{"id":292668,"date":"2026-04-30T05:44:29","date_gmt":"2026-04-30T05:44:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/292668\/"},"modified":"2026-04-30T05:44:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-30T05:44:29","slug":"softball-hosts-csun-for-senior-weekend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/292668\/","title":{"rendered":"Softball Hosts CSUN For Senior Weekend"},"content":{"rendered":"

LONG BEACH, Calif. —\u00a0Long Beach State closes the 2026 regular season with a three-game home series against CSUN. All three games will be broadcast live on ESPN+, and the Beach will honor their two departing seniors following the doubleheader on Saturday for Senior Day.
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\nLEADING OFF
\n\u2022 The Beach will bid farewell to two pitchers, honoring Isabella Alonso<\/a> and Lindsey Cowans<\/a>, as the pair lead the team in innings pitched, throwing 54% of the team’s total innings this season.
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\n\u2022 Long Beach State has secured their place in the upcoming Big West Championship, which will be held starting on Wednesday, May 6 at Anderson Family Field hosted by Cal State Fullerton. CSUN is currently on the outside looking in, tied for seventh place with Cal State Bakersfield and needing to catch UC San Diego for the sixth and final spot in the tournament.
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\n\u2022 True freshman Elissa Guerrero<\/a> is riding a nine-game hitting streak, and hit two home runs with 6 RBI as part of the last series for the Beach against Cal State Fullerton. Lina Apodaca<\/a> also had a strong weekend against the Titans, hitting three doubles to tie the program record of 18 doubles with Naomi Henrnadez and Jennifer Griffin.
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\n\u2022 Guerrero is now hitting .441 in Big West play with four home runs. One of those came as the game-winner in extra innings to close out a sweep of Cal Poly on the road, earning Big West Freshman of the Week honors. It was 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 .308 with a consistent lineup providing solid offense for the Beach. Six regulars are hitting over .300, led by Lina Apodaca<\/a> at .392 and joined by Priscilla Iniguez<\/a>, Nina Sepulveda<\/a>, Avery Weisbrook<\/a>, Elissa Guerero 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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\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 .371 on the year and has started every game at shortstop while slugging .543 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 is in the top five in the nation in assists with 141 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 .345 with five home runs, tied for the team lead.
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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 .392 with a team high 65 hits and 18 doubles, tied for the program single season record. She hit a critical 3-run home run to help Long Beach State defeat No. 4 Oklahoma. In conference play, Apodaca is hitting .458 and is leading the league in doubles while ranking in the top five in batting average, hits and runs scored.
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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 46 games for Long Beach State, Sepulveda is batting .345 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 .324 while starting 23 straight games, hitting seven doubles while splitting time between DP and catcher.
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\n\u2022 Catcher Audree Mendoza<\/a> has seen action around the field as a key member of the team. Catching every pitch until the return of Lee, the Penn State transfer threw out seven base-runners but has since showed her versatility by playing more in the outfield in recent weeks. Mendoza is hitting .252 on the year with 10 doubles and 23 RBI.
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\n\u2022 Freshman Elissa Guerrero<\/a> is now batting .373 in the season, with her bat forcing her way into the lineup. As part of her current hitting streak, 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 and April 20 before hitting two more home runs at Cal State Fullerton, now sharing the team lead.
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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 12-5 with a 2.97 ERA, leading the team with 108.1 innings pitched with 36 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 26 appearances this year with a 3-3 record, pitching 58.2 total innings, including a start and a save against No. 4 Oklahoma. Cowans is second on the team in innings pitched.
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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 48.2 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 4-5 with a 3.05 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched.
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\n\u2022 Two freshmen have also played a role in the circle. Pricilla Ramirez<\/a> has a 2.63 ERA over 29.1 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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