CSUN Softball Opens Season at Easton Classic Hosted by Fullerton

Friday, February 6

Fullerton, Calif

11:00 a.m.

California State University at Northridge

Ole Miss

Photo by: Chuck Marvel

CSUN Softball Opens Season at Easton Classic Hosted by Fullerton

2/5/2026 12:21:00 PM | Softball

GAME NOTES
FULLERTON, Calif. --- The 2026 CSUN Softball season officially gets underway on Friday when the Matadors take on #22 Ole Miss and Portland State on the first day of the Easton Classic at Anderson Family Field. The Matadors will take on Boise State as well as face both Ole Miss and Portland State once more over the following two days to begin the season. First pitch against the Rebels on Friday will be at 11 a.m. The second game of the day against the Vikings will commence at 2:30 p.m.

On Saturday, CSUN will play its second game against the Rebels at 10:00 a.m. Then, the Matadors will play against Boise State at 12:30 p.m.

Sunday, CSUN will only play one contest to round out the tournament, this time ~~another game~~ against Portland State with first pitch at 10:00 a.m.

All games at the Easton Classic will have live stats with links available at GoMatadors.com, but all CSUN games at the tournament will not be streamed.

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 freshman.

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 #22 OLE MISS
The Ole Miss Rebels finished the 2025 season with a 42-21 overall record and a 11-13 record in conference play. In neutral site games (which will be the case this weekend), Ole Miss went 18-5. Ole Miss fell to #3 Texas in the SEC Tournament finals but earned an at-large bid and advanced to the NCAA Tucson Regional. In the Tucson Regional, Ole Miss went 3-1, defeating #12 Arizona twice.

After the Tucson Regional, Ole Miss competed in the NCAA Fayetteville Super Regional, where it defeated #4 Arkansas in two out of three games, as the Rebels advanced to their first-ever College World Series. In the College World Series, Ole Miss dropped both of its games to #12 Texas Tech and #16 Oregon.

As a team, the Rebels batted .302 in 2025 and had an OPS of .875. They had 67 home runs at the plate. Pitching wise, Ole Miss only gave up 192 earned runs in 422 innings played.

Overall, the 2026 roster features 16 newcomers, this time in the form of 10 transfers and six freshmen.

Series History: CSUN has only played Ole Miss once in its history. CSUN won its lone matchup in 2004 by a score of 6-2.

ABOUT PORTLAND STATE
The Vikings had a subpar 2025 season, finishing with a 12-39 record and 5-9 in conference play. In neutral site games, PSU was 3-15 in 2025. PSU was picked fifth out of six teams in the Big Sky conference preseason poll. Senior Sherreigh Nakoa-Chung is PSU's best player. She was named to the preseason All Big-Sky team after batting .313 last season, which led the team.

In the circle, PSU had a 6.07 overall ERA while giving up 46 home runs in the process.

Series History: CSUN leads its lifetime series with Portland State, 13-3. CSUN has won five in a row, including two wins in a doubleheader in 2024.

ABOUT BOISE STATE
Boise State finished the 2025 season with a 34-22 overall record and a 11-11 record in conference along with a 13-7 record in neutral site games. Boise State fell in the second round of the Mountain West Tournament to San Diego State in 2025.

Last season, as a team, Boise State batted .345 with a 1.015 OPS. The Broncos had 84 home runs while slugging .576. They amassed 887 total bases as a team in 2025.

In the circle, Boise State gave up 247 runs in 353 innings pitched while maintaining a WHIP of 1.77.

The Broncos feature several named to the Softball America Preseason Freshmen Watch List, which include pitchers Kodi Crabtree, Charley Duran and Loula-Rae McNamara, outfielder Grace Peffley and utility player Kaitlyn Galasso.