SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos softball team (26-17, 14-10 CCAA) will conclude its regular-season home schedule this weekend when the Cougars host Cal State East Bay (21-16, 13-13 CCAA) in a Friday 1 p.m. doubleheader and a Saturday 11 a.m. twinbill. 

Prior to Saturday's doubleheader, CSUSM will honor its lone senior Klarissa Munoz. 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Cougars won their second consecutive series last weekend at Cal State San Bernardino. 
• CSUSM dropped the series opener 6-3 before recording a 14-6, 6-inning victory in Friday's nightcap. 
• On Saturday, the Cougars won both ends of the doubleheader with a 5-3 win before once again getting a mercy-rule, six-inning 10-2 victory in the series finale.  

BY THE NUMBERS

• CSUSM moved up to third in the CCAA standings and is one game back from Sonoma State and Cal State Dominguez Hills, who are tied for first.
• The Cougars are the NCAA Division II leader with 30 double plays and a 0.70 average per game. 
• CSUSM is tallying a CCAA-best 5.05 runs per game and 217 total runs. 
• The Cougars rank first in the CCAA with 43 sacrifice bunts (14th in DII) and 13 sacrifice flies.
• Racking up nine home runs at CSUSB, the Cougars moved up to second in the CCAA with 26 this season. 
• CSUSM has the third-best batting average in the CCAA with a .301 clip. 
• The Cougars have the highest on-base percentage in the CCAA at .369. 
• The CSUSM pitching staff has the second-best ERA at 2.34. 
• The Cougars are boasting a 2.01 strikeout-to-walk ratio, the fourth highest in the CCAA. 
• With six runs this past weekend, Madison Waymire moved into first in the CCAA with 0.93 runs per game this season.  
• Jayline Sloss has the conference's lowest ERA at 1.37 and ranks second with three shutouts this season. 
• Sloss ranks third in the CCAA with 5.70 hits allowed per seven innings. 
• Savannah Coyle's conference-high three saves rank 25th in Division II. 
• Jillian Albayati's three sacrifice flies are the second most in the CCAA. 
• Tallying two doubles this past week, Paige Donnelly raised her season total to 12 and is in a three-way tie for first in the CCAA alongside Stanislaus State's Mikaela Ferreira and Jay Ross of Cal State Dominguez Hills. 

LAST REGULAR-SEASON HOME SERIES

• The Pioneers lost 3-of-4 against San Francisco State last weekend, winning the first game 2-1 in eight innings before falling in three straight contests, 2-0, 2-0 and 7-1. 
• CSUEB sits in sixth place in the CCAA standings with a 13-13 conference record, one game ahead of seventh-place Cal Poly Humboldt. 
• CSUEB has not swept or been swept in any conference series this season but has won series against CSUDH and CSUMB while dropping series against Humboldt, Sonoma and San Francisco State. The Pioneers have split a series against Chico while only playing and winning two games at CSUSB. 
• The CSUEB pitching staff has the best ERA in the CCAA at 2.09 while recording a conference-leading 2.36 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 
• The Pioneers are posting a .262 batting average, ranking seventh in the CCAA. 
• CSUEB's 253 hits are the second-lowest in the CCAA. 
• Marissa Quintero is the CCAA leader with 4.60 hits allowed per seven innings and four shutouts. 
• Annelise Garcia ranks first in the CCAA with a .763 slugging percentage. 
• Cynthia Carrillo is the toughest to strike out in the CCAA at 32.0. 
• CSUSM dominates the series against East Bay, holding an 18-4 lead in the all-time series and has won 11 of the last 12 meetings. 
• The Cougars are 10-2 when playing at home against the Pioneers. 
• CSUEB was picked to finish eighth in the 2024 CCAA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll. 

COUGAR OUTLOOK

• CSUSM has 14 returners for the 2024 season, including 2023 All-CCAA second-team honorees Savannah Coyle, Madison Waymire, Jillian Albayati, Paige Donnelly and Gianna Lombardi.
• The Cougars have nine newcomers this season with six freshmen and three transfers.
• Athletically, the Cougars are made up of six redshirt juniors, six true juniors, one redshirt sophomore, four sophomores and six true freshmen.
• CSUSM was picked to finish second in the 2023 CCAA Preseason Coaches Poll.
• The Cougars' 51-game schedule includes 26 home contests, 23 road games and two neutral games. 

THE EWING FILE

• 2022 CCAA Coach of the Year Stef Ewing enters her sixth season in charge of the Cougar softball season and has a 125-95 (.568) overall record as a head coach.
• Ewing and Assistant Coach A.J. Robinson were named the 2023 NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year. 
• In 2023, the Cougars won the school's first West Regional team title and punched their ticket to the NCAA Division II National Championship in Chattanooga, Tennessee. 
• In her five seasons, she has coached two NFCA All-American third-team selections, 13 All-CCAA honorees (four first-team selections), a CCAA Newcomer of the Year and CCAA Freshman of the Year. 
• Ewing captured her first win as a collegiate head coach on Feb. 17, 2019, as the Cougars recorded a walk-off 5-4 victory over Concordia Portland at CSUSM Softball Field.
• The 2024 squad's first win of the season was Ewing's 100th as a coach, a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Chaminade at the CUI Kickoff Classic on Feb. 2. 
• She previously served as the assistant coach at New Mexico State where she helped the Aggies to three WAC Regular-Season Conference Championships and two WAC Conference Tournament Championships.