CSUN Travels to LMU for Non-Conference Bout with Lions

GAME NOTES
LOS ANGELES, Calif. --- The CSUN softball team is set for a road non-conference game against the Loyola Marymount Lions tomorrow at Smith Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

LAST TIME OUT
The Matadors got swept in a three-game series by the Cal State Fullerton Titans last weekend at Matador Diamond. On Friday, CSUN dropped the first game of a doubleheader 11-1 in five innings, before falling 7-0 in game two.

CSUN also dropped the final game of the series, 13-1 in five innings as well. Mackenzie Kila drove in both runs in the series. Madison Okano scored her team-leading 23rd run of the season in game one.

RAEGAN TAKING ON HER ROLE AS THE LEADER
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 has 30 hits in the 32 games played so far and is currently 17th in the Big West in batting average at .357. She has 12 stolen bases in 12 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 the last series win against Cal Poly at Matador Diamond. CSUN had five outs to work with, down two runs on Sunday, March 22 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 on to score six runs in the inning to win the game 11-7. A junior transfer from Gilbert, Ariz., Okano played 20 games last season in her backyard 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 second on the team in batting average at .333 and third on the team in OPS at .881.

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 94.1 and Williams has pitched 71.2 innings out of the total 201 innings played. Tso is leading the team in ERA at a 4.82 clip. Williams has a 5.67 ERA in 17 games started. In the series win over Cal Poly three weeks ago, both players threw their season high for innings in one game. Tso pitched eight innings in an extra-inning win against Cal Poly on March 21, while Williams pitched all seven innings in a close 3-2 defeat against those same Mustangs.

SCOUTING LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
LMU enters Wednesday's game with a 24-15 overall record and 2-4 record in WCC play. The Lions have two big bats that power their lineup. Senior Avery Francis leads the team with a .423 average. Behind her is junior Justine Lambert who is batting .417. Both players have played in all 39 games. The team is coming off an offensive outburst after putting up 11 runs against the University of San Diego last time out.

Perhaps the biggest strength of the Lions however, is their pitching. Sara Pinedo and Jessie Gilbert are ranked one and two in the WCC in ERA. Pinedo's 2.11 earned run average is tops on her team and in the league. She is 6-0 with 41 strikeouts on the season. Gilbert is right behind her with a 2.21 ERA in 50 innings pitched. The workhorse of the staff though is senior Lindsay O'Dell who has a 2.84 ERA with six complete games and 65 strikeouts on the season. She is 12-8 in 31 games played.

SERIES HISTORY
LMU is 9-6 all-time against the Matadors. CSUN did win its last game against the Lions, 4-0 on April 3, 2023 at Matador Diamond.

CSUN Travels to LMU for Non-Conference Bout with Lions

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Raegan Jackson

Mackenzie Kila

Madison Okano

California State University Northridge Athletics