California State University Northridge Athletics
California State University at Northridge
Hawai'i
Matadors Set to Take On Rainbow Wahine in Final Big West Series Between Both Teams
3/26/2026 6:43:00 AM | Softball
HONOLULU, HI. --- The CSUN softball team (9-16, 5-4 Big West) is set to play the Hawai'i Rainbow Wahine (13-14, 5-4 Big West) in the last series both teams will play as members of the Big West, as the Rainbow Wahine will be a part of the Mountain West beginning next season. The series will open up on Friday with a game at Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium. First pitch is 9:00 p.m. PT. Then the teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. PT. The final game of the series will begin 30 minutes after game two.Â
ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Matadors won their second out of three Big West series to begin the season. CSUN won game one, 6-5, against the Cal Poly Mustangs last Friday with a pinch-hit walk-off single from Maddie Padilla. CSUN dropped game two of the double header by one run, 3-2.
CSUN took the rubber match, defeating Cal Poly 11-7 on Sunday afternoon. The Matadors were down 7-5 entering the bottom of the sixth and scored six runs in the inning to win the game by four. Madilyn Hernandez, Kylie Kolkowski and Raegan Jackson led the team with two RBIs. Kaitlyn Tso pitched six innings, including the final three outs in the seventh. Malia Williams earned the win, pitching the sixth and allowing no earned runs.
Raegan Jackson is one of the longest tenured Matadors on the team. She is a certified leader with her presence but also her play as well. After being named a 2025 All-Big West Honorable Mention, she has not lost a beat in her senior season in 2026. Jackson 28 out of the 25 games played so far and is currently third in the Big West in batting average at .412. She has 11 stolen bases in 11 chances including stealing three bags against Portland State on February 8, which was a career high.
MADISON OKANO - THE SPARKPLUG
"We go as Madison Okano goes,"said Interim Head Coach Jodie Cox after last week's series win against Cal Poly at Matador Diamond. CSUN had five outs to work with down two runs on Sunday and Okano came up clutch. She clobbered a pitch over the wall in left to cut the lead in half at 7-6. It sparked the Matador offense. CSUN would go one to score six runs in the inning to win the game 11-7. A junior transfer from Gilbert, Arizona, Okano played 20 games last season in her back yard at Arizona State. Okano was one of Coach Cox's biggest commits in the offseason and she has proven to be a force. She leads the team in homers at four. She is 20th in the Big West in batting average at .365 and sixteenth in the conference in OPS at .978.
ONE-TWO PUNCH IN THE CIRCLE
Williams and Tso have logged the majority of innings in the circle this season for the Matadors. Tso has pitched 84 and Williams has pitched 55 innings out of the total 160 innings played. Tso is leading the team in ERA at a 3.64 clip. Williams has a 6.24 ERA in 14 games started. This past series, both players threw their season high for innings in one game. Tso pitched eight innings in an extra-inning win against Cal Poly on Saturday, while Williams pitched all seven innings in a close 2-3 defeat against those same Mustangs.Â
ABOUT HAWAI'I
Hawai'i enters the series with some momentum after taking two of three games at Long Beach State last weekend. The Rainbow Wahine posted a dominant 10-0 run-rule victory and a 3-2 win to clinch the series. Hawai'i is tied with CSUN at 5-4 in Big West play and has shown flashes of good offense early in the campaign.
The 2026 season marks the first under head coach Panita Thanatharn, who took over the program following longtime coach Bob Coolen's retirement. Hawai'i has leaned into a balanced roster featuring experienced returners and four freshmen.
Like the Matadors, Hawai'i sports a one-two pitching attack in the circle. Hannah Pitts is 6-4 with a 2.79 ERA to lead the team, while Taryn Irimata is not far behind with a 4-7 record and a 3.12 ERA.
SERIES HISTORY
CSUN won its series against Hawai'i two games to one in 2025. The last time both teams squared off in Honolulu, the Rainbow Wahine swept the Matadors. All-time, Hawai'i has the lead on the series by a narrow margin, 21-18.
