CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. - Seattle U softball returns to the prestigious Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic after not attending last season, taking part in five games overall of which two are against ranked teams. The three-day tournament will have contests take place across five fields: Wrigley, Yankee, Fenway, DesMoines and Pawtucket. Each game will feature live streaming on FloSoftball.com and three will include live stats.
FOLLOW THE REDHAWKS
- Friday, February 23 at 10:00 a.m
- Seattle U (5-5) vs. CSUN (8-1)
- DesMoines Field, Cathedral City, Calif.
- FloSoftball
- Friday, February 23 at 6:00 p.m.
- Seattle U vs. UC Riverside (3-4)
- Pawtucket Field, Cathedral City, Calif.
- FloSoftball
- Saturday, February 24 at 9:30 a.m.
- Seattle U vs. #21/RV California (10-1)
- Yankee Stadium, Cathedral City, Calif.
- FloSoftball
- Live Stats
- Saturday, February 24 at 12:00 p.m.
- Seattle U vs. CSU Fullerton (6-3)
- DesMoines Field, Cathedral City, Calif.
- FloSoftball
- Live Stats
- Sunday, February 25 at 9:00 a.m.
- Seattle U vs. #1/1 Oklahoma (9-0)
- Wrigley Field, Cathedral City, Calif.
- FloSoftball
- Live Stats
SUNDAY SWEEP
The Redhawks wrapped up play at the Silicon Valley Classic I in San Jose/Santa Clara, California, on Sunday in stellar fashion, taking down Santa Clara, 5-4, and Nevada, 6-3. The Redhawks opened the day with a strong win over Santa Clara where they lead throughout the contest. Both Tai Wilson and Ava Sin enjoyed stellar performances at the plate, going 3-for-4 each and providing vital RBIs in the one run win. Stefanie Madrigal threw her first complete game of the season to pick up her second win of the year, capped off by a stellar diving play from Lily Garcia to give SU the win.
Seattle U fell behind early in the next contest against Nevada, using a five run six inning to snatch the second straight win. Freshman Mikee Morris's clutch two-out, two RBI single with the bases loaded provided the vital runs. Berkley Vance grabbed her first career collegiate win, throwing two shutout innings and allowing just one hit.
PRESEASON HONORS/PRESEASON POLL
Stefanie Madrigal and Tai Wilson were honored by the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) this past week, with the former being named the Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year and the latter joining her on the All-WAC Preseason Team. The Redhawks have gone seven straight seasons with multiple players earning Preseason All-WAC honors and have had at least one athlete named for the last 11 years.
Madrigal becomes the first Redhawk to earn Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year honors, marking her third consecutive season on the All-WAC Preseason Team. The native of San Jose, California, took another step forward during the 2023 season, leading the squad with the nation's 37th most wins at 19. Madrigal played some of her best softball on the biggest stage at the WAC Tournament, taking the ball in all five contests and allowing just one run in the first two.
Wilson earns the award for the first time after a breakout 2023 season in which she finished in the top-10 in batting average (.438), runs scored (23) and hits (35) during conference play in route to an All-WAC First Team award. The junior outfielder led the Redhawks with 72 hits (30th nationally), a batting average of .396 (54th nationally) and an on base percentage of .456 (142nd nationally). Wilson's overall hits total and batting average rank as the Redhawks' fourth and eighth best single-season performance.
Seattle U was picked to finish third as voted on by the 10 WAC coaches, receiving 66 points and one first place vote. The Redhawks have been picked to finish third overall or better in eight straight years.
NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE RANKINGS
Team batting average (.293) - third in the WAC
Team ERA (3.34) - fourth in the WAC
Team on base percentage (.353) - fourth in the WAC
Caught stealing by (three) - Karen Spadafora, #20 in the nation and third in the WAC
Doubles (four) - Taylor Fitch, #34 in the nation and second in the WAC
Hits (13) - Sydney Frankenberger, #70 in the nation and third in the WAC
Shutouts (one) - Nicola Simpson, one of 16 pitchers in the nation to throw one and only WAC member
SERIES-AT-A-GLANCE
CSUN: The Redhawks trail the all-time series, 2-8.
UC Riverside: The Redhawks trail the all-time series, 2-4.
California: This will be the first meeting between the two programs.
CSU Fullerton: The Redhawks trail the all-time series, 1-2.
Oklahoma: The Redhawks trail the all-time series, 0-1.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All 14 Seattle U home contests this season will be broadcast on ESPN+. For road games, related links to video stream and live stats will be posted on the softball schedule page on goseattleu.com. Fans are encouraged to check the Seattle U Softball team's official Twitter feed @seattleusb for updates of games in progress as well as news and notes. Greg Sexton and former Redhawk, Katie Favilla (Antich), mark their third season on the call.
Stay connected with Seattle U softball and get all the latest team updates by downloading the GoSeattleU mobile app available now for free in the App Store or Google Play.