Softball Off To Hawai'i For Three Games

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The Beach will head to the islands for a three-game series with Hawai'i as Big West Conference play hits the stretch run with nine to play. The series kicks off with a single game Friday night followed by a doubleheader on Saturday. All three games will be televised live on ESPN+.

LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State picked up a fifth series win last week over Cal Poly, improving to 13-5 in league play. LBSU sits one game out of first place, and will take on the Rainbow Wahine who are tied for third place overall.

• Pitching has been the calling card of the Beach this season, particularly in league play. Long Beach State is second in the Big West with a 1.41 ERA in league games and have walked a league-low 35 batters through 18 games.

• The Beach faced an extremely difficult non-conference schedule, ranked No. 8 in the nation by D1 softball, taking on six ranked which included a win over No. 16 Baylor.

• Long Beach State swiped five mores bases against Cal Poly last weekend, and are now four away from setting the team record, passing the 53 stolen bases from the 2007 season. Lilanna Martinez leads the team with 13, while Sara Olson has 12 and Jacquelyn Bickar has 11 leading a number of dangerous runners on the basepaths. Additionally, LBSU has hit 17 triples, an average of 0.40 per game which ranks 6th in the nation.

• The Beach will take center stage in broadcasts, as the remainder of the season's home contests will be carried live on ESPN+, with one exception as the Friday night season opener against Cal State Fullerton will be broadcast live nationally on ESPNU.

• A two-time Big West Pitcher of the Week, Shannon Haddad had another strong week, allowing just two hits over two starts. Haddad now has five shutouts in 9 starts during Big West play, and has a 1.11 ERA with 49 strikeouts and 7 walks in league action.

• Long Beach State's had an eight-game winning streak began during the end of the team's home tournament, the Louisville Slugger Invitational. Long Beach State grabbed their first ranked win of the year as Eryka Gonzales pitched a complete game and Sara Olson had three hits in a 2-1 win over No. 16 Baylor. LBSU also had two close one-run losses, one in extra innings, while convincingly beating Purdue 8-1 and winning an added game Monday against South Dakota, 4-1.

• The program debuted the new lights at the LBSU Softball Complex starting on Wednesday, February 15, 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. PLAYER NOTES
• 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 10 games with a team-best 2.04 ERA while facing most of the team's top opponents. Haddad leads the team in both strikeouts and innings pitched on the year, having pitched a new high of 113.1 innings pitched. Haddad was the 2021 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year, and has gone 10-8 with 95 strikeouts and six shutouts in her return.

• Also impressing is sophomore Eryka Gonzales, who led CSUN with 70.2 innings pitched two seasons ago before also taking last season off. Gonzales is second on the team in ERA at 2.40 and innings pitched over 14 appearances with six starts on the year, posting a 4-3 overall record. Gonzales is also among the league's leaders in ERA in conference play, at 1.03 over 20.1 innings pitched.

• Returning pitchers Samantha Fowler and Sophia Fernandez have also played a big role on the year. The team's ace a season ago, Fowler struck out nine batters in a win over NC State, and has pitched 44.1 innings on the year with 41 strikeouts, including an eight-strikeout complete game shutout against UC San Diego. Fernandez is third on the team with 48.1 innings pitched and is 4-1 with a 1.77 ERA in Big West action.

• Junior Sara Olson is leading the team with a .347 batting average on the year, walking 16 times and slugging a team-best .496 with four doubles, four triples and two home runs. Olson has also 12 stolen bases, and ranks fourth in LBSU history in career stolen bases while playing tremendous defense in left field.

• Sophomore Carly Robbins has established herself as a team leader at Long Beach State after transferring to the program from South Carolina. The team's regular started at third base, Robbins is second on the team with a .324 batting average and second on the team in on-base percentage at .390 on the year.

• Lilyanna Martinez has started 30 games in the outfield, and has come on strong in Big West action, hitting .364 in conference play. With an on-base percentage of .379 on the year, Martinez leads the team with 13 stolen bases and has joined Olson in the program's career Top 10 in steals.

• Sophomore Corissa Sweet is another established regular Long Beach State, holding down a spot as the team's designated player. Batting .274 on the year, Sweet is one of four players with an on-base percentage of .380 or higher and is a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen bases on the year.

• Fifth-year senior Cam Cecil has returned to the program and gives the program another experienced bat in the lineup while playing multiple positions defensively. Cecil had the clutch hit to give the Beach the series sweep of the Highlanders, and has proven to be a tough out, leading the team with 16 walks and third on the team with a .387 on-base percentage.

• Jacquelyn Bickar has returned as an everyday starter for the Beach. Now with a team-high three home runs, Bickar has hit two grand slams and leads the team with 15 RBI on the year, batting .282 with 15 walks and 11 stolen bases.

• Graduate transfer Teah Thies has secured a role as Long Beach State's starting catcher, slugging .386 with three home runs, two triples and a pair of doubles. No stranger to the Big West, Thies starredfor UC Santa Barbara before joining the Beach for this season.

• Freshman Makayla Medellin is now a three-time winner of the Big West Freshman of the Week award, and has had an outstanding first campaign. Hitting .323 in Big West play, Medellin has hit four doubless, a triple and two home runs while playing in three different positions defensively for LBSU, making no errors.

• In the infield, freshman Selena Perez has earned the nod as the team's everyday shortstop with her strong defensive play, while Emily Salazar has been a true utility player for the Beach, as the veteran has started 26 games in five different positions this season, and has now played in seven different positions over her four years as Long Beach State. Finlally, Rebekah Durazo has played an increased role of late, and has started nine games in Big West play.

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Players Mentioned

Jacquelyn Bickar

Cam Cecil

Rebekah Durazo

Sophia Fernandez

Samantha Fowler

Eryka Gonzales

Shannon Haddad

Lilyanna Martinez

Makayla Medellin

Sara Olson

Selena Perez

Carly Robbins

Emily Salazar

Corissa Sweet

Teah Thies

Long Beach State University Athletics