SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 7 Cal State San Marcos softball team will host its first official home games of the 2024 season this weekend when No. 14 Adelphi comes to town for a doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 11 at 12 p.m. 
 
LAST SEASON

• The Cougars had another historic season in 2023, winning the schools first-ever West Regional Championship and making the 2023 NCAA Division II National Championships. 
• Head Coach Stef Ewing and Assistant Coach A.J. Robinson were named the 2023 NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year. 
• CSUSM concluded the 2023 season ranked No. 7 in Division II but climbed as high as No. 5 during the season.
• Makenzie Guilliano was named to the NCAA Division II Softball All-Tournament Team. 
• Paige Donnelly earned her second consecutive NFCA and D2CCA All-West Region team honor with a second-team selection. 
• Graduating senior Bianca Gutierrez was named to the All-CCAA first team for the second consecutive year while Savannah Coyle, Madison Waymire, Jillian Albayati, Paige Donnelly and Gianna Lombardi picked up second-team honors. 

2023 SQUAD

• 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 will 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.

OPENING WEEKEND

• Opening weekend for the CSUSM softball team was filled with challenges due to rain. 
• With an abbreviated schedule, the Cougars went 4-1 with games being played at Azusa Pacific and at CSUSM as part of the Concordia University Irvine Kickoff Classic. 
• The Cougars opened with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory over Chaminade with Mackenzie Kestler's walk-off double in the bottom of the seventh on Friday, Feb. 2. 
• CSUSM shutout Azusa Pacific 4-0 before falling in 10 innings to No. 21 Colorado Christian 8-4 on Saturday, Feb. 3
• The Cougars recorded a pair of run-ruled victories over Montana State Billings, 14-2 and 13-3, at CSUSM Softball Field to close out the CUI Kickoff Classic. 

HOME OPENER VS. NO. 14 ALDEPHI

• This will be the first meeting between these two teams. 
• In 2023, the Panthers (47-8) were the Northeast 10 Regular-Season Champions as well as the NE10 Tournament Champions. Adelphi defeated Bentley in the East 1 Regional before falling to Wilmington (Del.) 3-1 in game three of the East Super Regional. 
• CSUSM's lone victory at the 2023 NCAA Championship was against then-No. 24 Wilmington that resulted in a 3-2 win. 
• The Panthers welcome back 13 players this season including NE10 and D2CCA Pitcher of the Year Lindsey Hibbs who finished the year with a school-record 28 wins and a 0.67 ERA. 
• Aldephi will play four other doubleheaders in California before heading back home to Garden City, New York. The Panthers will play fellow CCAA member Cal State Dominguez Hills on Monday before taking on three PacWest Conference schools, Biola (Wed.), Azusa Pacific (Thurs.) and Concordia Irvine (Sat.)

TICKETS ON SALE FOR 2024 SOFTBALL

• Tickets will be sold for the regular season in person at the gate or by visiting CSUSMCougars.com/tickets.
• General admission tickets will cost $10 while youth (ages 5-12) and senior/military tickets will cost $6.
• Parents who have children wearing a youth jersey can also also purchase tickets for $6. Groups of 10 or more can purchase tickets for $4 each.

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 103-79 (.566) 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 Naitonal Championships in 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.