Softball Hosts No. 8 UCLA, Travels To Cal Poly

Wednesday, April 15

Long Beach, Calif.

6 p.m.

Long Beach State University

UCLA

Tickets From $18 - $23

4/14/2026 10:38:00 AM | Softball

Game Notes - Week 11

The Beach will take on the Bruins in a sold out game on Wednesday night.

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

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- Long Beach State's homestand comes to a close as the Beach resumes their nearly annual series against No. 8 UCLA on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

LEADING OFF
• The Beach and the Bruins have played annually with only a few exceptions since the start of the LBSU program in 1981. UCLA holds an all-time lead in the series 76-12, with the Beach last winning against the national powerhouse in 2015, a 5-4 victory at Mayfair Park.

• Long Beach State is coming off of a three-game sweep of UC Santa Barbara, moving right back into the thick of the top of the Big West standings. Sophomore Lina Apodaca hit .636 with two doubles and 4 RBI to lead the offense along with Nina Sepulveda, who hit safely in all three games including the game-winner in walkoff rally in game two, 3-2. Sepulveda earned her third Big West Freshman of the Week award this season. Kate Barnett earned two wins without allowing a run, and Isabella Alonso posted a 1.50 ERA over 9.1 innings in the series.

• Five different players have won weekly awards for the Beach, with freshman infielder Nina Sepulveda and senior pitcher Isabella Alonso both earning multiple awards this season.

• 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.

• As a team, Long Beach State is hitting .304 with a consistent lineup providing solid offense for the Beach. Five regulars are hitting over .340, led by Lina Apodaca at .394 and joined by Priscilla Iniguez, Nina Sepulveda, Avery Weisbrook and Brooklyn Lee.

• Apodaca is leading the Big West in both hits and doubles this season, ranking in the nation's leaders in both categories.

• Long Beach State welcomed the return on March 13 of two key juniors, catcher Brooklyn Lee and pitcher Kate Barnett, but also suffered the loss of junior outfielder Malayna Terrones with a torn ACL. Terrones was hitting .353 for the Beach but will miss the rest of the season.

• 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.

PLAYER NOTES
• Avery Weisbrook is putting up a claim as one of the top players in the Big West. Weisbrook is now batting .367 on the year, starting every game at shortstop and slugging .542 with 32 runs scored. In addition to being one of the top hitters on the team and in the Big West, Weisbrook has been busy in the field, and currently leads the nation in assists with 123 this season.

• 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 reached safely in her first 26 games of the season, has a pair of seven-game hitting streaks and is batting .355 with a team-high four home runs.

• Anchoring the leadoff position, sophomore Lina Apodaca is another returner for Long Beach State. Apodaca is now batting .394 with a team high 52 hits and 14 doubles. She hit a critical 3-run home run to help Long Beach State defeat No. 4 Oklahoma. In conference play, Apodaca is hitting .492 and is leading the league in hits as well as doubles.

• Freshman Nina Sepulveda is making an early case for Big West Freshman Player of the Year. Starting all 40 games for Long Beach State, Sepulveda is batting .345 with three home runs and a team-high 37 RBI, earning MVP honors at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and three Big West Freshman of the Week awards as well as a Field Player of the Week selection in her first season.

• Junior Brooklyn Lee earned Honorable Mention All-Big West selection in 2025 but missed the first 24 games of the season with injury. She has hit the ground running though, hitting .354 while starting 16 straight games, hitting five doubles while splitting time between DP and catcher.

• Emily Dowden is in her third season at the Beach but is taking advantage of an opportunity in her junior year. Now having started 28 games this season between DP and the outfield, Dowden is hitting .276 with an on-base percentage of .398.

• Catcher Audree Mendoza has seen nearly 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 seven runners and is hitting .230 on the year with six doubles.

• Redshirt Freshman Miranda Gonzalez has gotten an early opportunity to shine. Starting 33 games at second base, Gonzalez has an on-base percentage of .395 and leads the team with 22 walks. She has missed the last four games with an injury, and Jiselle Hernandez hit .375 against UCSB in her absence.

• 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 six saves, with just two outings 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.This year with the Beach, Alonso is 11-4 with a 2.70 ERA, leading the team with 93.1 innings pitched with 34 strikeouts. The senior ranks in the Top 10 in the Big West in wins, ERA and opposing batting average this 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 made 21 appearances this year with a 3-2 record, pitching 45.2 total innings, including a start and a save against No. 4 Oklahoma.

• 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 is second on the team in both innings pitched and strikeouts this season, punching out 30 in 42.1 innings pitched.

• 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 missed the first 24 games of the season but made her first appearance in a start at UC Riverside and earned Big West Pitcher of the Week honors after a win and a save on the road at UC San Diego. She now is 3-3 with a team-best 2.45 ERA in 25.2 innings pitched.

• Two freshmen have also played a role in the circle. Pricilla Ramirez has a 2.66 ERA over 29.0 innings pitched with 23 total strikeouts, while Audrey Lopegui recorded three saves in the early part of the year for Long Beach State.