Softball Begins Final Homestand On Friday

Friday, April 29

Long Beach, Calif.

1 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Hawai'i

Photo by: Alex Gomez

4/27/2022 1:24:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes - Hawai'i

Long Beach State will host six straight games at the LBSU Softball Complex.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State starts their final homestand of the season, a six-game stretch that begins on Friday as the team hosts Hawai'i for three games. The team will play a single game at 1 p.m. on Friday before a doubleheader Saturday, also starting at 1 p.m.

LEADING OFF
• Despite dropping the series at Cal Poly, Long Beach State is still in the middle of the title hunt, entering the weekend two games behind Cal State Fullerton in second place in the Big West standings. The Beach will have a tough test against the Rainbow Wahine, however, who start the week in third one game behind LBSU.

• Jacquelyn Bickar was named the Freshman Player of the Week for the second time this season after leading LBSU to a series sweep of UCSB. With an on-base percentage of .875, Bickar recorded an out just once in three starts while piling up five RBI and five runs scored with a triple, playing a key part in all three wins. Bickar previously won the award after the UCR series, and raised her batting average to .280 following the weekend.

• The final game of the UC Davis 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 .364 with 21 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 .342 career batting average, and is seven runs away from setting the school record in the category.

PLAYER NOTES
• 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.

• 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 26 appearances, Fowler has 87 strikeouts over 16 starts as well as a three saves in a team-high 103.1 innings pitched.

• Sophia Fernandez has 12 starts on the year, pitching 83.0 innings with a 2.87 ERA and a 6-4 record, including complete games against No. 24 BYU, UC San Diego, San Diego State and UCSB. Shelby Frutoz has also pitched 46.2 innings as a redshirt freshman, posting 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.

• After starting 180 games at ECU, Ashleigh Inae has come to the Beach as a graduate transfer and is having an excellent season. Now batting .322 on the year while starting 40 games at third base, Inae has been on a tear in league play, and is batting .426 against conference opposition with six doubles.

• Kyra Snyder has had a strong season as a returning starter for the Beach. Snyder opened the year by hitting .438 in Puerto Vallarta, and is batting .312 on the year, third on the team over 35 starts split between DP and first base. Snyder also hit her first home run of the year at UC Riverside.

• Freshman, Jacquelyn Bickar is leading a collection of true freshman who are making an impact on the team's fortunes. A two-time Big West Freshman of the Week selection, Bickar has now started 41 games at second base and is hitting .300, fifth on the team with 15 RBI and a pair of triples.

• Freshman Marissa Caballero has started every game at shortstop for Long Beach State, and is hitting .250 with four doubles and 15 RBI on the year, including the walkoff RBI against CSUN in the extra inning contest.

• Corissa Sweet has started 29 games between the outfield and DP, and is batting .267 on the year and is second on the team with five doubles, while driving in 13 RBI. Catcher Rebekah Durzao is another freshman getting more playing time, now hitting .234 with 13 starts on the year.

• 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 41 games for Long Beach State, and is hitting .310 on the year and leads the team with ten stolen bases.

• 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 .232 on the year with ten RBI.

• Sophomore Sinclair Lawhorn has now started 19 games at first base, while junior Cam Cecil is hitting .244 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 6 RBI.

• 2021 Honorable Mention All-Big West selection Lilyanna Martinez made a late debut in the season, but is hitting .297 now over 18 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.