SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The Cal State San Marcos softball team (32-19), who is hosting the CCAA Championship this week at CSUSM Softball Field, will enter the tournament with a bye as the No. 2 seed. The Cougars are slated to play at 1 p.m. against No. 3-seeded Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday, May 2.  

LAST TIME OUT

• The Cougars completed a series sweep to end the regular season last weekend at Chico State. 
• CSUSM recorded one-run victories in the first three games by scores of 4-3, 8-7 (9 inn.) and 5-4, before collecting a 6-1 victory in the season finale. 
• Jayline Sloss continued her run of matching her career high of eight strikeouts in both her Friday and Saturday starts, making it three consecutive outings in a row and four times in her career. 
• Aneesa Arredondo was named the final CCAA Player of the Week. (see below) 

ALL-CCAA HONOREES

• Seven Cougars earned All-CCAA honors highlighted by Jayline Sloss being named CCAA Pitcher of the Year, CSUSM's first-ever in program history. 
• Joining Sloss on the first team was first baseman Paige Donnelly and utility player Madison Waymire.
• Third baseman Jillian Albayati, shortstop Aneesa Arredondo, utility pitcher Savannah Coyle and outfielder Delany Prater earned All-CCAA second-team honors. 
• Click here for the full release. 

CCAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK

• Aneesa Arredondo collected her first career CCAA Player of the Week honor after hitting .643 in the four-game sweep at Chico State. 
• She went 9-for-14 with a double, three RBIs and four runs scored. 
• Arredondo posted multiple hits in all four games, including going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored in the series finale. 
• She is the third Cougar to receive the honor during the 2024 campaign (Madison Waymire, Paige Donnelly).

BY THE NUMBERS

• CSUSM is fourth in the latest NCAA Division II West Region rankings with Western Washington in the top spot, followed by Northwest Nazarene and Concordia University Irvine .Behind the Cougars in the fifth spot is Cal State Dominguez Hills, Saint Martin's, Sonoma State and Cal State East Bay rounds out the top eight. 
• The Cougars remain the NCAA Division II leader with 35 double plays and a 0.69 average per game. 
• CSUSM leads the CCAA with 422 hits and 249 total runs. 
• The Cougars moved back into No. 1 in the CCAA in runs per game at 4.88. 
• With 26 home runs this season, CSUSM ranks third in the CCAA. 
• CSUSM has the third-best batting average in the CCAA with a .298 clip. 
• The Cougars have the second-highest on-base percentage in the CCAA at .363. 
• The CSUSM pitching staff has the second-best ERA at 2.41. 
• The Cougars moved up to the top spot in the CCAA in strikeout-to-walk ratio at 2.19. 
• Jayline Sloss has the conference's lowest ERA at 1.31 and has the most shutouts on the season in the CCAA with four. 
• Madison Waymire remains the CCAA leader with 0.90 runs per game this season.  
• Sloss ranks third in the CCAA with 5.49 hits allowed per seven innings. 
• Savannah Coyle's conference-high five saves rank 15th in Division II. 
• Paige Donnelly's 14 doubles ranks second in the CCAA. 

NO. 2 CSUSM VS. NO. 3 CSUDH 

• The Cougars and Toros split their series this season in Carson with the home team taking the first game each day, 7-3 and 7-2, and CSUSM claiming the nightcap victories at 6-5 and 10-0 (5 inn.). 
• The all-time series between the two teams is knotted at 20-all. 
• CSUDH entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed and remained it after Wednesday's play-in games. 
• The Toros ended the season ranked first in the CCAA in home runs (41), home runs per game (0.82), field percentage (0.979) and slugging percentage (.457). 
• CSUDH ranks last in sacrifice bunts in the conference with only 20 this season. 
• The Toros have the second-highest batting average in the CCAA at .307 while registering the fifth-highest ERA at 2.90. 

  
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 127-97 (.567) 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.