CSUN Softball Opens Against No. 3 UCLA; No. 17 Oregon; & Nevada

Softball Notebook #1 (PDF)

CSUN SOFTBALL PREVIEW-PART 1

CSUN SOFTBALL PREVIEW-PART 2

NORTHRIDGE, Calif.—CSUN opens the 2022 Softball season this week with five games, four of which will be at home. The season-opener is Thursday night when the Matadors travel to No. 3/3 UCLA for a 7 p.m. start. The game will be streamed on Pac12.com with a link on GoMatadors.com.

CSUN begins home play Friday afternoon when the Matadors host No. 17/18 Oregon. The doubleheader begins at noon with the second game coming 30 minutes upon the conclusion of the opener. Coverage of both games will be on ESPN+ with Darren Preston on the call.

The action concludes Saturday afternoon when CSUN hosts Nevada for a noon doubleheader. Game two of the doubleheader will begin 30 minutes after game one ends. Livestat coverage is available on GoMatadors.com.

UCLA is ranked third in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA preseason Top 25 polls. The Bruins are coming off a 47-7 2021 season in which UCLA reached the Women's College World Series. UCLA returns three first-team NFCA All-Americans in Aaliyah Jordan, Megan Faraimo, and Maya Brady as well as third-team All-American Briana Perez. The Bruins were picked first in the preseason Pac-12 Coaches Poll. This is the 57th time that CSUN and UCLA are playing softball with the Bruins leading the all-time series 46-10.

Oregon is ranked 17th in the USA Today/NFCA and 18th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 preseason Top 25 polls. Oregon was 40-17 last season, reaching the finals of the Austin Regional before losing 1-0 to the host Longhorns. Brooke Yanez went 22-6 with 268 strikeouts last season.

The 2019 Big West Pitcher of the Year as a member of the UC Davis squad, Yanez was named to USA Softball's Top 50 Watch List for the collegiate player of the year. In addition to Yanez, Allee Bunker and Terra McGowan were listed among Softball America's 2022 Preseason College Top 100 players. Oregon was picked in a tie for third in the preseason Pac-12 Coaches Poll. The Ducks face Ole Miss Thursday night at Cal State Fullerton before heading to CSUN. This is the first time since 1999 that the Matadors and the Ducks are playing in Northridge. Oregon leads the all-time series 15-8.

Nevada went 24-16 last season and feature a new head coach in former Fresno State and UC Riverside head coach Linda Garza. The Wolfpack return 17 players, including Chelie Senini, who was named first-team All-Mountain West last season after hitting .347 with 51 hits.

Nevada broke an 11-game losing streak to CSUN on Feb. 15, 2020, when the Wolfpack defeated the Matadors 7-1 at the Libby Matson Tournament in Stockton. CSUN leads the all-time series 11-3.

CSUN was picked eighth in the preseason Big West Conference Coaches Poll released Feb. 7. The Matadors received 29 points in the poll.

Cal State Fullerton received five first-place votes for a total of 77 points to be ranked first. Defending champion Long Beach State was picked to finish second with 74 points, receiving four first-place votes. UC Davis came in third with 55 points. Hawai'i and UC San Diego are tied for fourth with 49 points each. Cal Poly received the last remaining first-place vote for a total of 42 points. UC Santa Barbara (41), CSUN, UC Riverside (25), and CSU Bakersfield (9) rounded out the rest of the poll.

CSUN Spectator Policy (Outdoor Events)

Masks will be required throughout the event regardless of vaccination status and masks should fully cover the mouth and nose. Refusal to follow any of these guidelines will lead to removal from the home event and/or access to the next home event.
Spectators are not required to provide verification of vaccination to enter the venue but should follow physical distancing guidelines.
Fans are encouraged to bring their own water into the venue, as concessions will not be available.

CSUN Athletics exists within a vibrant campus with 38,000 overall students, 4,000 staff members, and an expected 2,000 student residents this fall. Our overarching mission is student academic success – athletic competition plays a particularly important role in the success of our student-athletes.

CSUN's COVID Safety measures may differ from other sports and entertainment venues across Los Angeles, as well as other campuses. Those differences reflect our commitment to providing a safe learning, working, and living environments for all those within the unique context of our college campus.

With athletics events bringing a large number of campus visitors, CSUN wants to provide reasonable safety measures. Our goal is to provide a safe environment whole encouraging strong fan support of our programs and student-athletes.

CSUN Spectator Policy

~#UniteTheValley~

CSUN Softball Opens Against No. 3 UCLA; No. 17 Oregon; & Nevada

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