CHICO – The Chico State softball team celebrated senior day as they closed the 2024 season at home against the Cougars.
The Wildcats close out the season at 13-29 overall, 12-24 in the CCAA.
Tayler Berens and Katelyn Oldwin were the duo of seniors the team celebrated; both 'Cats joined the program in 2022 and have given so much to the team. They were members of the 2022 squad that fought through the NCAA Regionals, beating Cal State Dominguez Hills and APU to advance to the regional finals; also, part of the 2023 team that defied all odds and clawed their way as a 6th seed in the CCAA tournament to make it to the championship game against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Berens concludes her senior season batting .313 with 45 hits and 14 runs across the plate. She has three triples, five doubles, a single home run, and has batted in 17 runs.
Oldwin, from the circle in her final season, had a 2.62 ERA, five wins, three saves, and retired 89 batters. She tallied 11 hits on 41 at-bats and 4 RBIs as a designated hitter. She finishes her season with the sixth most strikeouts in the CCAA and the eighth-lowest ERA.
The Wildcats dropped their final two games to a solid, experienced Cougars team. With no lack of hits from the Wildcats, they connected for 21 hits across Saturday's doubleheader.
Three results in the series were separated by a single run, showing the resilience and grit of the 'Cats, the experience of the Cougars side able to edge away in the end.
In the day's opening game, Berens went 3-for-5 at the plate, with 2 RBIs. Mia Santos went 3-for-3 in the second spot on the lineup, driving in a pair of runs herself and outpacing the throw to first base from the shortstop on her third hit—Santos, a sophomore, will bring her speed and ability to get on base to the squad in the next season.
Brianna Swihart, Gracie Dunning, and Ali Lewis nabbed a pair of hits in the series' third game. The issue the 'Cats ran into was filling the bases and then leaving runners stranded in scoring positions.
Sophia Tassinari and Oldwin had a share of the circle in game one, retiring four and walking two. Amelie Valdez started the series finale, retiring three Cougars and only walking a single batter.
Dunning continued her impressive day, managing a 2-for-2 season finale with an RBI. Berens concluded her career with the 'Cats with a single to left field.
