California State University at Northridge
Wisconsin
Matadors Open 2015 Season at ASU's Kajikawa Classic
2/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
The first pitch of the new season is on Friday, Feb. 6 when the Matadors take on Wisconsin at 8:30 a.m., and later that day, CSUN meets up with the Pac-12's Stanford at 1 p.m. The next day features games with New Mexico (5 p.m.) and Fresno State (7:15 p.m.). The Matadors wrap up the tournament with a game against No. 16 Arizona State on Sunday, Feb. 8 at 1 p.m. All times are Pacific.
CSUN returns a total of 16 letterwinners from a 2014 squad that finished 31-26 overall and 8-13 in the Big West Conference. The 31 victories were six more than in 2013 and the most under head coach Tairia Flowers. The Matadors also return five position starter, six pitchers and boast five newcomers to the roster for the 2015 campaign.
Seniors Crystal Maas, Kaitlin Toerner, Jordan Sauceda and Brianna Elder all start their final season of NCAA Softball looking to lead the Matadors to its first NCAA Tournament since the 2007 campaign. Last year, Elder and Taylor Glover became the first Matadors since 2007 to earn a spot on the NFCA All-West Region Teams.
Wisconsin finished 2014 at 36-20 overall and 15-7 in the Big Ten Conference. The Badgers qualified for the NCAA Tournament and are receiving votes in the polls. Stanford is coming off a 30-25 season in which they finished 25-6 in non-conference play and 5-19 in the rugged Pac-12.Â
New Mexico finished 16-36 overall in 2014 and went 7-17 in the Mountain West Conference. CSUN leads the all-time series 20-5, having taken a 5-2 decision last year. Fresno State is coming off a 30-21 overall record and 14-9 mark in the Mountain West Conference. CSUN and Fresno State have played 58 times in softball with the Bulldogs having won the last three played in the series. The Matadors' last victory in the series came in 2012.
Arizona State is ranked No. 16 in both national polls this week as it hosts one of the biggest tournaments in the country. The Sun Devils were picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 Conference after posting a 46-12-1 record in 2014. ASU owns a slim 9-8 advantage in the all-time series with the Matadors. CSUN's last victory in the series came in 2003.
The Matadors remain on the road for its next five games, traveling to Las Vegas for the UNLV Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic from Feb. 13-15. The Matadors will play Indiana, New Mexico, Portland State, Utah and Utah State at the event.Â
CSUN's first home game will be against St. John's University on Tuesday, Feb. 24 with first pitch slated for 1 p.m.Â
Follow Your Matadors Online
All home games this season will include live stats coverage on GoMatadors.com. For road games, related links to the game, including for any live stats, audio and video, will be posted before the game on the softball schedule page of GoMatadors.com. Fans are also encouraged to check the CSUN Athletics Department's official Twitter feed (@GoMatadors) for updates of games in progress and news and notes throughout the week.
Take Your Seat in the Front Row
Fans can now follow all of the action for CSUN's 19 varsity sports right from their phone or tablet! CSUN Front Row, the official mobile app of Matador Athletics, is available for free for your iOS and Android devices. You can also access live stats coverage of a majority of CSUN home events, as well as audio and video links when available. For more information, search for CSUN Front Row on the App Store or Google Play or visit GoMatadors.com/frontrow.
