SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The No. 25 Cal State San Marcos softball team (34-15, 20-12 CCAA) will play its final 2025 regular-season games at home this weekend as it hosts CCAA leader and No. 13 Cal State East Bay (35-10, 23-9 CCAA) in a four-game series beginning on Friday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader before concluding with an 11 a.m. twinbill on Saturday,

Following Saturday's games, CSUSM will honor seniors Aneesa Arredondo, Savannah Coyle, Paige Donnelly, Dahlia Fink, Makeznie Guiliano, Mackenzie Kestler, Gianna Lombardi, Delaney Prater, Jayline Sloss and Madison Waymire. 

LAST TIME OUT

• The Cougars dropped the first three games of their series at Cal State Dominguez Hills by scores of 8-6, 1-0 and 5-3 before earning a mercy-ruled, five-inning 9-1 victory in the series finale. 
• Against the Toros, Madison Waymire hit .615 (8-for-13) with nine RBIs, four runs and three home runs including a grand slam in the series opener.

COUGARS BY THE NUMBERS

• CSUSM dropped to No. 25 in the latest NFCA Division II Coaches Poll. Also appearing from the West Region are No. 10 Western Washington, No. 13 Cal State East Bay and No. 22 San Francisco State. 
• CSUSM (20-12) enters the final weekend three games back from leader Cal State East Bay (23-9), who went 3-1 against Chico State this past weekend. 
• CSUSM stayed in the top spot in the CCAA with a .318 batting average and scoring with an average of 5.0 per game.
• CSUSM has drawn a conference-high 139 walks this season. 
• The Cougars moved back to No. 1 in the conference in on-base percentage (.385) while staying at No. 2 in slugging percentage (.421). 
• CSUSM also regained the top spot in the CCAA with 16 sacrifice flies this season. 
• CSUSM ranks eighth in NCAA Division II (third in the CCAA) with 24 double plays. 
• The Cougars have the third-best fielding percentage in the CCAA at .966. 
• CSUSM is third in the conference with 4.14 RBIs per game average. 
• The Cougars have tallied 20 home runs, ranking fourth in the CCAA. 
• CSUSM has registered 366 hits this season, ranking second in the CCAA. 
• The Cougar pitching staff has held conference opponents to a CCAA-low 23 doubles and two triples in 207.2 innings while striking out 119 batters with 40 looking (second in CCAA). 
• Two Cougars are ranked in the top 10 in the CCAA in batting average – Jillian Albayati is in fifth (.387) followed by Paige Donnelly in seventh (.373).
• Albayati ranks 15th in the nation with 2.66 assists per game. 
• Coyle is ranked 19th in Division II with fourth saves. 
• Donnelly's 33 RBIs rank fifth in the CCAA. 
• Jayline Sloss took sole possession of first place in the CCAA with 36 strikeouts looking.
• Madison Waymire ranks third in the conference with 39 runs and tied for second with eight home runs. 
• Three Cougars are in the top 10 in on-base percentage in the CCAA with Waymire in fourth (.447), Donnelly in ninth (.436) and Coyle in 10th (.433). 
    

TOP TEAM SHOWDOWN

• Cal State East Bay is coming off a 3-1 series win over Chico State.  
• The Pioneers swept their Friday doubleheader against the Wildcats, 5-4 and 1-0, before splitting Saturday's twinbill with a 7-1 loss and a 1-0 12-inning win. 
• CSUEB sophomore Marissa Quintero was named the FloSports/CCAA Pitcher of the Week after tossing 22 shutout innings in the Chico series. 
• CSUEB is the CCAA leader with a 1.79 ERA (6th in DII) and 13 shutouts (8th in DII). 
• Quintero has the lowest ERA in the conference with 1.23 while Ashley Toy is third with a 1.87 ERA. 
• The Pioneers have the fifth-best batting average in the CCAA at .295. 
• In their last meeting, the Cougars defeated the Pioneers 9-1 in five innings in the 2024 NCAA Division II West Regional in Bellingham, Washington. 
• The Cougars last faced East Bay at CSUSM Softball Field in the 2024 CCAA Tournament, where they took down the Pioneers 6-2 to win the program's first CCAA Tournament Title on May 4. 
• CSUSM is 23-7 in the all-time series against the Pioneers and is 14-5 when playing at CSUSM Softball Field. 
• The Pioneers were picked to finish fifth in the 2025 CCAA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll. 
   

2025 OUTLOOK

• CSUSM was picked to finish first in the 2025 CCAA Preseason Softball Coaches Poll. 
• The Cougars' roster of 26 consists of 17 returners, one transfer and eight freshman. 
• Athletically, the Cougars are made up of four redshirt seniors, six seniors, three juniors, five sophomores and eight freshman. 
• The Cougars' 53-game schedule includes 28 home contests and 25 road games.

THE ROBINSON FILE

• Head Coach A.J. Robinson was promoted to the top spot on July 31, 2024. 
• As the program's assistant coach from 2022-24, Robinson helped guide CSUSM to three NCAA Division II West Regional appearances, an NCAA National Championship appearance, a West Regional Championship, a CCAA Regular-Season Championship and a CCAA Tournament Championship.
• For the 2021 season, Robinson was a volunteer assistant coach at San Diego State and helped the Aztecs to an overall record of 28-16.
• Robinson's first stint at CSUSM was as a volunteer assistant coach from 2018-20 where he was named CSUSM Athletics' Volunteer Assistant Coach of the Year in 2020.
• Robinson was the founder and president of The Factory Softball Club in San Diego until 2024. In 2018 and 2019, he and his coaching staff earned West Region Travel Ball Coaching Staff of the Year honors from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).