Aztec Softball to Open 2026 Campaign This Weekend

The San Diego State softball team enters its fifth season under head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz, a span in which it has won five conference titles, this weekend when it plays four games as part of the SDSU Season Kickoff tournament.

The Aztecs are welcoming Minnesota, Loyola Chicago, Miami (Ohio) and Kentucky to town for the tournament, which runs from Friday-Sunday. San Diego State plays twice on Friday, facing Minnesota at 4:30 p.m. and Loyola Chicago at 7 p.m. SDSU plays twice more on Saturday, against Miami (Ohio) at 2 p.m. and Kentucky at 7 p.m. All four SDSU games will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.

A year ago, San Diego State finished 38-19 including a 16-6 record in conference play, the second-best mark in the league. The Aztecs hosted the conference tournament, winning four straight games following a loss to earn their third MW Tournament title in the three years since the tournament was brought back following a 16-year hiatus. SDSU advanced to its fourth consecutive NCAA Regional, highlighted by knocking off second-seeded Arizona State 3-2 in the opening game due to back-to-back home runs by Grace Uribe and Gabriella Terrones in the seventh inning.

Last week, SDSU was picked to finish third in the Mountain West, the 24th time in the last 25 years that the Aztecs were picked in the top three, in a preseason poll voted on by the league’s ten coaches. Additionally, Lala Macario (.465, .511 OBP, 6 SB), Julie Holcomb (.370, 17 RBI, 21 R, 3 3B, 12 SB) and reigning Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year Quinn Waiki (.279, 20 RBI, 20 R, 4 HR, 5 2B, 8 SB) were named to the Mountain West Preseason All-Conference Team.

Other returning starters for SDSU include Angie Yellen (.294, 23 RBI, 24 R, 6 2B), Jade Ignacio (.286, 14 RBI, 19 R, 12 2B) and Shannon Cunningham (.261, 8 HR, 36 RBI, 24 R, 11 2B).

Following an 8-1 win over CSUN to open the 2025 campaign, the Aztecs have won 25 of 29 season openers since 1996, outscoring the opposition 6.1-2.1 in the wins. The Aztecs haven’t lost an opener since 2012 when facing an unranked opponent while going 8-2 in season openers played on The Mesa.

The Aztecs added Madilyn “Bubba” Nickles-Camarena and Grace French to the coaching staff this offseason after losing new Long Beach State head coach Kendall Fearn and Bryce Te Kulve.