BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Cal State San Marcos softball team (35-20) will look to defend its West Regional title in the next seven days as the Cougars open NCAA postseason play against Cal State East Bay on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. in Bellingham, Washington, on the campus of Western Washington. 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Cougars won the program's first CCAA Tournament last weekend when CSUSM hosted the conference tourney. 
• After posting a 5-2 victory against Cal State Dominguez Hills in their tournament opener, the Cougars snagged a 4-1 win over Cal State East Bay the following day to secure a spot in the championship.
• CSUSM dropped its first game on Championship Saturday to the Pioneers, 4-2, before bouncing back with a 6-2 win to claim the title. 
• Jayline Sloss was named Tournament MVP. Joining her on the CCAA All-Tournament Team were Paige Donnelly, Mackenzie Kestler and Madison Waymire. 

BY THE NUMBERS

• The Cougars enter the NCAA Division II Tournament as the national leader with 36 double plays and averaging 0.65 double plays per game. 
• CSUSM leads the West Region in doubles (70), hits (452), runs (266) and sacrifice bunts (54)
• CSUSM has the third-best batting average in the West Region with a .297 clip. 
• The Cougars have the third-highest on-base percentage in the West Region at .362. 
• The CSUSM pitching staff has the seventh-best ERA in the West Regin at 2.31. 
• With 17 doubles this season, Paige Donnelly leads the West Region with teammate Madison Waymire coming in third with 15 doubles. 
• Jayline Sloss ranks fifth in the West Region with a 1.30 ERA and tied for first in games started with 27.  
• Among teams competing in the West Regional this weekend, Sloss ranks sixth with 5.44 hits allowed per seven innings. 
• Madison Waymire is the West Region leader with 0.91 runs per game this season. 
• Savannah Coyle ranks third in the West Region with five saves while coming in at 16th in Division II. 

EIGHT IS ENOUGH

• This is the eighth meeting between CSUSM and Cal State East Bay this season. 
• The two teams split the regular-season series with the Cougars winning Friday's doubleheader 1-0 and 6-5, while the Pioneers were victorious in Saturday's twinbill by scores of 2-0 and 6-2. 
• Two weeks later, CSUSM faced the Pioneers once again when it hosted the CCAA Tournament. 
• The Cougars advanced to the CCAA Tournament Championship game with a 4-1 victory last Friday over CSUEB. East Bay then had to face Cal State Dominguez to move to the championship game, which they did with an 8-1 victory.
• CSUSM dropped its first game of the tournament, a 4-2 decision on Saturday, forcing an 'if-necessary' game in which CSUSM clinched the CCAA Tournament Title with a 6-2 victory.  
• The Cougars hold a 22-7 lead in the all-time series over the Pioneers and have won 15 of the last 19 games. 
• This will be CSUEB's first season to finish with a winning record since 2017 (27-25). 
• East Bay will be making its second appearance in the NCAA Division II postseason after claiming the No. 5 seed in the final regional ranking. 
• In 1992, the Pioneers advanced to the National Championships and fell to Missouri Southern State 1-0 in Shawnee, Kansas. 
• East Bay finished the regular season with a CCAA record of 17-17 and entered the conference tournament as the No. 5 seed. 
• The Pioneers are ranked No. 5 in the West Region with 64 doubles. 
• East Bay is batting .260 and has a 2.15 ERA. 

  
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.