Softball To Begin 26th NCAA Tournament Appearance Friday At Stanford

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Needing to win all three games against Cal State Fullerton to win the Big West Championship, Long Beach State did just that, sweeping their rivals to win Big West title with a 21-6 conference record, one game in front of the Titans and secure another trip to the NCAA Tournament.

LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State will head to a new postseason location in their 26th appearance, traveling to take part in the Stanford Regional. The Beach willl start against the Cardinal, as the hosts Stanford face LBSU in the opening game at 6 p.m. on ESPNU. The field also includes a familiar local foe in Loyola Marymount as well as Florida in what should be an exciting region.

THE MATCHUPS
• In a close series with Stanford, Long Beach State trails 13-9-1, but won the last meeting between the two teams in Stanford, a 3-1 victory in 2016. Florida leads the series with LBSU 4-1, but the Long Beach State win was an iconic one, as Brooke Turner outlasted Stacey Nelson from No. 1 Florida in a 10-inning 2-1 win at the LBSU Softball Complex. Long Beach State most familiar foe of the three, the Beach holds a 27-11 all-time lead over the Lions, and the two local rivals have close ties as LMU head coach Tairia Flowers previously coached with LBSU under Kim Sowder.

ABOUT THE BEACH
• Long Beach State won all but one of their conference series and have won eight straight heading into the postseason after back-to-back sweeps of CSU Bakersfield and Cal State Fullerton. 17th year head coach Kim Sowder was named the Big West Coach of the Year for the fifth time, recognizing her efforts, while Makayla Medellin was picked as the Big West Freshman of the Year.

• Long Beach State had nine players named All-Big West, led by a trio of first team selections in sophomore pitcher Shannon Haddad and offensive leaders Sara Olson and Jacquelyn Bickar. Medellin joined pitchers Sophia Fernandez, Eryka Gonzales and speedy outfielder Lilyanna Martinez on the second team, while Carly Robbins earned Honorable Mention and Selena Perez joined Medellin on the all-freshman team.

• Pitching has been the calling card of the Beach this season, particularly in league play. Long Beach State was second in the Big West with a 1.41 ERA in league games walked a league log 48 batters while holding their opponents to a .191 batting average as a staff.

• The Beach faced an extremely difficult non-conference schedule, ranked No. 9 in the nation by D1 softball, taking on six ranked teams which included a win over then No. 16 Baylor.

• Long Beach State has been fantastic on the basepaths, continuing to smash the school stolen base record, now at 60 breaking the 53 set during the 2007 season. Lilyanna Martinez leads the team with 19, and with her next stolen base will pass LBSU head coach Kim (Kostyk) Sowder for the single-season record at the Beach. Additionally, Sara Olson and Jacquelyn Bickar each have 13 stolen bases for the Beach, and both Olson and Martinez rank in the program's career Top 10.

• Also showcasing their team speed, Long Beach State has hit 19 triples, 0.37 per game which ranks 10th in the nation.

PLAYER NOTES
• Sophomore Shannon Haddad has given the Beach a lift in the circle with her return. Coming back after a year and a half due to injury, Haddad returned back to top form over the course of 2023. A three-time Big West Pitcher of the Week and a First Team All-Big West selection, Haddad pitched 40% of the team's innings and went 13-9 with a 2.16 ERA while facing most of the team's top opponents. Now a two-time First Team All-Big West selection after winning Big West Freshman of the Year in 2021 in another NCAA appearance, Haddad has now swet new season highs with 139.1 innings pitched with 107 strikeouts and eight shutouts on the year.

• Sophia Fernandez earned All-Big West honors for the second straight season, earning a second-team nod from 2023. Fernandez went 7-1 in Big West play with six startes, and hit opponents to a Big West leading .149 in conference play while posting a 1.25 ERA, and is now second on the team in innings pitched.

• Also impressing is sophomore Eryka Gonzales, who led CSUN with 70.2 innings pitched two seasons ago before also taking last season off. A second-team All-Big West pick, Gonzales leads the team in ERA at 1.95 and is third in innings pitched over 19 appearances with seven starts on the year, posting a 6-3 overall record. Gonzales led the Big West in ERA in conference play at 0.63 with a 3-0 record over 33.1 innings pitched.

