The Highlanders softball team opened its season on Feb. 7 at home against Utah Tech. Conference play begins March 8 against UC Santa Barbara.
The first-ever Big West Softball Championship is May 7-10 at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, where the conference’s top six teams will compete for the title. The tournament winner will earn a place in the NCAA Softball Championship.
Previously, Big West teams secured an NCAA Championship spot by finishing first in the regular-season standings.
The Highlanders welcome six new players this season: Raegan Everett, Allie Kirkpatrick, Brooklyn Porter, Sarah Hurley, Lauren Mendez, and Haley Saole. Key returners include infielder Rebeca Cabezas, who posted a .300 batting average, .656 OPS (on-base plus slugging), 13 runs, and 16 RBIs last season, and catcher Jackie Alday, who posted a .252 batting average, .636 OPS, 9 runs, and 13 RBIs.
The Highlanders finished sixth in the Big West standings last season with a record of 13-14.
“Our goals for the upcoming season are to develop—personally, athletically, and academically—while building a foundation for the future,” said Head Coach Brittany Mata.
Mata, a Northern California native and former NCAA national champion catcher with the 2008 Arizona State Sun Devils, was named head coach in 2024. She previously served as associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Texas at El Paso, where she led the program through four successful seasons and earned the 2023 ACCAC Coach of the Year award. Under her leadership, UTEP finished the season ranked No. 3 nationally, securing a Division II Junior College World Series spot, the West District Championship title, and a Region 1 title.
Joining Mata’s staff are assistant coaches Alexia “Lexi” Morales, who hit .308 during her playing career at UTEP; Tyler Smith, a former pitcher and MACJC state champion at Itawamba Community College in Mississippi; and Nick Sanchez, who brings experience from collegiate programs at Arizona State and South Carolina and professional softball with Athletes Unlimited.
