CSUN Opens 2020 Softball Campaign At UNLV This Weekend

Softball Notebook

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.— CSUN opens the 2020 softball season this weekend at the UNLV Rebel Classic. The Matadors begin the tournament Friday at noon when CSUN takes on the host Rebels.

Games two (Friday, 7:30 p.m.) and three (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.) will see the Matadors face Southern Utah. CSUN takes on UNLV again Saturday at 3 p.m. before the tournament concludes against Oregon State on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. Live stats will be available for each game and can be found on GoMatadors.com.

UNLV went 36-14 a year ago. The Rebels tied for third in the preseason Mountain West Conference coaches' poll. The top returning UNLV hitter is Lauren Tycksen (.395). The top returning pitcher is Jenny Bressler who was 23-5 as a freshman last season. This will be the 30th and 31st times that CSUN and UNLV are playing softball. The Matadors lead the all-time series 20-9.

Southern Utah is coming off a 6-34 season. The Thunderbirds were picked seventh in the preseason Big Sky Conference coaches' poll. Dream Weaver (.372) is the top returning SU hitter. Sydni Sorensen (2) is the top returning Thunderbird pitcher. CSUN has won all 27 previous meetings against Southern Utah. 23 of the previous 27 games were played when both the Matadors and the Thunderbirds were members of the Western Athletic Conference.

Oregon State went 26-19 in 2020. The Beavers were selected seventh in the preseason Pac 12 coaches' poll. Mariah Mazon was 17-12 in the circle for OSU last season. Frankie Hammoude hit 11 home runs last season and drove in 35 runs, both team highs.

The Beavers are coached by Laura Berg. Berg will join CSUN head coach Tairia Flowers on the 2020 USA Softball Olympic Team coaching staff this Summer in Tokyo. This is the 33rd time that CSUN and Oregon State are playing softball with the Matadors leading the all-time series 20-11-1.

CSUN went 26-28 a year ago, 10-11 in the Big West. The Matadors were selected fourth in the preseason Big West Conference Softball Coaches' Poll that was released by the conference last month.

Cal State Fullerton received first-place votes from six of the league's eight coaches for 62 points and a first-place selection in the poll. Long Beach State was awarded the remaining two first-place votes and is second in the poll with 54 points. Hawai'i is third (46) followed by the Matadors (37). UC Davis (30), UC Riverside (28), Cal Poly (17), and UC Santa Barbara (14) round out the poll.

Megan Stevens was selected as 1-of-50 NCAA Division I players that have made the "Watch List" for the 2020 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award Jan. 29. The USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award enters its 18th season and recognizes outstanding athletic achievement by Division I female collegiate softball players across the country.

Stevens was selected second-team All-Region as an outfielder last season. She led the Big West Conference in hitting (.430), doubles (20), RBI (55), total bases (129), walks (30), slugging percentage (.866), and on-base percentage (.535). Stevens was second in the Big West in home runs (13) and hits (64).

A first-team All-Conference selection, Stevens' batting average was sixth highest in single-season conference history, while her doubles were the fifth most. Her RBI total was the second-most in a season by a CSUN player. Entering the week of May 13, Stevens is seventh in Division I in doubles, 11th in doubles per game (0.37), 12th in slugging percentage (.866), 16th in batting average, 16th in on-base percentage, 25th in total bases, 26th in RBI, and 39th in RBI per game (1.02). She is 92nd in hits, 96th in home runs per game (0.24) and 134th in walks per game (0.56).

The Top 25 Finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award will be announced April 22. While an athlete does not have to be on the "Watch List" to be considered for the Top 25, the eventual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will come from the Top 25 Finalists. The Top 10 Finalists will be announced May 6 and the Top 3 announced May 20. The 2020 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed May 26.

~#UniteTheValley~

CSUN Opens 2020 Softball Campaign At UNLV This Weekend

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Megan Stevens