SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos softball team will play seven games in four days to begin the 2025 season. For the fifth consecutive season, CSUSM will open its season at the Concordia University Irvine Kickoff Classic on Jan. 31 - Feb. 2 before hosting Hawaii Pacific at home on Monday in a doubleheader. The Cougars will face Chaminade and Hawaii Hilo on Friday before taking on No. 18 Northwest Nazarene and Western Oregon on Saturday. CSUSM will conclude the tournament on Sunday against Colorado Christian.

LAST SEASON

• The Cougars made their third consecutive trip to the NCAA West Regionals, falling to eventual NCAA Division II Runner-Up Western Washington. 
• On its home field, CSUSM captured the program's first-ever CCAA Tournament Title.  The Cougars recorded a 5-2 victory over Cal State Dominguez Hills before taking two of three from Cal State East Bay to collect the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. 
• CSUSM was crowned the NCAA Division II statistical leader with 38 double plays in 2024, six more than second-place Colorado Mesa. 
• All seven first or second-team all-conference selections return for the Cougars, including CCAA Tournament MVP and CCAA Pitcher of the Year Jayline Sloss (19-9, 1.32 ERA, 1.06 WHIP). Aneesa Arredondo (SS), Jillian Albayati (3B), Savannah Coyle (UT/P), Paige Donnelly (1B), Delaney Prater (OF), and Madison Waymire (INF/OF) will also be back after collecting All-CCAA honors in 2024.
• The core of this Cougars' team has been playing together since their freshman season and has posted a 115-57 (.669 win%) record in that span.
• CSUSM tallied a CCAA-high 58 sacrifice bunts, ranking 12th in NCAA Division II. 
• The Cougars also led the conference in walks (147), sacrifice flies (16), runs (281), ERA (2.35) and doubles (72). 
• Paige Donnelly and Waymire ranked first and third in doubles in the CCAA last season with 17 and 15, respectively. 
• Savannah Coyle tallied a CCAA-best five saves in 2024, ranking sixth in the nation. 
• Jillian Albayati was the 10th-toughest batter to strike out in the CCAA last year, averaging one strikeout in 16.4 innings. 

 
2024 CCAA SOFTBALL PRESEASON WATCHLIST

• Eight Cougars were named to the 2024 CCAA Softball Preseason Watchlist: Jillian Albayati, Aneesa Arredondo, Savannah Coyle, Paige Donnelly, Mackenzie Kestler, Delaney Prater, Jayline Sloss and Madison Waymire. 
• CSUSM had the most student-athletes featured on the list with eight, followed by Cal State East Bay (5), Cal State San Bernardino (4), San Francisco State (3) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (2). Cal Poly Humboldt, Sonoma State and Cal State Monterey Bay each had one. 

2025 OUTLOOK

• CSUSM was picked to finish first in the 2025 CCAA Preseason Softball Coaches Poll. 
• The Cougars' roster of 26 consists of 17 returners, one transfer and eight freshman. 
• Athletically, the Cougars are made up of four redshirt seniors, six seniors, three juniors, five sophmores and eight freshman. 
• The Cougars' 53-game schedule includes 28 home contests and 25 road games.

CUI KICKOFF CLASSIC

• The Cougars will open the tournament on Friday, taking on Chaminade at 11 a.m. before facing Hawaii Hilo at 4 p.m.
• CSUSM is 3-0 in the all-time series against Chaminade with its latest win over the Silverswords, a 3-2 victory in the 2024 season opener. 
• Entering Friday's game with a tied all-time series record of 1-1, CSUSM walked away with a deciding 7-1 victory over Hawaii Hilo last season at the Tournament of Champions (TOC) in Turlock. 
• On Saturday, the Cougars will play Northwest Nazarene at 8:30 a.m. before taking on the Wolves of Western Oregon at 1:30 p.m. 
• CSUSM is 2-1 against NNU in the all-time series record. The Cougars shut out (4-0) the Nighthawks last season at TOC. 
• The Cougars faced WOU in both 2022 and 2023 at the CUI Kickoff, recording a 10-1 victory in the first meeting and falling 2-1 in the most recent matchup. 
• The Cougars will wrap up the weekend on Sunday with an 8:30 a.m. game against Colorado Christian. 
• CSUSM leads the all-time series at 2-1 against CCU. A four-run 10th inning broke a 4-all tie and gave CCU its first win over CSUSM in program history last season. 

THE ROBINSON FILE

• Head Coach A.J. Robinson was promoted to the top spot on July 31, 2024. 
• As the program's assistant coach from 2022-24, Robinson helped guide CSUSM to three NCAA Division II West Regional appearances, an NCAA National Championship appearance, a West Regional Championship, a CCAA Regular-Season Championship and a CCAA Tournament Championship.
• For the 2021 season, Robinson was a volunteer assistant coach at San Diego State and helped the Aztecs to an overall record of 28-16.
• Robinson's first stint at CSUSM was as a volunteer assistant coach from 2018-20 where he was named CSUSM Athletics' Volunteer Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020.
• Robinson was the founder and president of The Factory Softball Club in San Diego until 2024. In 2018 and 2019, he and his coaching staff earned West Region Travel Ball Coaching Staff of the Year honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).