Softball Returns Home For Three-Game Series With UC Santa Barbara

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State is back at home and will face UC Santa Barbara in a three game series. The first game will be held Friday at 1 p.m. followed by a doubleheader on Saturday also starting at 1 p.m. All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

LEADING OFF
• The pitching staff for Long Beach State had another excellent weekend, leading the Beach to a road series win at UC San Diego. The Beach had three complete games, and allowed just four runs over three games, including a shutout from Sophia Fernandez. Both Fernandez and Samantha Fowler have a Big West ERA under 2.00.

• Samantha Fowler's strong week in the circle helped Long Beach State close out a sweep of CSUN to end a six-game homestand. Fowler posted a 2-0 record with a 0.44 ERA, allowing just a single run over 16 innings pitched in a pair of great pitching battles with Kenedee Jamerson. Fowler pitched a complete game shutout in the opener, a 1-0 victory, and then outlasted Jamerson again in a 2-1 win in nine innings in the series finale. Those efforts helped the junior claim Big West Pitcher of the Week honors.

• The final game of the UCD series was the longest game for the Beach since the 2011 season, when the Beach won against UCSB in 13 innings. The Beach also had a win in 13 innings against UNLV in 2009, making the only game longer in the last 20 years a 17-inning contest against Cal Poly in 2004. The contest lasted four hours and one minute.

• The Beach closed non-conference play with one of their best games of the year. Sophia Fernandez got the start and three innings, Shelby Frutoz two and the win and Samantha Fowler two and the save as the trio finished off the second combined no-hitter in program history, the 32nd overall for the Beach. Naomi Hernandez hit a solo home run in support of the staff, who struck out eight on the way to the win.

• 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 behind a complete game from Sophia Fernandez, and the Beach finished non-conference play with a 9-7 record against teams outside the Top 25.

• Senior Naomi Hernandez is having another outstanding season, batting .374 with 20 RBI and two home runs 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 .345 career batting average, and ranks in the career Top 10 in runs scored, hits, doubles and walks at the Beach.

PLAYER NOTES
• Catcher Justine Briones joins Noami Hernandez in her fifth year with the program. Having started over 120 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 shares the team lead with two home runs while hitting .233 on the year with nine RBI.

• Long Beach State's pitching staff has come together and is working as a unit, exemplified no better than a three-pitcher combined shutout against California Baptist, just the second in school history and the first with more than two pitchers. Four pitchers have five or more starts, and none more than nine this season on the pitching staff.

• Samantha Fowler was the breakout pitcher in the circle for the Beach one year ago, and leads the staff in starts and strikeouts this season. In a team-high 21 appearances, Fowler has 77 strikeouts over 12 starts as well as a team-high three saves in a team-high 86.1 innings pitched.

• Sophia Fernandez has 10 starts on the year, pitching 71.0 innings with a 3.15 ERA and a 5-4 record, including complete games against No. 24 BYU, UC San Diego and San Diego State. Shelby Frutoz has also pitched 45.2 innings as a redshirt freshman, leading the team in wins with a 6-4 record and two saves over 17 appearances for the Beach. Mo Quinlan has made six starts for LBSU and Addison Kostrencich has also pitched 15.1 innings in her debut season rounding out the staff.

• Kyra Snyder is another returning starter for the Beach. Snyder opened the year by hitting .438 in Puerto Vallarta, and is batting .319 on the year, second on the team over 32 starts split between DP and first base. Snyder also hit her first home run of the year at UC Riverside.

• Graduate transfer Ashleigh Inae will be counted on to make an immediate impact for the Beach. Inae started 180 games at shortstop for ECU. Moving to third base for Long Beach State, Inae has started 34 games this season and has been on a tear, hitting .425 in league play and now batting .298 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 batting .268 on the year and is second on the team with five doubles, while driving in 13 RBI.

• Freshman Marissa Caballero has started every game at shortstop for Long Beach State, and is hitting .266 with four doubles and 15 RBI on the year, including the walkoff RBI against CSUN in the extra inning contest. Her primary middle infield partner is also a freshman, Jacquelyn Bickar, who has started 35 games at second base and was named the Big West Freshman of the Week after hitting .500 against UC Riverside.

• 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 35 games for Long Beach State, and is hitting .287 on the year and leads the team with eight stolen bases.

• Sophomore Sinclair Lawhorn has now started 18 games at first base, while junior Cam Cecil is hitting .256 with 12 starts in 2022 after starting 38 games one season ago after transferring from Iowa. Sophomore Mikayla Ceballos has also started eight games behind the plate for Long Beach State with 5 RBI.

• 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big West selection Lilyanna Martinez made a late debut in the season, but is hitting .321 now over 13 games. Martinez hit .351 a year ago before an injury prematurely ended her season, and just made her return from rehab, easing back in and making her first two starts against UC Davis.

• Long Beach State will be without two key infielders, 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.

Calendar

Softball Returns Home For Three-Game Series With UC Santa Barbara

Players Mentioned

Jacquelyn Bickar

Justine Briones

Marissa Caballero

Mikayla Ceballos

Cam Cecil

Sophia Fernandez

Samantha Fowler

Shelby Frutoz

Shannon Haddad

Naomi Hernandez

Ashleigh Inae

Addison Kostrencich

Sinclair Lawhorn

Lilyanna Martinez

Sara Olson

Mo Quinlan

Carly Robbins

Emily Salazar

Kyra Snyder

Corissa Sweet

Long Beach State University Athletics