Friday, April 18
Northridge, Calif.
1:00 p.m.
California State University at Northridge
vs
Cal State Bakersfield
Photo by: Bella A Enriquez
Matadors Look to Find Winner’s Circle Again Against Cal State Bakersfield
4/17/2025 1:18:00 PM | Softball
GAME NOTES
NORTHRIDGE, Calif --- CSUN Softball (17-21, 10-7 Big West) will host the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (15-26, 6-12 Big West) at Matador Diamond in Northridge this weekend. The two squads will face off in a doubleheader Friday with first pitches at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. respectively. Then, the series will conclude with an afternoon showdown at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The doubleheader will be livestreamed on ESPN+.
FOR STARTERS
CSUN enters this weekend fourth overall in the Big West standings at 10-7. The Matadors are one game back of Hawai'i for that third overall spot. CSUN lost its only Big West series last weekend when it got swept by Cal State Fullerton. The Matadors swept Cal Poly and took two out of three from Long Beach State, UC Riverside and UC Davis, and split with Hawai'i thus far in Big West play.
Cal State Bakersfield enters this weekend's contests with a 6-12 record in Big West play. The Roadrunners won their opening Big West series against UC Davis, while also taking two out of three from UC San Diego. However, they got swept by UC Riverside and Hawai'i, and lost two out of three from Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.
LAST TIME IN THE BATTER'S BOX
The Matadors got swept by Cal State Fullerton in Fullerton this past weekend. CSUN dropped the first game of the series, 2-0 despite a complete game performance by Lauryn Carranco. The Matadors then dropped the next two games. In game two, CSUN fell 8-0 in five innings, while in game three, the Matadors fell 9-5. Tiara Westbrook had a home run and an RBI single and Kaylee Escutia added an RBI in game three.
CARRANCO THE CAPTAIN IN THE CIRCLE
Carranco has been one of CSUN's top pitchers seemingly since she first put on the uniform her freshman year in 2023. She has had impressive numbers during her first two seasons, and her junior year is no different. The junior from Clovis is 10-8 with a 2.75 ERA (good enough for third in the Big West) against some very strong opponents. She has 15 complete games so far this season while tallying 84 strikeouts in the process. She already has 132 innings pitched in 24 appearances. Carranco was a Preseason All Big-West Team honoree and she is proving to be worthy of that accolade so far.
A YEAR DIFFERENCE IN BATTING AVERAGE
In 2024, CSUN was middle of the pack (6th) in batting average in the Big West at a .276 average. The Matadors have seen a major improvement in their batting average so far in the 2025 campaign. As of this weekend, CSUN is second with a .294 clip, close to a 20-point difference from year to year. CSUN currently has six players batting over .300 with Tiara Westbrook leading the team with a .361 average in 36 games played.
TIARA WESTBROOK - THE TRANSFER THAT BRINGS THE FIRE
Westbrook transferred to CSUN from Oregon State this past season and has already had an immediate impact on this Matador lineup. Earlier this season she had a superb performance in the Mary Nutter Classic. Westbrook took Big West Player of the Week honors for her contributions. She batted .588 with a .882 slugging percentage. Overall, Westbrook is leading the team in home runs with seven, including one versus Cal State Fullerton this past week. She is leading the team in RBI's with 29 and in total bases with 66.
SCOUTING CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
The Roadrunners were picked to finish last in the Big West and are currently sitting second to last in the Big West standings. Still, defeating the Roadrunners will be no easy task. CSUB is currently third in the Big West in batting average at .286. The Roadrunners are led by freshman phenom Maalia Cherry who was recognized as the National Freshman of the Week on February 17. She also has been named Freshman of the Week in Big West play three out of the nine weeks. Cherry has a .347 average to lead the team to go with a conference-best 11 home runs. She also heads the team in RBIs (32), total bases (70) and walks (22).
Where the Roadrunners have their weaknesses come in the circle. They are last in the Big West in ERA at 5.38. Bailee Bustos is their best pitcher but she sports a 4.45 ERA in 30 appearances.
Series History: CSUN leads the season history, 55-19. CSUN took two out of three from Bakersfield last season at Matador Diamond. The last game between these two teams resulted in a 13-3 lopsided win for the Matadors on April 27, 2024 at Matador Diamond.
