By Long Beach State softball enters the Stacy Winsberg Invitational this weekend at home where it will take on Fresno State, Oregon State and Boise State in its second week of play. The 49ers kicked off the season last week where they saw three wins against Southern Utah, Seton Hall and Utah Valley. Despite losing two games, each loss was decided by one run against North Dakota and UNLV.
“Our team is huge on energy right now,” junior pitcher Devyn Magnett said. “We are really coming together as team, we’re working hard.”
Long Beach’s (3-2) first opponent of the weekend, Fresno State, enters the tournament with a 3-2 record, with its two losses coming from No. 2 UCLA and Hawai’i. The Bulldogs’ offensive efforts so far are led by junior designated player Hayleigh Galvan, who collected nine RBIs in the Hawaii Paradise Classic in which they competed in five games.
Long Beach is up for a challenge in its second match Saturday, where it will take on No.19 Oregon State, which currently holds a 5-0 record after blowing through all five opponents in the Kajikawa classic. The Beavers’ pitching rotation includes junior Nerissa Eason, sophomore Mariah Mazon and senior Meehra Nelson, a combination that has shut down opponents’ offensive abilities. Batters to look out for are freshman infielder Frankie Hammoude and sophomore utility Missy Nunes who each slugged three home runs and collected a combined 19 RBI’s in the first five games of the season.
“Team chemistry is a huge deal, and it is something that we are incorporating this year more than we would have seven or eight years ago,” head coach Kim Sowder said. “Right now we are focusing on the ‘R-factor,’ which is how we respond to everything that comes our way this season.”
Out of the three opponents, Boise State has seen the least games so far with four. It currently holds a 2-2 record, in which it run-ruled Boston college 8-0 in five innings and clinched a 2-1 win against Northwestern State. Junior pitcher Kelsey Broadus allowed only one hit in the six innings while junior utility Bradie Fillmore drove in a two-run homer.
The 49ers have had a strong start on the offensive end with sophomore catcher Justine Briones holding a .500 batting average and senior utility Jamie Wren racking up 13 RBI’s. The players on the mound are putting in work as well, with Magnett holding an ERA of 1.58 while striking out seven opponents, junior Ashley Coleman earning a 3.82 ERA and striking out 4, and junior Kellie White having a 5.25 ERA and striking out 15. Senior infielder Nichole Fry is currently day to day with an ankle sprain. Although it is early in the season, the team has quickly connected and built the chemistry it needs to take its play to the next level.
“I think we are mentally strong right now. Our hearts in the game and our heads in the game,” Magnett said. “We definitely have a lot of chemistry this year.”
