{"id":280691,"date":"2026-04-22T19:16:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/280691\/"},"modified":"2026-04-22T19:16:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T19:16:27","slug":"softball-heads-to-fullerton-for-rivalry-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/280691\/","title":{"rendered":"Softball Heads To Fullerton For Rivalry Series"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONG BEACH, Calif. —\u00a0A classic Big West rivalry takes center stage this week as Long Beach State faces Cal State Fullerton on the road. Saturday’s first game will take the national spotlight on ESPNU, while the first and third games will be broadcast live on ESPN+. The series begins on Friday evening at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton at 6 p.m.
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\nLEADING OFF
\n\u2022 The clash, as usual, pits two of the top teams in the conference against each other. Both teams have already clinched a spot in the conference tournament, with the Titans on top of the standings while the Beach are in third while currently on a six-game conference winning streak. Either Long Beach State or Cal State Fullerton has won the Big West regular season title dating back to 2015.\u00a0
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\n\u2022 Elissa Guerrero<\/a> had multiple hits in three of four games, and is on a six-game hitting streak that was capped by a solo home run in the ninth inning to close out a sweep of Cal Poly on the road. Guerrero is now hitting .417 in Big West play, and was named the Big West Freshman of the Week, marking the fourth time LBSU has won that award this season.
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\n\u2022 Six different players have won weekly awards for the Beach, with freshman infielder Nina Sepulveda<\/a> and senior pitcher Isabella Alonso<\/a> both earning multiple awards this season.
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\n\u2022 Long Beach State grabbed the national spotlight at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, stunning No. 4 Oklahoma behind a three-run homer from Lina Apodaca<\/a> and strong pitching from Lindsey Cowans<\/a> and Audrey Lopetegui<\/a>.
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\n\u2022 The Beach went 4-1 at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, the best record of the four teams in Mexico. The Beach was led by tournament MVP Nina Sepulveda<\/a> along with All-Tournament Team selections Isabella Alonso<\/a> and Avery Weisbrook<\/a>.
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\n\u2022 As a team, Long Beach State is hitting .311 with a consistent lineup providing solid offense for the Beach. Five regulars are hitting over .340, led by Lina Apodaca<\/a> at .391 and joined by Priscilla Iniguez<\/a>, Nina Sepulveda<\/a>, Avery Weisbrook<\/a> and Brooklyn Lee<\/a>.
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\n\u2022 Apodaca is leading the Big West in both hits and doubles this season, ranking in the nation’s leaders in both categories.
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\n\u2022 Long Beach State welcomed the return on March 13 of two key juniors, catcher Brooklyn Lee<\/a> and pitcher Kate Barnett<\/a>, but also suffered the loss of junior outfielder Malayna Terrones<\/a> with a torn ACL. Terrones was hitting .353 for the Beach but will miss the rest of the season.
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\n\u2022 The 2026 season marks the first under new head coach Kendall Fearn<\/a>. Fearn becomes just the fifth coach in the program’s 45-year history, assuming the leadership role following the retirement of Kim Sowder at the conclusion of the 2025 campaign, her 19th in charge of the program.
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\n\u2022 Fearn comes to Long Beach State following a successful stint at San Diego State as the lead assistant for the Aztecs, seeing the team to three straight NCAA tournament appearances that included a run to the 2023 Super Regionals in her three seasons in San Diego. Fearn also had previous stops at Indiana and Marshall following a standout career as an infielder at UNLV under former Long Beach State coach Pete Manarino.
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\nPLAYER NOTES
\n\u2022 Avery Weisbrook<\/a> is putting up a claim as one of the top players in the Big West. Weisbrook is now batting .379 on the year, starting every game at shortstop and slugging .561 with 35 runs scored. In addition to being one of the top hitters on the team and in the Big West, Weisbrook has been busy in the field, and currently leads the nation in assists per game with 131 this season.