NORTHRIDGE, Calif --- CSUN Softball (17-21, 10-7 Big West) will host the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners (15-26, 6-12 Big West) at Matador Diamond in Northridge this weekend. The two squads will face off in a doubleheader Friday with first pitches at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. respectively. Then, the series will conclude with an afternoon showdown at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. The doubleheader will be livestreamed on ESPN+.
FOR STARTERS
CSUN enters this weekend fourth overall in the Big West standings at 10-7. The Matadors are one game back of Hawai'i for that third overall spot. CSUN lost its only Big West series last weekend when it got swept by Cal State Fullerton. The Matadors swept Cal Poly and took two out of three from Long Beach State, UC Riverside and UC Davis, and split with Hawai'i thus far in Big West play.
Cal State Bakersfield enters this weekend's contests with a 6-12 record in Big West play. The Roadrunners won their opening Big West series against UC Davis, while also taking two out of three from UC San Diego. However, they got swept by UC Riverside and Hawai'i, and lost two out of three from Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara.
LAST TIME IN THE BATTER'S BOX
The Matadors got swept by Cal State Fullerton in Fullerton this past weekend. CSUN dropped the first game of the series, 2-0 despite a complete game performance by Lauryn Carranco. The Matadors then dropped the next two games. In game two, CSUN fell 8-0 in five innings, while in game three, the Matadors fell 9-5. Tiara Westbrook had a home run and an RBI single and Kaylee Escutia added an RBI in game three.
CARRANCO THE CAPTAIN IN THE CIRCLE
Carranco has been one of CSUN's top pitchers seemingly since she first put on the uniform her freshman year in 2023. She has had impressive numbers during her first two seasons, and her junior year is no different. The junior from Clovis is 10-8 with a 2.75 ERA (good enough for third in the Big West) against some very strong opponents. She has 15 complete games so far this season while tallying 84 strikeouts in the process. She already has 132 innings pitched in 24 appearances. Carranco was a Preseason All Big-West Team honoree and she is proving to be worthy of that accolade so far.
A YEAR DIFFERENCE IN BATTING AVERAGE
In 2024, CSUN was middle of the pack (6th) in batting average in the Big West at a .276 average. The Matadors have seen a major improvement in their batting average so far in the 2025 campaign. As of this weekend, CSUN is second with a .294 clip, close to a 20-point difference from year to year. CSUN currently has six players batting over .300 with Tiara Westbrook leading the team with a .361 average in 36 games played.
TIARA WESTBROOK - THE TRANSFER THAT BRINGS THE FIRE
Westbrook transferred to CSUN from Oregon State this past season and has already had an immediate impact on this Matador lineup. Earlier this season she had a superb performance in the Mary Nutter Classic. Westbrook took Big West Player of the Week honors for her contributions. She batted .588 with a .882 slugging percentage. Overall, Westbrook is leading the team in home runs with seven, including one versus Cal State Fullerton this past week. She is leading the team in RBI's with 29 and in total bases with 66.
SCOUTING CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD
The Roadrunners were picked to finish last in the Big West and are currently sitting second to last in the Big West standings. Still, defeating the Roadrunners will be no easy task. CSUB is currently third in the Big West in batting average at .286. The Roadrunners are led by freshman phenom Maalia Cherry who was recognized as the National Freshman of the Week on February 17. She also has been named Freshman of the Week in Big West play three out of the nine weeks. Cherry has a .347 average to lead the team to go with a conference-best 11 home runs. She also heads the team in RBIs (32), total bases (70) and walks (22).
Where the Roadrunners have their weaknesses come in the circle. They are last in the Big West in ERA at 5.38. Bailee Bustos is their best pitcher but she sports a 4.45 ERA in 30 appearances.
Series History: CSUN leads the season history, 55-19. CSUN took two out of three from Bakersfield last season at Matador Diamond. The last game between these two teams resulted in a 13-3 lopsided win for the Matadors on April 27, 2024 at Matador Diamond.
Players Mentioned
Softball--CSUN vs. Hawai'i
Saturday, May 04
Softball-CSUN vs. UC Riverside
Saturday, April 13
Softball-CSUN vs. UCLA
Sunday, March 24
Softball-CSUN vs. Saint Mary's
Saturday, March 23