• Junior Sara Olson is leading the team in all three slash line categories, hitting .336/.409/.526 while walking 18 times and hittting seven doubles, five triples and four home runs. Olson has also 13 stolen bases, and ranks third in LBSU history in career stolen bases while playing tremendous defense in left field. Those all-around skills helped the junior earn First Team All-Big West honors

• Jacquelyn Bickar also received first team honors from the conference. An everyday starter for the second straight seasons, Bickar led Long Beach State in hitting during league play at .364, and hit a pair of grand slams to help lead the team in RBI on the year. In total, the infielder has hit .313 with 13 stolen bases, seven doubles and three home runs while leading the team with 19 walks.

• A four-time Big West Freshman of the Week, Medellin was the obvious pick for the Big West Freshman Player of the Year. Batting .315 in Big West play, Medellin drove in the only run in the title-clinching 1-0 victory over Cal State Fullerton and has secured the three spot in the lineup, ultimately hitting five doubles, a triple and two home runs in her first season of collegiate softball. Additionally, Medellin has made no errors in the season while playing three different positions.

• Lilyanna Martinez has started 43 games in the outfield, and has come on strong in Big West action, hitting .321 in conference play. With an on-base percentage of .383 on the year, Martinez has made the most of her speed this year with 19 stolen bases, one away from setting a new school record and ranks 9th in career stolen bases at Long Beach State. A two-time All-Big West selection, Martinez earned second-team honors in 2023.

• Sophomore Carly Robbins has established at Long Beach State after transferring to the program from South Carolina. The team's regular starter at third base, Robbins is third on the team with a .302 batting average and has hit a pair of home runs with six doubles and earned Honorable Mention All-Big West.

• 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, among the team leaders with 18 walks and a .384 on-base percentage.

• Graduate transfer Teah Thies has secured a role as Long Beach State's starting catcher, slugging .378 with three home runs, three triples and three doubles. No stranger to the Big West, Thies starred for UC Santa Barbara before joining the Beach for this season.

• 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 31 games in five different positions this season, and has now played in seven different positions over her four years as Long Beach State. Finally, Mikayla Ceballos has secured the starting first baseman role, hitting .254 on the year, now with 22 starts and a pair of home runs.

THIS AND THAT
• A five-time Big West Coach of the Year, Kim Sowder is in 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.

• After the first win against Cal State Fullerton in the final weekend of the regular season in 2021, Sowder joined Brian Kolze of Pacific, Judi Garman of Cal State Fullerton, and Long Beach State legend Pete Manarino as the only coaches to record 200 conference victories in the Big West.

• In addition to Sowder, Associate Head Coach Panita Thanatharn also played for the program, finishing her career as an All-Big West selection in 2007. Assistant Coach Kevin Castillo begins his seventh year with the program, and is a member of the USA Men's Fastpitch Softball National Team. Mariah Ramirez returns for her fifth season as the team's Volunteer Assistant Coach following a standout career at Utah.

• Long Beach State continues to have continued historical success, and has reached the 20-win mark in 38 straight completed seasons after once again hitting the threshold in 2023. Additionally, Long Beach State has competed in 5 Women's College World Series, made the NCAA Tournament 26 times, and claimed 10 Big West titles. The Beach has also reached the 30-win plateau 29 times including 2023, with nine of those coming under the leadership of Kim Sowder.

• 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. Long Beach State ranked 56th overall in total attendance over 2023, despite having a crowd capacity of 500, filling 92.6 percent capacity throughout the year, ranking 17th in the NCAA.

• Long Beach State had four players (Shannon Haddad, Sophia Fernandez, Carly Robbins, Lilyanna Martinez) chosen for CSC Academic All-District honors, awarded to top performers in the classroom and in competition holding a 3.50 minimum cumulative GPA and meeting performance standards.

Calendar

Softball To Begin 26th NCAA Tournament Appearance Friday At Stanford

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jacquelyn Bickar

Mikayla Ceballos

Cam Cecil

Sophia Fernandez

Eryka Gonzales

Shannon Haddad

Lilyanna Martinez

Makayla Medellin

Sara Olson

Selena Perez

Carly Robbins

Emily Salazar

Teah Thies

Long Beach State University Athletics