Softball Finishes Road Non-Conference Before Hosting No. 20 Oregon In Packed Week

Friday, March 3

San Diego, Calif.

11:30 a.m.

Long Beach State University

Boston

Photo by: John Fajardo

Softball Finishes Road Non-Conference Before Hosting No. 20 Oregon In Packed Week

3/1/2023 9:45:00 AM | Softball

Game Notes - Week 4

The Beach will host their first ranked opponent of the season, facing Oregon Sunday on ESPN+.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State is on the road one final time in the non-conference schedule, taking on four games as part of the San Diego Classic, facing Boston twice as well as Montana and the hosts San Diego State beginning on Friday, March 3. The Beach will then return to Long Beach to host Oregon at the LBSU Softball Complex with live coverage on ESPN+.

LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State also debuted the program's new lights at the LBSU Softball Complex, hosting five games as part of the Wilson Invitational. The Beach picked up a pair of one-run victories at home, taking down San Diego and ULM as Long Beach State welcomed in near-capacity crowds throughout the week.

• Sophomore Shannon Haddad has given the Beach a lift in the circle with her return. Coming back after nearly a year and a half, Haddad has won three games with a 3.82 ERA while facing most of the team's top opponents. Haddad leads the team in both strikeouts and innings pitched on the year. Haddad was the 2021 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year, posting an 8-0 record with a 2.05 ERA.

• Also impressing early is sophomore Eryka Gonzales, who led CSUN with 70.2 innings pitched two seasons ago before also taking last season off. Gonzales leads the team with a 3.23 ERA and has posted a 1-1 record with a save in 21.2 innings pitched, second-most on the team over seven appearances.

• The pitching staff looks to be a strength again for Long Beach State in 2023, as LBSU returns all five pitchers from last season, 100% of the team's 333.2 innings pitched in 2022. Second Team All-Big West selection Samantha Fowler and Honorable Mention All-Big West Sophia Fernandez combined for 36 starts last season, and both return along with the rest of the staff in Shelby Frutoz, Mo Quinlan and Addison Kostrencich.

• Making a pair of strong debuts, sophomore transfer Carly Robbins and true freshman Makayla Medellin were both selected for Big West weekly honors after the opening weekend in Tucson. Robbins hit .538 with a .625 on-base percentage over the weekend to be named the Big West Player of the Week, while Medellin hit a pair of home runs and had five RBI over the five games to earn Big West Freshman of the Week.

• Long Beach State has made the most of their speed in the early part of the season with agressive baserunning. Ranking in the Top 100 in the nation in steals per game, the Beach has swiped 19 bases this season, led by junior Lilyanna Martinez who is a perfect 8-for-8 on the year.

• Kim Sowder and the Beach coaching staff are still giving plenty of opportunities offensively, with 13 players getting 10 or more at-bats through the first 15 games of the year.

PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Samantha Fowler served as the team's top pitcher a year ago, making 32 appearances and leading the Beach with 137.0 innings pitched and 128 strikeouts across 21 starts. In league play, Fowler ranked in the Big West's Top 5 in innings pitched and strikeouts while winning 12 games, second-best in the league, earning second team All-Big West honors. Fowler is off to a strong start in 2023, striking out 9 in a 4-2 win over NC State. She currently sits second on the team in strikeouts with 17.

• Another returning starter, Sophia Fernandez led the team with a 2.45 ERA and led the Big West in conference play with a 1.33 ERA. In 15 starts, Fernandez went 8-5 and finished the year with 58 strikeouts over 103.0 innings pitched, earning Honorable Mention All-Big West.

• Sophomore Carly Robbins has got off ot a strong start for Long Beach State after transferring to the program from South Carolina. Starting at third base in each game this season, Robbins is second on the team with a .326 batting average and is leading the team in on-base percentage at .408 on the year.

• Graduate transfer Teah Thies has secured a role as Long Beach State's starting catcher, slugging .552 to start the year while playing in eight games, starting seven with a double, two triples and a home run. No stranger to the Big West, Thies starred for UC Santa Barbara before joining the Beach for this season.

• Sara Olson is back as the team's top returning hitter. The junior is fourth on the team with a .261 batting average, and has hit two triples to go with a pair of doubles and three stolen bases through 10 games. An Honorable Mention All-Big West selection a season ago, Olson ranks in the program's Top 10 in stolen bases.

• Emily Salazar returns for the Beach after missing the 2022 season due to a knee injury. Salazar started 33 games in 2021, hitting .301 with seven doubles in her last full season, earning All-Big West honors. This season, the veteran is hitting .259 with a double and a triple with three RBI.

• Sophomore Corissa Sweet is another player who has started every game for Long Beach State, holding down a spot as the team's most regular designated player. Batting .250 on the year, Sweet also leads the team with seven walks on the year.

• Two other returners have impressed early in the 2023 campaign. Junior Cassie Camou is hitting .250 with a home run and slugging .438 while starting seven games at first base, and fifth-year senior Cam Cecil is also hitting .238 with a triple while competing for time in the outfield.

• Sinclair Lawhorn and Mikayla Ceballos have also both delivered through the first month of the season. Both share the team lead in batting average at .333, and Ceballos hit the game-winning home run at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic against Utah Valley.

• A two-time Big West Freshman Player of the Week in 2022, Jacquelyn Bickar started 50 games at second base in her first season, finishing third on the team in batting at .303 in league play while hitting three doubles, a pair of triples and a home run against Oklahoma. An All-Freshman Team selection, Bickar also earned Honorable Mention All-Big West honors.

• Two true freshman are in the mix for the Beach as well. Selena Perez has earned the nod at shortstop, coming to the Beach as an out-of-state recruit from Chandler, Arizona. Makayla Medellin will likewise press for time in the outfield after a stellar career at Yorba Linda High School.

• Lilyanna Martinez returns to the outfield for Long Beach State. An Honorable Mention All-Big West selection in 2021, Martinez made a late debut in the season, making her first start in late March but ultimately started 19 games, hitting .260 with five RBI and three stolen bases. Martinez hit .351 in 2021 before an injury prematurely ended her season, ending in an extensive rehab that delayed her return in 2022. An outstanding student, Martinez is looking to complete her first full year of competition at the Beach.

THIS AND THAT
• A four-time Big West Coach of the Year selection, Kim Sowder enters her 17th season as head coach at Long Beach State, her Alma Mater, where she was an All-American shortstop. Sowder ranks fourth in career wins as a member of the Big West after winning her 500th career game earlier this season, and is one of 60 active coaches to have reached that milestone.

• The Beach will again play a strong schedule in 2023. Long Beach State will play six games against team's ranked in the initial coaches poll, as well as eight more against teams receiving votes in the preseason poll.