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\n\u2022 Sophomore Priscilla Iniguez<\/a> had a strong first season at the Beach, also earning Honorable Mention All-Big West honors as well as being chosen for the Big West All-Freshman Team after hitting five home runs. Picking up where she left off, Iniguez reached safely in her first 26 games of the season, has a pair of seven-game hitting streaks and is batting .356 with a team-high four home runs.
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\n\u2022 Anchoring the leadoff position, sophomore Lina Apodaca<\/a> is another returner for Long Beach State. Apodaca is now batting .391 with a team high 61 hits and 15 doubles. She hit a critical 3-run home run to help Long Beach State defeat No. 4 Oklahoma. In conference play, Apodaca is hitting .466 and is leading the league in hits as well as doubles.
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\n\u2022 Freshman Nina Sepulveda<\/a> is making an early case for Big West Freshman Player of the Year. Starting all 44 games for Long Beach State, Sepulveda is batting .346 with three home runs and a league-high 43 RBI, earning MVP honors at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge and three Big West Freshman of the Week awards as well as a Field Player of the Week selection in her first season.
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\n\u2022 Junior Brooklyn Lee<\/a> earned Honorable Mention All-Big West selection in 2025 but missed the first 24 games of the season with injury. She has hit the ground running though, hitting .344 while starting 20 straight games, hitting six doubles while splitting time between DP and catcher.
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\n\u2022 Catcher Audree Mendoza<\/a> has seen nearly every pitch of the season behind the plate for Long Beach State. A transfer from Penn State, Mendoza excelled during the 2024 season before sitting out last year. Making an impact at the Beach, Mendoza has thrown out seven runners and is hitting .246 on the year with nine doubles.
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\n\u2022 Freshman Elissa Guerrero<\/a> is now batting .347 in the season, with her bat forcing her way into the lineup. Starting all four games last week, Guerrero hit .467 including three multi-hit games before hitting the gamewinning home run against Cal Poly, earning Big West Freshman of the Week honors.
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\n\u2022 Under Fearn and pitching coach Shelby Miller<\/a>, the Beach is using all of their pitchers collectively, and as a staff the team has three combined shutouts and six saves, with just three outings of five innings or longer throughout the season.
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\n\u2022 Familiar to fans of the Big West is a veteran pitcher, Isabella Alonso<\/a>. Alonso pitched for three seasons with conference rival CSUN.This year with the Beach, Alonso is 12-4 with a 2.78 ERA, leading the team with 103.1 innings pitched with 34 strikeouts. The senior ranks in the Top 10 in the Big West in wins, innings pitched and ERA.
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\n\u2022 Returning to the pitching staff is graduate Lindsey Cowans<\/a>. Cowans had a successful career at LIU and threw 26.0 innings last season for the Beach. In a bigger role this season, Cowans has made 24 appearances this year with a 3-2 record, pitching 53.1 total innings, including a start and a save against No. 4 Oklahoma.
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\n\u2022 Jailynn Banda<\/a> made 12 appearances in the circle for St. John’s one season ago as a true freshman with a 3.46 ERA, and returns to Southern California for her sophomore season coming from Norwalk High School. Banda had a standout performance against Southern Illinois, striking out 5 in 4.0 innings of scoreless relief with just two hits. Banda is second on the team in strikeouts with 30 and third in innings pitched, now with 46.2 on the season.
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\n\u2022 Returning as an All-Big West selection, earning Honorable Mention All-Big West honors as a sophomore after All-Freshman team recognition in 2024 is junior Kate Barnett<\/a>. Over the last two seasons, Barnett has posted a 13-8 overall record with a 3.46 ERA, consistently playing a major role with the Long Beach State pitching staff. Barnett missed the first 24 games of the season but made her first appearance in a start at UC Riverside and earned Big West Pitcher of the Week honors after a win and a save on the road at UC San Diego. She now is 4-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 32.1 innings pitched.
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\n\u2022 Two freshmen have also played a role in the circle. Pricilla Ramirez<\/a> has a 2.66 ERA over 29.0 innings pitched with 23 total strikeouts, while Audrey Lopegui recorded three saves in the early part of the year for Long Beach State.
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