Softball Hosts North Dakota State Before Traveling To UC Riverside

Tuesday, March 10

Long Beach, Calif.

6 p.m.

Long Beach State University

North Dakota State

Softball Hosts North Dakota State Before Traveling To UC Riverside

3/9/2026 3:13:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes - Week 6

Tuesday's game with the Bison finishes a five-game homestand.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State's five-game homestand comes to a close on Tuesday as the Beach hosts North Dakota State in the sixth meeting between the teams all-time. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. with live coverage on ESPN+.

LEADING OFF
• The Beach then continues Big West play with a three-game series on the road, facing UC Riverside on Friday and Saturday. The doubleheader will begin at 1 p.m. Friday with a final game Saturday, also starting at 1 p.m.

• Big West play began with a conference with for the Beach, as Long Beach State took two of three from Cal State Bakersfield at the LBSU Softball Complex. Sophomore Lina Apodaca hit .636 for the weekend and senior Isabella Alonso closed out the series win with a complete game on Saturday.

• Long Beach State grabbed the national spotlight at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, stunning No. 4 Oklahoma behind a three-run homer from Lina Apodaca and strong pitching from Lindsey Cowans and Audrey Lopetegui.

• The Beach went 4-1 at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, the best record of the four teams in Mexico. The Beach was led by tournament MVP Nina Sepulveda along with All-Tournament Team selections Isabella Alonso and Avery Weisbrook.

• Nina Sepulveda hit .429 with a home run and five runs scored in Cathedral City, repeating as the Big West Freshman of the Week after earning the award after her MVP performance at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge.

• As a team, Long Beach State is hitting .306 with a consistent lineup providing solid offense early for the Beach. Six regulars are hitting over .300, led by sophomore Priscilla Iniguez who is hitting .400.

• 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 has brought an aggressive offensive style with her. The Beach rank in the nation's Top 100 in batting average, hits, and RBI and have 34 stolen bases in 24 games as LBSU closes in on a team record for a season in steals.

PLAYER NOTES
• Avery Weisbrook is putting up a claim as one of the top players in the Big West through non-conference play. Weisbrook is now batting .361 on the year, starting every game at shortstop and slugging .556 with 21 runs scored. Also busy in the field, Weisbrook ranks third in the nation in assists while making just seven errors on the year.

• 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 has reached safely in her first 23 games of the season, has a pair of seven-game hitting streaks and is batting .400 with a team-high three home runs.

• Anchoring the leadoff position, sophomore Lina Apodaca is another returner for Long Beach State. Apodaca is now batting .368 in 2026 with 18 runs scored and 15 RBI, including a critical 3-run home run to help Long Beach State defeat No. 4 Oklahoma.

• Freshman Nina Sepulveda is making an early case for Big West Freshman Player of the Year. Starting all 24 games for Long Beach State, Sepulveda is batting .338 with three home runs and a team-high 26 RBI, earning MVP honors at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and two Big West Freshman of the Week awards this season.

• Emily Dowden is in her third season at the Beach but is taking advantage of an opportunity in her junior year. Now having started 13 games this season, primarily at DP, Dowden is hitting .333 with an on-base percentage of .488 which is among the team leaders.

• 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. Making an impact at the Beach, Mendoza has thrown out five runners and is hitting .247 on the year with six doubles.

• Redshirt Freshman Miranda Gonzalez has gotten an early opportunity to shine. Starting 23 games at second base, Gonzalez has an on-base percentage of .448 and leads the team with 16 walks.

• 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 started the first 11 games of the season in center field before a minor injury, hitting .211. Supplementing her efforts in the outfield is freshman Kali Su'e, who made a spectacular catch against the Sooners and has six stolen bases in this season.

• Under Fearn and pitching coach Shelby Miller, the Beach is using all of their pitchers collectively, and as a staff the team has a pair of combined shutouts and four saves, with just one outing of five innings or longer throughout the season.

• 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 is 7-3 with a 3.37 ERA, leading the team with 52.0 innings pitched with 20 strikeouts.

• 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 made 15 appearances this year with a 2-1 record, pitching 34.1 total innings, including a start and a save against No. 4 Oklahoma.

• Freshman Audrey Lopetegui is fourth on the team in innings pitched, and is among the national leader in saves with three already this season. Fellow freshman Pricilla Ramirez has eight strikeouts in 12.2 innings pitched as a relief specialist for the staff.

• 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. Banda had a standout performance against Southern Illinois, striking out 5 in 4.0 innings of scoreless relief with just two hits. Banda has a 5.71 ERA over 30.2 innings pitched, and her 21 strikeouts this season lead the team.

• 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. Terrones was hitting .353 with a .426 on-base percentage, but will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

• Junior Brooklyn Lee earned Honorable Mention All-Big West selection from 2025 but has yet to feature this season due to injury. 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.

• 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.