Softball Plays Final Road Big West Games This Weekend At CSU Bakersfield

Saturday, May 6

Bakersfield, Calif.

1 p.m.

Long Beach State University

CSU Bakersfield

Photo by: Diego Devia @Devia.Img

Softball Plays Final Road Big West Games This Weekend At CSU Bakersfield

5/3/2023 2:32:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes - Week 13

Long Beach State will play in Bakersfield for the first time in over 20 years against the new conference foes.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State closes out the road portion of their regular season schedule this week, traveling to CSU Bakersfield to face the Runners in Bakersfield for just the second time, and the first since 1992. The series will feature a doubleheader on Saturday before a final game Sunday, with all three broadcast live on ESPN+.

LEADING OFF
• Last week, Long Beach State went on the road at Hawai'i and earned a sixth Big West series win. The Beach dropped the opener, but rallied from behind in game two for a 6-2 victory and then dominated the final game, winning 8-0 in five innings. Jacquelyn Bickar and Emily Salazar both hit over .400 while Sara Olson had a pair of solo home runs. In the circle, Eryka Gonzales pitched 8.0 innings in two appearances without surrendering an earned run.

• 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 1.58 ERA in league games and have walked a league-low 42 batters through 21 games.

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

• Long Beach State swiped five mores bases against Cal Poly, 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 0.37 per game which ranks 9th 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 series 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 against Cal Poly, allowing just two hits over two starts. Haddad now has five shutouts in 9 starts during Big West play, and has a 1.64 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 12 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 2.29 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 116.1 innings pitched. Haddad was the 2021 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year, and has gone 10-9 with 96 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 leads the team in ERA at 2.10 and and is second in innings pitched over 18 appearances with seven starts on the year, posting a 5-3 overall record. Gonzales leads the Big West in ERA in conference play, now 0.74 over 28.1 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 55.1 innings pitched and is 5-1 with a 1.83 ERA in Big West action.

• Junior Sara Olson is leading the team with a .333 batting average on the year, walking 16 times and slugging a team-best .515 with four doubles, four triples and four 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 .319 batting average and second on the team in on-base percentage at .386 on the year.

• Lilyanna Martinez has started 37 games in the outfield, and has come on strong in Big West action, hitting .350 in conference play. With an on-base percentage of .385 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 .271 on the year, Sweet is one of five 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 17 walks and among the team leaders with a .381 on-base percentage.

• Jacquelyn Bickar has returned as an everyday starter for the Beach. Now with three home runs, Bickar has hit two grand slams and leads the team with 16 RBI on the year, batting .294 with 16 walks and 11 stolen bases.

• Graduate transfer Teah Thies has secured a role as Long Beach State's starting catcher, slugging .377 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 .333 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 28 games in five different positions this season, and has now played in seven different positions over her four years as Long Beach State.