SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State softball team returns to action this weekend with a home-and-home series against California Baptist. The Aztecs (6-3) and Lancers (5-10) first play a doubleheader in Riverside at 4 p.m. PT Friday before a single game at SDSU Softball Stadium on Saturday (1 p.m. PT).
SDSU went 1-3 last week against top 5 teams UCLA (then No. 1/1) and Washington (then No. 5/6) with its lone win coming in a 4-0 shutout over UW in the nightcap of a Friday doubleheader. San Diego State is 5-0 against unranked teams this season.
Taylor Adams leads the Aztecs offensively with a .400 average (8-for-20) to go along with a home run, four RBIs, six runs, a double and two walks. Shelby Thompson is hitting .292 (7-for-24) with two RBIs, five runs, a double and a walk, while Alexa Schultz (3 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 2B, 3B), Danielle Romanello (2 RBI, 3 R, 3 2B) and Jillian Celis (4 RBI, R, 1 2B) are each batting .261. Jessica Cordola is also 4-for-9 (.444) with two RBIs, a run and a triple in limited plate appearances.
The SDSU pitching staff, meanwhile, has combined for a 3.38 ERA with four shutouts in its six wins. Maggie Balint (3-2, 3.55 ERA, 25.2 IP, 18 K, 11 BB, .258 opp. avg.), Karina Faasisila (2-0, 3.77 ERA, 13.0 IP, 10 K, 4 BB, .255 avg.) and Hannah Johnson (1-1, 3.82 ERA, 14.2 IP, 7 K, 0 BB) have done the bulk of the pitching for San Diego State, while Marissa Moreno has a 1.05 ERA in 6 2/3 innings of work.
California Baptist comes into the weekend with a .248 average and seven home runs in 15 games. Abby Robertson (.342, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 5 R, 7 BB), Ashley McBay (.321, 4 RBI, 11 R, 5 SB), Brittany Galvez (.306, 8 RBI, 2 R, 6 2B) and former Aztec Makayla Jordan (.302, 7 RBI, 8 R, 9 BB) are all hitting over .300. Alyssa Argomaniz (1-2, 3.86 ERA, 16.1 IP, 4 K, 6 BB), Giana Lopez (0-5, 4.28 ERA, 36.0 IP, 14 K, 9 BB) and Kerisa Viramontes (4-3, 5.17 ERA, 42.0 IP, 37 K, 32 BB) pace a pitching staff that has combined for a 4.30 team ERA.
Surprisingly, the Aztecs and Lancers have only played twice before with SDSU winning at home, 2-1, on April 23, 2019 and falling, 1-0, in eight innings in Riverside on Feb. 26, 2020.
Following the weekend series, San Diego State wraps up its non-conference slate with five games next week. The Aztecs first play a doubleheader at Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday, March 10 (3 and 5:30 p.m. PT) before hosting Saint Mary's on Saturday, March 13 (1 and 3:30 p.m. PT) and Sunday, March 14 (11 a.m. PT).