The Chico State softball team finally got back on the field last weekend, and while the Wildcats displayed a little of the rust you'd expect from not getting to play competitively for nearly two weeks, the Wildcats were still productive enough to win three out of four against Stanislaus State. This week the 'Cats hit the road, squaring off against Cal State San Bernardino in a four-game series important to boosting both team's postseason aspirations. The action gets underway Friday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m., followed by a Saturday twin bill scheduled to start at 11 a.m.
Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats and live streaming video, with links located on the Wildcat Athletics homepage and the softball schedule page. Accessing the live video stream requires a monthly subscription fee that grants users access to every CCAA event on the network, home and away.
Chico State enters the weekend with an overall record of 11-9, and is tied with Cal State San Bernardino for fifth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings with a 6-6 conference mark. The Wildcats have won four of their last six decisions heading into the series.
The Coyotes are 14-15 on the season, and thanks to successfully avoiding the recent bad weather, have played all their scheduled conference games and are 10-10 in CCAA play. San Bernardino has won three of its last six contests, including a four-game road series split last weekend against Cal State East Bay.
Chico State currently ranks third in the CCAA in stolen bases, swiping 36 bags on the season. Grace Gallagher, who has hit safely in all but three of the 'Cats' 20 games, is batting .367 and sits just outside the CCAA top 10 batting leaders. Right behind Gallagher is Tayler Berens, whose big weekend against Stanislaus State raised her batting average to .357 on the year. Berens ranks seventh in the CCAA in on-base percentage (.471).
The Wildcats' pitching staff is fourth among the 10 conference teams with a 2.19 earned run average, while holding opposing hitters to a CCAA-best .216 batting average. Amelie Valdez continues to be the 'Cats' top hurler, sporting a 6-3 record and leading all conference pitchers in opposing batting average (.173). Valdez also ranks among the CCAA leaders in wins, complete games (5), shutouts (3), and strikeouts (44).
Cal State San Bernardino is hitting .270 as a team and is third in the CCAA with 53 extra-base hits. The Coyotes are led by one of the conference's best hitters, Tereise Tosi—the sophomore infielder leads the CCAA in hits (40), ranks second in batting (.435) and runs batted in (18), and is tied for the conference home run lead with four round trippers on the season.
The San Bernardino pitching staff owns a 3.38 team ERA and has surrendered a conference-high 12 home runs on the season. Samantha Vargas is the Coyotes' go-to arm in the pitcher's circle—the junior lefthander is 9-8 on the year with a 2.81 ERA, leads the CCAA with four shutouts, and ranks second among conference pitchers in strikeouts (63) and third in complete games (10).
The last time the two teams met, Chico State swept a four-game series February 25–26, 2022 at University Softball Field. The Wildcats have won 11 of the last 12 contests with Cal State San Bernardino dating back to 2017, and lead the all-time series with the Coyotes 53-45.
