Beach Softball Finishes Non-Conference Tournaments By Hosting Louisville Slugger Invitational

Friday, February 28

Long Beach, Calif.

7 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Utah Tech

Photo by: John Fajardo

Beach Softball Finishes Non-Conference Tournaments By Hosting Louisville Slugger Invitational

2/26/2025 11:27:00 AM | Softball

Game Notes - Week 4

Long Beach State hosts Pitt, LMU, Omaha, Utah Tech and Cal Poly Friday through Sunday.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The Beach returns home to host their second tournament of the year, the annual Louisville Slugger Invitational from the LBSU Softball Complex. This year, the Beach will face Utah Tech, Omaha, Loyola Marymount and Pittsburgh over three days starting Friday, February 28 while Big West member Cal Poly will also be participating.

LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State's two catchers were both named to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic All-Tournament team after an outstanding weekend in Cathedral City. Rebekah Durazo continues to lead Long Beach State, hitting safely in all five games to improve her average to .436 on the year while hitting another home run. Brooklyn Lee hit .588 with 6 RBI, hitting three doubles and picking up three hits in three separate games as the Beach went 2-3 in the desert.

• Freshman Brynne Nally also had a solid weekend. Now leading Long Beach State with 37.2 innings pitched, Nally pitched a complete game against Utah in a 3-1 win, striking out four, and then was the winning pitcher in the team's win against Howard, throwing another complete game to improve to 4-2 on the year with a 2.23 ERA in eight appearances.

• Shannon Haddad pitched a complete game, one-hit shutout and Rebekah Durazo hit a three-run home run, her second of the season as Long Beach State defeated Saint Mary's 4-0 last week. The Beach pitched well but lost their other three games last week in the Wilson Tournament in three close games against Winthrop, Iowa State and Kansas.

• Weather wasn't an issue at all on a perfect day Sunday for Long Beach State's home opener, as the Beach pushed No. 2 Oklahoma to the limit for 11 innings. The Beach had chances and held the Sooners off the scoreboard for the most consecutive innings since 2018, but the defending champions ultimately prevailed in extra innings.

• Long Beach State's pitching and defense has been excellent so far in classic Beach style. The Beach has three pitchers with an ERA 2.25 or under to combine for a team ERA of 2.59, 55th in the nation and with just 9 errors on the year, Long Beach State ranks 20th nationally with a .978 fielding percentage.

• Senior Shannon Haddad and freshman Brynne Nally each contributed in the circle against Fresno State to the second combined no-hitter in program history, and the 34th overall. Haddad and Nally collaborated on 7.0 scoreless innings, and then Rebekah Durazo salvaged the contest in a unique way with a two-run double to walk off the no-no against the Bulldogs.

• Those two pitchers have started all but one game for LBSU so far this season, and have combined for 49 strikeouts in their 14 appearances so far this season for Long Beach State.

• The freshman class for Long Beach State had a huge week in their first competition. Nally was named the Big West Freshman of the Week for her part in the no-hitter while also leading LBSU in innings pitched, going 2-0 on the week with an 0.60 ERA. Priscilla Iniguez hit .462 and hit three doubles, and Lina Apodaca started the season with a four-game hitting streak. Finally, Maddy Martin was the standout of the Oklahoma game, striking out two and throwing six innings total against the Sooners, five scoreless until the breakthrough in the 11th inning.

PLAYER NOTES
• Senior Shannon Haddad returns to the pitching staff following a season-ending injury in 2023. A two-time first team All-Big West selection, Haddad helped lead Long Beach State to the Big West title in each of those seasons, and over those two healthy seasons posted a 21-10 overall record with 173 strikeouts. The veteran pitcher has again impressed early, striking out 24 batters and throwing a combined no-hitter and a one-hit shutout already in 2025.

• Brynne Nally was very active in the first week of her collegiate career, winning Big West Freshman of the Week in her first opportunity after going 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA and sharing in a no-hitter with Haddad. Nally now leads the team with 19.1 innings pitched and 25 strikeouts, and has a 2.23 ERA with a 4-2 record in eight appearances as a true freshman.

