SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 9 Cal State San Marcos softball team (12-7, 6-6 CCAA) will take a break from conference play this week to host two PacWest Conference teams. The Cougars will face Biola (6-9, 2-6 CCAA) in a doubleheader on Friday at noon before concluding the weekend against Azusa Pacific in a 12 p.m. twinbill on Saturday. 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Cougars went 2-2 last weekend against San Francisco State at the CSUSM Softball Field. 
• CSUSM opened the series with a 6-2 victory last Friday before falling 5-4 in 10 innings in the nightcap. On Saturday, the Cougars dropped an 11-inning 1-0 decision before bouncing back with a 9-5 win in the series finale. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Cougars moved down two spots to No. 9 in the latest NFCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. 
• CSUSM is one of four teams from the West Region featured in the Top 25 joining No. 15 Western Washington, No. 18 Northwest Nazarene and No. 22 Concordia University Irvine. 
• In their first 19 games of the season, the Cougars have already tallied 11 double plays, ranking them first in the CCAA and ninth in Division II. 
• CSUSM is tallying a CCAA-best 5.37 runs per game. 
• The Cougars have recorded a conference-high nine sacrifice flies thus far this season. 
• CSUSM ranks second in the CCAA with 174 hits this season. 
• The Cougars have the highest on-base percentage in the CCAA at .397. 
• The CSUSM pitching staff has the second-highest ERA at 2.43. 
• The Cougars are boasting a 2.29 strikeout-to-walk ratio, the highest in the CCAA.
• Madison Waymire is averaging a CCAA-leading 1.21 runs per game. 
• Waymire's .460 batting average and .564 on-base percentage rank second in the CCAA. 
• Jayline Sloss has accumulated a CCAA-best seven victories this season and has the conference's lowest ERA at 1.16. 
• Savannah Coyle's conference-high three saves rank fourth in Division II. 

FRIDAY AGAINST BIOLA

• The Eagles are coming off a doubleheader sweep over Cal State San Bernardino, 2-1 (8 inn.) and 9-7, on Tuesday. 
• Biola split a twinbill with Azusa Pacific on March 4, taking the opener 1-0 before falling 3-1 in the nightcap. 
• The Eagles have a .246 batting average (sixth out of eight PacWest teams) and a 2.86 ERA. 
• Biola ranks last in the PacWest in doubles (8), stolen bases per game (0.40), total runs (38), sacrifice flies (2) and walks (22).
• Alexa Medley is leading the Eagle offense with a .419 batting average, 18 hits, eight runs and three stolen bases. 
• Raylene Roybal is Biola's ace with a 1.98 ERA and a 4-3 record. 
• CSUSM leads the all-time series at 21-17 against Biola and is 2-3 since moving to NCAA Division II. 
• In 2023, CSUSM swept the Eagles in La Mirada by scores of 3-1 and 4-3 (9 inn.).
• Biola was picked to finish third in the 2024 PacWest Preseason Coaches Poll. 

COUGARS VS COUGARS

• After opening PacWest play at 5-1, APU split a four-game series with Hawaii Hilo this week. APU dropped a pair of games, 4-0 and 7-5 (10 inn.) to the Vulcans before bouncing back with a 3-2 (8 inn.) and 3-0 sweeps on Wednesday.
• In its second game of the season, CSUSM recorded a 4-0 shutout against APU in the Concordia University Kickoff Classic that was moved to Azusa due to heavy rain and field conditions in Irvine. 
• APU has the fifth-best fielding percentage at 0.980 in Division II. 
• Azusa Pacific ranks last in the PacWest with eight double plays.
• With a PacWest-best 18 home runs and five shutouts, APU has been getting the job done on both offense and in the circle. 
• Katie Korstrom is APU's ace with a PacWest-best 0.59 ERA (10th in DII), 3.94 hits allowed per seven innings (12th in DII) and 10 complete games (6th in DII). 
• APU's Caitlin Decanio and Mia Alvarez are 1-2 in the PacWest with six and five home runs, respectively. 
• CSUSM is 18-12 in the all-time against APU and has won five of the last six games. 
• APU was picked to finish second in the 2024 PacWest 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 111-85 (.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 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.