CSUN Faces Maryland to Begin NISC Thursday

WHAT'S COMING UP FOR CSUN SOFTBALL
GAME 51
CSUN (28-22) vs. Maryland (36-17)
Thursday, May 18 • 9 a.m.
Fort Collins, Colo. • Red Rocks Field • Triple Crown Sports Complex
Live Stats // Triple Crown Sports TV

GAME 52
CSUN vs San José State (26-28) or BYU (32-16)
Friday, May 19 • 8 a.m. or 11 a.m.
Fort Collins, Colo. • Horsetooth Field • Triple Crown Sports Complex
Live Stats // Triple Crown Sports TV

IN-GAME UPDATES @CSUNSoftball

NOTEBOOK

FIRST PITCH
For the first time since the 2015 NCAA Tournament, the CSUN softball team will play a postseason game as the Matadors have accepted a bid into the 2023 National Invitational Softball Championship.

CSUN will face the No. 1 seed, Maryland, on Thursday, May 18, at 10 a.m. MDT/9 a.m. PDT.

All games will occur on the two fields at Triple Crown Sports in Fort Collins, Colo., Red Rocks Field and Horsetooth Field.

The tournament format features two four-team pods that will play a double-elimination slate, with winners of the two winner's brackets and loser's brackets advancing to a single-elimination championship bracket.

Other first-round matchups include Iowa (31-27) against the Matadors' Big West rival UC Davis (29-20) on Thursday at 10 a.m. MDT/9 a.m. PDT. Thursday's afternoon session (beginning at 1 p.m. MDT/12 p.m. PDT) will feature San José State against BYU and Tarleton State (30-27) versus South Dakota State (37-17).

Thursday's losers will play on both fields beginning at 9 a.m. MDT/8 a.m. PDT, with Thursday's winners playing on both fields at Noon MDT/11 a.m. PDT. The loser's bracket will continue at 3 p.m. MDT/2 p.m. PDT.

The semifinals begin at 9 a.m. MDT/8 a.m. PDT and noon MDT/11 a.m. PDT on May 20, with the championship game scheduled for 3 p.m. MDT/2 p.m. PDT – all those games are on Red Rocks Field. If needed, May 21 is available for NISC games, pending weather or other unforeseen delays.

Triple Crown streams the tournament games via Youtube.com.

ABOUT THE TERPS
Maryland is the top seed in the NISC with a 36-17 record. The Terps tied sixth in the Big 10 with Penn State (11-11).

Maryland's 36 wins are the most for the program in 12 seasons, and they are playing in the postseason for the fifth time.

Jaeda McFarland is the team's leading hitter at .366. Ameilia Lech has hit 15 home runs, ranking her 31st in Division I. She has driven in 46 runs, the team's best, and is ranked 80th in D1 in RBI per game (0.87).

Keira Bucher's 11 saves are the most in Division I this season. The starters are formidable, as Courtney Wyche has won 17 games (17-9), while Trinity Schlotterbeck has won 15 times (15-6).

This is the first time that CSUN has played Maryland in softball.

THE REST OF THE BRACKET
The other teams in CSUN's bracket are San José State and BYU.

The Spartans were the runner-up at the Mountain West Tournament, losing to San Diego State twice, including in the finals. The 26 wins are the most for the club since 2019.

Alyssa Graham led the team in hitting (.325), home runs (8), and RBI (29). Jessica Ullegue went 16-8 with 122 strikeouts in 137.2 innings. She recorded 11 complete games and four shutouts.

The Matadors defeated San José State 10-5 on Mar. 11 as part of the Silicon Valley Classic II. CSUN leads the all-time series 17-4.

In their final season in the West Coast Conference before heading to the Big 12, BYU finished second in the league behind LMU (11-4). The Cougars went 32-16 overall.

Huntyr Ava led the team in hitting (.350), home runs (14), and RBI (46). Kaysen Korth went 18-8 with a 2.40 ERA. She struck out 175 in 160.1 innings.

The last time the teams met during the 2018 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, CSUN pitcher Jillian James carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning before BYU won the game 8-0. The Cougars lead the all-time series 6-1.

CARRANCO LEADS 6 CSUN ALL-CONFERENCE SELECTIONS
Lauryn Carranco's Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors led the way for the Matadors as the conference revealed its postseason honors Tuesday afternoon. For more, read here;

THREE NAMED ACADEMIC ALl-DISTRICT
On May 16, CSUN's Mikayla Carman, Kaylee Escutia and Allie Gardiner were named to the 2023 Academic All-District® Softball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the diamond and in the classroom.

The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes softball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.

Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. In addition, first, second, and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on June 6.

~#UniteTheValley~

CSUN Faces Maryland to Begin NISC Thursday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Mikayla Carman

Lauryn Carranco

Kaylee Escutia

Allie Gardiner