• Also having a spectacular debut was Maddy Martin, who as the game with No. 2 Oklahoma kept getting extended, ultimately threw six innings against the Sooners and allowed just four hits and two runs, striking out two in her collegiate debut coming against the defending national champions. Martin is among the national leaders in WHIP and has a team-low 1.62 ERA.

• Sophomore Kate Barnett was a bright spot in the circle for Long Beach State to begin her college career in 2024. Pitching primarily in relief before being asked to start in the absence of Haddad and Eryka Gonzalez, Barnett's 97.0 innings were second-most on the team, and her ERA was the second-lowest on the team. In conference play, Barnett posted a 7-2 overall record with a 1.94 ERA and 20 strikeouts, all the best among freshmen in the league one season ago. Barnett has now made five appearances in 2025, posting a 2.15 ERA, second-best on the team.

• Rebekah Durazo secured the starting role at catcher for Long Beach State last season, earning Honorable Mention All-Big West in 2024. The senior has started off the 2025 season well, and leads Long Beach State with a .436 batting average, hitting three home runs and slugging .769. Her 17 RBI lead the team, and her bat has carried the Beach in their early wins this season.

• Brooklyn Lee had a monster week in Cathedral City at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, batting .588 with three doubles and six RBI on the way to earning All-Tournament Team honors. Lee, a transfer from UC San Diego, is now second on the team with a .395 batting average while playing primarily as the team's designated player while also working as the team's backup catcher.

• Junior Makayla Medellin returns for Long Beach State after two outstanding seasons. The 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year and a two-time All-Big West selection, Medellin led Long Beach State with a .384 batting average, 10 doubles and three home runs and hit .461 in Big West play last season in 2024.

• Senior Jacquelyn Bickar returns for her fourth year as a starter at Long Beach State. A career .286 hitter, Bickar is a two-time All-Big West selection has started over 150 games for the Beach. She currently ranks tied for 8th in career stolen bases at Long Beach State with 33 and is just outside of the Top 10 in runs scored as a staple at the top of the lineup for the Beach.

• Senior Carly Robbins is another regular returning starter for Long Beach State. Having started 114 games in her career, Robbins started the year off hot, hitting .385 with two perfect sacrifice bunts in the opening week of the year. Robbins, a graduate student, was selected this fall to represent the Big West at the NCAA Student-Athlete Leadership Forum in Charlotte, North Carolina specifically for her drive and desire to be an active leader on campus and beyond.

• Also returning is junior Selena Perez after starting at shortstop in each of her first two seasons. An excellent defensive shortstop, Perez has made fewer than 10 errors each season while starting over 100 games at shortstop for the Beach in her career.

• Priscilla Iniguez led Long Beach State as a true freshman in hitting through the first weekend. With three hits in each of her first two games, Iniguez began the season batting .462 with three doubles and a pair of RBI. The freshman is now batting .265 with 6 RBI and a pair of home runs.

• Freshman Lina Apodaca has taken a grasp on a starting role, playing in every game while mostly starting in right field. The freshman hit a single late in the game against No. 2 Oklahoma, and had a six-game hitting streak to start the season. Apodaca is now third on the team in batting at .325.

• Sophomore KaLeena Gonzales has gotten off to a strong start, batting .400 at the Wilson Tournament including a double to help spark a rally against Iowa State.

• Lindsey Cowans is another transfer; the pitcher had her best outing of the season against Kansas, giving the Beach a chance at a comeback with three innings of scoreless pitching, striking out two while allowing just two hits to the Jayhawks.

• Corissa Sweet is another senior who is succeeding both on the diamond and off. Sweet hit over .270 in her first two seasons at Long Beach State, and has played in 146 games in her career at the Beach. A President's Scholar, the Molecular Cell Biology major was one of 25 students in her matriculation class selected for the highest merit-based scholarship awarded academically at Long Beach State to it's over 41,000 students.

• Long Beach State's final senior is catcher Savannah Magadan. Magadan played in a career-high 29 games one season ago while serving as the team's backup catcher.