SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State softball team returns home this weekend. The Aztecs, who have played at home just three times this season, with two of those coming on Opening Day on Feb. 6, will more than double that total in a two-day span on Friday and Saturday.
SDSU (13-8) opens the weekend with a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount (8-14) on Friday. The first game will start at 3:30 p.m. with the second game set to begin shortly afterwards. On Saturday, the Aztecs will face Sacramento State (12-8) at noon before wrapping up the day against the No. 6/6 UCLA Bruins (18-4), slated to start around 5 p.m.
The Aztecs hold a 23-4 lead in the all-time series against the Lions. Since 2020, San Diego State is 4-1 with a run differential of +10. SDSU won 6-4 and 8-5 when the teams played as part of last year’s Campbell/Cartier Classic.
SDSU is just 8-22 against Sacramento State all-time but has fared well in more recent years. The teams haven’t played since 2011 but the Aztecs emerged victorious from the four meetings since 2002 by a combined score of 26-10.
Against UCLA, Stacey Nuveman Deniz’s alma mater, San Diego State is just 2-69. Both wins came prior to 1980.
Last week, the Aztecs beat CBU 6-2 on Tuesday to improve to 13-3. The weekend did not go as well as SDSU dropped all five of its games, three by one run, in the Judi Garman Classic.
Cece Cellura had a 0.97 ERA in 21.2 innings last week for the Aztecs. She has pitched well this season (3.20 ERA, 32 Ks, 10.67 K:BB, 1.19 WHIP, 50.1 IP) as have Grace Uribe (3.44 ERA, 29 Ks, 29.1 IP) and freshman Ava Schaffel (0.90 ERA, 15 Ks, 23.1 IP), who began her career with 18.1 scoreless innings.
Cali Decker (1.210 OPS, .533 OBP, .468 BA, 16 RBI, 9 R, 2 HR, 7 2B) reached base multiple times in every game last week, homering twice and finishing the week with a 1.652 OPS. Shannon Cunningham (.892 OPS, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 8 R, 6 2B), Jazmin Williams (.821 OPS, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 15 R, 7 2B, 1 3B), Uribe (.950 OPS, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, 4 2B), Bella Espinoza (.717 OPS, .375 OBP, 5 RBI, 15 R, 11 SB, 2 2B) and Angie Yellen (.870 OPS, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 13 R, 1 3B) have also contributed significantly at the dish. Defensively, Quinn Waiki has been making flashy plays all season long.