SAN DIEGO – The San Diego State softball team hits the road for the first time this season to play five games in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif.
The Aztecs have their work cut out for them, starting off the weekend against No. 5/4 Oklahoma on Thursday night. Following games against UC Riverside and Saint Mary’s on Friday, the Scarlet and Black will play Seattle U on Saturday morning before an afternoon game against No. 2/2 Texas Tech. All five games will be streamed on FloCollege to paid subscribers.
The Aztecs have previously played all five teams they will face this weekend. SDSU is 1-13 when facing Oklahoma. The win came by a 4-1 score on March 20, 2001. On Opening Day last season, the Aztecs took the four-time defending national champions to nine innings but ultimately fell 11-6. San Diego State is 17-6 against UC Riverside, with a 2-0 record against the Highlanders under Stacey Nuveman Deniz. Last year, the Scarlet and Black won 4-1 on February 22 in the Mary Nutter. SDSU also played Saint Mary’s in the Mary Nutter last season, winning 6-5 on February 23. The Aztecs are 9-1 since 2005 and 21-4 all-time against the Gaels. San Diego State has only played Seattle U once, a 7-2 win on February 8, 2024, as part of the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona. SDSU trails 7-8 in the all-time series with Texas Tech but has won three of the teams’ last three matchups, coming between the 2013 and 2019 campaigns.
Last week, SDSU went 5-1 in the Campbell/Cartier Classic with walk-off wins over Baylor, Fordham and Oregon State as well as additional wins over North Dakota and Oregon State. Catcher Jade Ignacio was named the MW Player of the Week for the second straight week after hitting .458 with a .980 with seven RBIs and five runs scored. Transfer Key-annah Pu’a earned MW Pitcher of the Week honors after pitching 11.2 innings with a 0.60 ERA and 6 Ks.
Other top performers for SDSU include Olivia Gigante (.310, 1.084 OPS, 3 HR, 9 RBI) and Jazmin Williams (.382, .888 OPS, 6 R). In the circle, Matti Kwarta (16.0 IP, 4-1, 2.19 ERA, 13 K) and Ava Schaffel (11.1 IP, 2.47 ERA, 9 K) have led the pitching staff.