizona and is hitting .300, including a home run against LMU.

• Cam Cecil is hitting .229 with 11 starts in 2022 after starting 38 games one season ago after transferring from Iowa.

• Graduate transfer Ashleigh Inae will be counted on to make an immediate impact for the Beach. Inae started 180 games at shortstop for ECU and finisher her career there with a .290 batting average. Inae will have one season of eligibility with Long Beach State, and has started in 21 games at third base for the Beach.

• Other freshmen who are pressing for early action include Savannnah Magadan and Rebekah Durazo, who will be backing up Justine Briones at catcher.

• Long Beach State will be without two key infielders to begin the year, as junior Emily Salazar suffered a season-ending knee injury and Carly Robbins, a transfer from South Carolina, will sit out the season as a redshirt. Also currently sidelined due to injury is defending Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year Shannon Haddad, while outfielder Lilyanna Martinez made her first appearance of the year against Nebraska.