Long Beach State Softball Begins 2026 Season Friday

Friday, February 6

Long Beach, Calif.

1 p.m.

Long Beach State University

Oregon State

2/4/2026 9:32:00 AM | Softball

Game Notes - Week 1

The season is the first under new head coach Kendall Fearn.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State will be one of the hosts for their kickoff tournament of the season, playing four games at the LBSU Softball Complex and one at a neutral site against Northern Colorado at LMU. The season begins on February 6 when Long Beach State hosts Oregon State and Utah Tech as well as a neutral site game between the two, starting at 10:30 a.m.

LEADING OFF
• After the neutral game at LMU on Saturday, Long Beach State will then host the Beavers once again before closing the opening weekend against Utah at 12:30 p.m. Sunday's games will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

• 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.

A LOOK BACK
• Long Beach State finished the regular season on a great run, winning six straight games to climb up into a tie for second place in the Big West standings at 17-10 in league play, and advanced to the first ever Big West Championship, The Beach were eliminated as the four seed, and finished the 2025 campaign with an overall record of 27-22.

• Head Coach Kim Sowder announced her retirement after 19 years leading the program. A five-time Big West Coach of the Year, Sowder is synonymous with the program at Long Beach State, her Alma Mater, where she was an All-American shortstop. She ends her career with 579 total wins, Top 50 in Division I coaching and she won 279 Big West games, third only to her mentor Pete Manarino at the Beach and Judi Garman of Cal State Fullerton. In total, Sowder spent over 30 years with the Beach as a player, assistant coach and head coach.

• Long Beach State was led by their pitching in 2025. The Beach finished the year with a league-best 3.47 ERA and combined for 218 strikeouts as well as eight shutouts on the year, including a no-hitter against Fresno State.

PLAYER NOTES
• 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 .3054 with 28 RBI, second-most on the team. She returns in what should be a similar role in 2026.

• 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. Iniguez started 38 games for the Beach and hit a team-high five home runs, slugging .464 as a true freshman.

• Also 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.

• Also returning to the staff is graduate Lindsey Cowans. Cowans had a successful career at LIU and threw 26.0 innings last season for the Beach with 17 strikeouts, and is expected to take on a larger role in the circle for LBSU in 2026.

• Long Beach State's third 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, starting 30 and came on late during the year, hitting .261 with 12 RBI in Big West competition. Weisbrook is back as the team's third returning starter from last season.

• Sophomore Lina Apodaca is another returner for Long Beach State. Apodaca had a strong first season for the Beach, playing in 37 total games while starting 29, primarily in the outfield where she finished with a .292 average on the year.

• Junior Malayna Terrones is another returner for the Beach. 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.

• The Beach welcomes back two redshirts from last season, as infielder Miranda Gonzalez and outfielder Callie Fitzpatrick return after sitting out during the 2025 season for LBSU.

• Kendall Fearn and her staff also retained the entirety of the November 2024 recruiting class, and welcome Elissa Guerrero, Audrey Lopetegui, Pricilla Ramirez, Nina Sepulveda and Kali Su'e to the roster. Sepulveda and Su'e are competing for immediate time in the field, while Lopetegui and Ramirez are both expected to play a role with the pitching staff in the circle this season.

IN THE PORTAL
• Turning to the transfer portal, Long Beach State welcomes in five players, two pitchers and three field players from across the country.

• Catcher Audree Mendoza comes to the Beach 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.

• Also coming from Penn State is Jiselle Hernandez. An infielder, Hernandez also spent the last two seasons with the Nitany Lions, playing in a dual role as both a hitter and a pitcher.

• Familiar to fans of the Big West is a veteran pitcher, Isabella Alonso. Alonso has 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.

• 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.

• Finally, Brooke Subia is another local sophomore who returns to Southern California. Subia played in 27 games for Portland State after graduating from Charter Oak High School in Covina.

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.