CSUN Softball Set for Three-Game Series at Saint Mary’s in Moraga

Friday, February 13

Moraga, CA

12:30 p.m.

California State University at Northridge

Saint Mary's

Photo by: Bella A Enriquez

CSUN Softball Set for Three-Game Series at Saint Mary’s in Moraga

2/12/2026 12:10:00 PM | Softball

GAME NOTES
MORAGA, Calif. --- The CSUN softball team (1-4) is set to take on the Saint Mary's Gaels (2-3) at Cottrell Field in Moraga for a three-game series from Friday to Saturday. The teams open with a doubleheader on Friday with the first game commencing at 12:30 p.m. while the second game will start at 3:00 p.m. On Saturday, the series will wrap up with a single game beginning at 12:00 p.m. All games will be streamed live on ESPN+.

ABOUT LAST WEEK
CSUN went 1-4 at the Easton Classic hosted by Fullerton last week. CSUN's win came on the first day of the tournament when it defeated the Portland State Vikings, 8-2 in the second game of the doubleheader on Friday. In the win, Madison Okano, Jadyn Nielsen, Maddie Padilla and Makenzi Padilla each had two RBIs. Kaitlyn Tso, in her Matador pitching debut against the Vikings, went six innings, allowing five hits and striking out four with 97 pitches thrown.

LET'S TALK ABOUT 2025
CSUN had a solid season last year in the final head coaching year of Charlotte Morgan. CSUN finished second overall in the Big West after it was picked seventh overall in the preseason coaches' poll. The Matadors had a 17-10 record in conference play with a 26-26 record overall, the best winning percentage (.500) by a CSUN team since 2023. Eleven seniors made up a majority of this group as the team only lost one Big West series all season.

CSUN made it happen on both sides of the ball. In Big West play, CSUN was second in batting average all season with a .287 clip. The Matadors also ranked third in ERA on the year in the Big West with a 2.77 ERA.

In the inaugural 2025 Big West Softball Championship Tournament, CSUN advanced to the finals with key wins over UC San Diego and Hawai'i. However, CSUN fell just short of championship glory when it fell in its final two games of this season to UC Santa Barbara.

WHAT'S AHEAD IN 2026
Interim head coach Jodie Cox is commencing her first year as the captain of the ship. Cox is holding the reins after she was a Matador assistant and pitching coach during the 2025 season. She will be the eighth coach to lead the Matadors in the program's storied history.

Cox returned to CSUN in 2025 after building an extensive coaching resume in the Division I, Division III, and high school ranks. She previously served as a CSUN assistant coach under head coach Barbara Jordan from 2005-2007 when the Matadors won 61 games over a three-year period and earned an NCAA Regional berth in 2007. In 2025, under the tutelage of Cox, the pitching staff racked up 180 strikeouts on the year.

The 2026 CSUN team features 17 newcomers, with 11 transfers and six freshmen.

Key players returning to the Matadors are senior outfielder Raegan Jackson and senior infielder Jadyn Nielsen, both starters on the team that played in the Big West Championship last season. Other returners include Baylee Brand-Castilleja, Sheridan Gonzalez, Aleyna Urbina, Mackenzie Kila, and Maddie and Makenzi Padilla.

CSUN's schedule includes non-conference bouts with #22 Ole Miss, Boise State, Portland State, Saint Mary's, BYU, Seattle University, Utah, Oregon State, San Diego State, San Diego and #25 Washington. The Matadors will also host the California Bears at Matador Diamond on April 16.

CSUN will be on the road the first month of the season before their home opener at Matador Diamond on March 6 against UC Riverside.

The Matadors will also play an exhibition against Team Mexico on February 17.

"I'm excited to start the season with this group," said head coach Cox. "We have 17 new faces that have already made a big impact. We have the opportunity to play Team Mexico and be on the road quite a bit early on, so we will be tested. This team had a great fall and we are gelling together really well. We will be battle tested and ready for Big West play."

ABOUT SAINT MARY'S
The Gaels opened the season at 2-3 at the NorCal Kickoff in Sacramento this past week. They had wins against Colorado State and Cal Poly, while dropping games against Sacramento State twice and UC Davis.

Offensively, through the first five games, no Gael has had a bigger impact than senior Victoria Castillo. Castillo leads the team with a .417 average, a .533 on-base percentage, a 1.033 slugging percentage, five hits and three runs scored.

In the circle, Saint Mary's has a strong foursome rotation that includes veterans and newcomers that are looking to have a strong 2026 campaign. The team has veteran aces in Odhi Vasquez and Mia Nishikawa, but also newcomers including freshman Madeline Haun and sophomore Ella Thurman, all of whom were solid in the circle in the NorCal Kickoff. Overall, the Gaels have a 3.50 ERA to begin the season.

Head Coach Sonja Garnett brought in a signing class of six new student-athletes to join her program for the 2026 season. Perhaps the team's most impressive stat, Saint Mary's retained 21 of the 26 student-athletes who played last season with no players entering the transfer portal.

The Gaels are back-to-back WCC Champions and are looking for a three-peat this season.

Series History: CSUN is 12-3 all-time against Saint Mary's. The Gaels did take the last meeting between the two teams at the Mary Nutter Classic in 2025.