Softball Takes On UC Santa Barbara On The Road This Weekend

Saturday, April 12

Santa Barbara, Calif.

12 p.m.

Long Beach State University

UC Santa Barbara

Photo by: Diego Devia @Devia.Img

4/8/2025 11:47:00 AM | Softball

Game Notes - Week 10

Long Beach State will play three against the Gauchos this weekend on ESPN+.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State will look to bounce back after their first sweep suffered since 2017, going on the road to face league leaders UC Santa Barbara in an important Big West series between the two teams.

LEADING OFF
• The Beach lost two one-run games to Cal State Fullerton, and dropped to three games back of the Gauchos in the conference standings despite a strong start from Brynne Nally that highlighted the weekend.

• Behind two Big West weekly award winners March 31, Long Beach State went on the road and picked up three wins at UC Davis. Freshman of the Week Lina Apodaca led the team in hitting, moving into the leadoff spot and going 6-for-12 with a .538 on-base percentage against the Aggies, while Kate Barnett was the Pitcher of the Week after throwing a pair of complete game victories.

• Long Beach State has been led by their pitching. The Beach starts the week leading the Big West and ranks 53rd nationally with a 3.01 ERA, and Long Beach State's staff comes into the week with three pitchers ranking in the Top 10 of the Big West, led by Kate Barnett with a Big West best 2.17 ERA.

• In classic Beach style, Long Beach State's defense has also been excellent in support of their pitching. Long Beach State ranks 94th nationally with a .966 fielding percentage and are 24th in the nation with 17 double plays turned this season.

• Senior Rebekah Durazo is having a massive season so far. The catcher is Top 5 in the Big West in all three slash categories, batting .432 with a .528 on-base percentage and a .662 slugging percentage. Durazo is leading Long Beach State with 19 RBI, 3 home runs, 32 hits and 8 doubles this season.

• In the circle, Long Beach State has shown a ton of depth this season, using six pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched for all of them. Senior Shannon Haddad, a returning two-time First Team All-Big West selection, is 6-3 with a 2.94 ERA and a team-high 53 strikeouts, while
freshman Brynne Nally is 4-5 with a 2.91 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched as the pair have started the majority of the team's games. Sophomore Kate Barnett leads the team with a 2.17 ERA with a 5-3 record, while freshman Maddy Martin has also contributed with a 3.84 ERA in 27.1 innings pitched with 12 strikeouts.

• The Beach has battled through a number of injuries of late - Haddad has not pitched since March 22, and Durazo also last played in the CSUN series. Carly Robbins made her return to action after missing her first seven starts since 2022 at third base as well.

• Long Beach State got a massive boost to their pitching staff as senior Eryka Gonzales made a return to the circle to start Big West play. Earning a win at Hawai'i with five scoreless innings of relief, the 2023 All-Big West pitcher had not pitched since last March before making her return on March 8. Gonzales then made her first start of the season, throwing a complete game with three strikeouts at CSUN and is now 3-2 with a 3.50 ERA in six appearances.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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, striking out a team-high 53 batters and throwing a combined no-hitter and three shutouts already in 2025, posting a 6-3 record with a 2.94 ERA.

• 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 is second on the team with 57.2 innings pitched and has 40 strikeouts with a 2.91 ERA and a 4-5 record in 15 appearances as a true freshman.

• Sophomore Kate Barnett was a bright spot in the circle for Long Beach State to begin her college career in 2024 and has continued to pitch well for the Beach this year. Barnett has now made 12 appearances and five starts in 2025. Leading both the Big West and the Beach with a 2.17 ERA in 48.1 innings pitched, Barnett is now 4-1 with a 2.61 ERA in Big West play, throwing two complete games against UC Davis to earn Big West Pitcher of the Week March 31.

• 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 has now made ten appearances with one start, posting a 3.84 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 27.1 innings.

• 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 .349 batting average while playing primarily as the team's designated player while also working as the team's backup catcher. Lee leads the team with 25 RBI with a pair of home runs and six doubles.

• Corissa Sweet is a senior who is succeeding both on the diamond and off. Sweet hit over .270 in her first two seasons at Long Beach State, and is now batting .324, third on the team while leading the Beach in stolen bases this season and reaching base at a .415 percentage. 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.

• 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. Medellin has been hot recently, now batting .284 while driving in 23 RBI and hitting a team-high 11 doubles, hitting .327 in Big West action.

• Senior Jacquelyn Bickar returns for her fourth year as a starter at Long Beach State. A career .282 hitter, Bickar is a two-time All-Big West selection has started over 180 games for the Beach. She currently is 6th in career stolen bases at Long Beach State with 35 and joined the Top 10 all-time in runs scored with 103 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 127 games in her career, Robbins started the year off hot, hitting .385 with two perfect sacrifice bunts in the opening week and is now hitting .247 on 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 now started 126 games at shortstop for the Beach in her career.

• Freshman Lina Apodaca has taken a grasp on a starting role with 26 starts this season, primarily 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 currently batting .301 in her first season at the Beach.

• 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 .288 with 13 RBI and three home runs.

• Also having a strong week at home at the Louisville Slugger Invitational was sophomore Malayna Terrones. Going 6-for-11 with a double, Terrones batted .545 with a pair of RBI in the four home games. That helped get the sophomore going, and Terrones is now batting .300, fifth on the team in 12 starts this season.

• 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.