Softball Off To Mexico For Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

Thursday, February 12

Puerto Vallarto, Mexico

10 a.m. CT

Long Beach State University

Southern Illinois

Softball Off To Mexico For Puerto Vallarta College Challenge

2/10/2026 11:03:00 AM | Softball

Game Notes - Puerto Vallarta

Long Beach State is making their fifth visit to Puerto Vallarta.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- The Beach will once again take part in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. The Beach will play five games against three opponents beginning on Thursday, February 12. Long Beach State will be making their fifth appearance in the tournament, having previously attended in 2018, 2020, 2022 and 2024.

LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State opened the season with three straight wins, taking down Oregon State, Utah Tech and Northern Colorado on the way to a 3-2 beginning to the 2026 season.

• As a team, Long Beach State is hitting .346 with a consistent lineup providing solid offense early for the Beach. Six regulars are hitting over .300, led by junior designated player Malayna Terrones who hit .692 (9-for-13) in the opening weekend.

• That strong start for Terrones led to the junior being selected as the first Big West Field Player of the Week for the new season. Hitting safely in all five games, Terrones went 4-for-4 in the rematch with Oregon State, and reached base at a .733 rate in the first week with 9 hits, two walks and a sacrifice bunt.

• The 2026 season marks the first under new head coach Kendall Fearn. Fearn becomes just the fifth coach in the program's 45-year history, assuming the leadership role following the retirement of Kim Sowder at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, her 19th in charge of the program.

• Fearn comes to Long Beach State following a successful stint at San Diego State as the lead assistant for the Aztecs, seeing the team to three straight NCAA tournament appearances, three consecutive Mountain West Tournament championships as well as a run to the 2023 Super Regionals in her three seasons in San Diego. Fearn also had previous stops at Indiana and Marshall following a standout career as an infielder at UNLV under former Long Beach State coach Pete Manarino.

• The Beach enters the season with a mix of old and new under Fearn. The Beach has three returning starters and two returning pitchers as part of 12 returning letterwinners, while bringing back two redshirts. Fearn and her staff also added five Division I transfers and five high school recruits to round out the roster.

PLAYER NOTES
• Malayna Terrones had a tremendous start to the season, opening the year making just four outs over the first five games, hitting 9-for-13 with a .733 on-base percentage to earn Big West Player of the Week. After hitting two home runs as a freshman in 2024, Terrones improved her average to .281 as a sophomore, hitting three triples while playing in 28 games in 2025.

• Sophomore Priscilla Iniguez had a strong first season at the Beach, also earning Honorable Mention All-Big West honors as well as being chosen for the Big West All-Freshman Team after hitting five home runs. Picking up where she left off, Iniguez started the year with a five-game hitting streak, batting .471 including a home run against Northern Colorado.

• Another returning starter is junior Avery Weisbrook. Returning to Southern California after one season at Florida State, Weisbrook played in 37 games for the Beach last season and has continued to show great improvement. Hitting two doubles and a home run in the first week of the season, Weisbrook is batting .400 after starting every game this season for Long Beach State at shortstop.

• Anchoring the leadoff position, sophomore Lina Apodaca is another returner for Long Beach State. Hitting .292 a year ago while starting 29 games, Apodaca is batting .333 in 2026 with six hits and three runs scored in the early part of the season, beginning the year on a five-game hitting streak.

• Redshirt Freshman Miranda Gonzalez has gotten an early opportunity to shine. Starting in all five games at second base, Gonzalez is hitting .333 and drove in three RBI in the first week.

• Erica Estrada spent her first two seasons primarily as a pinch runner, but is getting her chance in the lineup to start the 2026 season. A strong defensive outfielder, Estrada has started every game so far in center field had RBIs in both the Utah Tech and Northern Colorado wins.

• Catcher Audree Mendoza has seen every pitch of the season behind the plate for Long Beach State. A transfer from Penn State, Mendoza excelled during the 2024 season before sitting out last year, and the team is counting on her to make an impact this season.

• Kendall Fearn and her staff retained the entirety of the November 2024 recruiting class, with all five playing a role in the early part of the season.

• Kali Su'e has started all five games in left field. The Long Beach native is hitting .308 on the year, scoring a team-high five runs and has three stolen bases already on the year. Also starting all five games is third baseman Nina Sepulveda who hit .231 in the first week, going 2-for-2 with 2 RBI against Northern Colorado.

• Junior Brooklyn Lee returns for Long Beach State as an Honorable Mention All-Big West selection from 2025. In her first season at the Beach, the catcher split time behind the dish and at DP, hitting .304 with 28 RBI, second-most on the team. Lee begins the season injured, but is eying a return later in the year.

• Under Fearn and pitching coach Shelby Miller, the Beach is using all of their pitchers collectively, and rank in the Top 100 nationally in ERA to start the season.

• Returning to the pitching staff is graduate Lindsey Cowans. Cowans had a successful career at LIU and threw 26.0 innings last season for the Beach. In a bigger role this season, Cowans has started the year with a 2-0 record and leads the Beach with 11.1 innings pitched this season.

• Freshman Pricilla Ramirez is tied with Cowans for the team lead in strikeouts with 5 in just 4.2 innings pitched, while fellow freshman Audrey Lopetegui posted a 1-1 with a save in a busy opening week.

• Familiar to fans of the Big West is a veteran pitcher, Isabella Alonso. Alonso pitched for three seasons with conference rival CSUN, and is coming to finish her career at the Beach after earning both Honorable Mention All-Big West and All-Freshman team honors with the Matadors in addition to a spot on the inaugural Big West Championship All-Tournament team last season. This year with the Beach, Alonso has a team-low 1.75 ERA having made two 4.0 inning starts in 2026.

• Jailynn Banda made 12 appearances in the circle for St. John's one season ago as a true freshman with a 3.46 ERA, and returns to Southern California for her sophomore season coming from Norwalk High School.

• Returning as an All-Big West selection, earning Honorable Mention All-Big West honors as a sophomore after All-Freshman team recognition in 2024 is junior Kate Barnett. Over the last two seasons, Barnett has posted a 13-8 overall record with a 3.46 ERA, consistently playing a major role with the Long Beach State pitching staff. Barnett has yet to feature in 2026 due to injury.

THIS AND THAT
• In a nod to the tradition of Long Beach State softball as well as respect for the reputation of Kendall Fearn, Beach softball was picked to finish in third in the Preseason Big West Coaches Poll, despite not having any individual players chosen as Preseason All-Big West.

• Long Beach State continues to have continued historical success. 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.

• Long Beach State boasts tremendous home support, ranking in the Top 50 in total attendance nationally in each of the last two seasons despite having a total capacity of 500. Long Beach State finished 2025 ranked 8th in percentage attendance, filling at over 100% during the season with 15 total sellouts.