FORT COLLINS, Colo. – UC San Diego softball continues to compete in the National Invitational Softball Championship tournament in Fort Collins, Colo. The Tritons will face Baylor University in their second matchup on Sunday, May 22 at 12:30 pm PST.
 
The No. 10 seeded Tritons head into the matchup at 28-26 overall, and the No. 2 Bears are 28-24 overall. 
 
THE MATCHUP
This is the first time UC San Diego and Baylor will meet. Baylor University finished their regular season 28-24 overall and 6-12 in the Big 12 Conference and heads into the tournament on a two-game losing streak. In conference play, BU took series wins over Kansas and Texas Tech, and single wins against Iowa State and Texas. The Bears finished five out of seven in the Big 12 with five Bears earning All-Big 12 honors.
 
At the plate, Baylor is led by sophomore McKenzie Wilson who is batting an average of .413 with 62 hits, 47 runs, 27 RBI, 33 walks, 27 stolen bases, and 88 total bases over 52 games. Wilson recently earned NFCA All-Central Second Team Region honors for her 2022 season.
 
Sophomore righty Aliyah Binford leads the Bears in the circle with an ERA of 2.50. In her 114.2 innings of work, she has recorded 131 strikeouts with two shutouts, six complete games, and is 9-6 this season. Binford is supported by sophomore Dariana Orme, who has an ERA of 3.18 with 130 strikeouts, three shutouts, eight complete games, and is 12-14 this season. Binford and Orme were named to the NFCA All-Central Region with Binford named to the first team and Orme named to the second team.
 
The Tritons are 28-26 overall and finished 13-11 in the Big West Conference headed into the tournament. On a two-game winning streak, UC San Diego took the opener of the NISC tournament over Rutgers University, 7-5 and ended their regular season with a 2-1 series win over Cal Poly to finish in fifth.
 
Redshirt-senior Isabel Lavrov leads the Tritons at the plate with a .348 batting average. In her 54 appearances, she has recorded 56 hits, 35 runs, six home runs, and 34 RBI. She has stolen 15 bases this season with 89 total bases recorded. Senior Keila Bosinger adds power at the plate for the Tritons with a .552 slugging percentage, seven home runs, and 91 total bases. Lavrov earned All-Big West First Team honors and Bosinger earned All-Big West Second Team honors.
 
In the circle, freshman Jada Cecil continues to lead UC San Diego with a 1.75 ERA, 232 strikeouts, and three shutouts this season. Opponents are batting an average of .178 against Cecil and she is 20-4 on the season. Cecil earned Big West Pitcher and Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors along with making the All-Big West First Team and All-Freshman Team. She also earned NFCA All-West Region honors being named to the second team.

LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego softball will advance to the next round of the National Invitational Softball Championship Super Regionals after defeating Rutgers University, 7-5, in a Saturday afternoon matchup. 
 
The Tritons were led by center fielder Kelley Renner who was 3-for-4 at the plate with one run recorded. Shortstop Deena Pederson and second baseman Isabel Lavrov added support at the plate, going 2-for-4, each scoring a run. Pederson tallied three RBI along with first baseman Bobbi Aguirre. Designated player Morgan Eng went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Six Tritons tallied a run today.
 
In the circle for the Tritons, Jada Cecil got the start against Rutgers and allowed four runs on five hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Kaia Simpson came in as relief in the bottom of the third and allowed one run on five hits with two strikeouts and no walks.
 
CECIL TOP 10 FINALIST FOR SCHUTT SPORTS/NFCA DIVISION I NATIONAL FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
On Thursday, May 12, the National Fastpitch Coaches Association narrowed the 25 finalists for the 2022 Schutt Sports/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year award down to 10 finalists, including UC San Diego's right-handed pitcher Jada Cecil. She has recorded a dominant year for the Tritons, leading the team from in the circle with a 1.59 ERA, 18 wins in 32 appearances, three shutouts, 223 strikeouts, and a 0.81 WHIP. Her opponents are batting an average of .166 against her, and she leads the Big West conference in six different pitching categories.

The Temecula product, found by recruiting coordinator and associate head coach Cristina Byrne, has set two new program records for the Tritons this season. In the series opener against Hawai'i on April 2, Cecil shutout the Rainbow Wahine and tossed a program high 16 strikeouts in a single game. More recently, she set the single-season program strikeout record during the series finale against CSUN on May 7.

"Jada's work ethic, humility, and commitment to the craft of pitching have elevated our program and I am so proud of her," head coach Patti Gerckens commented. "As we continue to move into Division I, scholar-athletes like Jada, are who we want to bring into the program to make big impacts like she has this season."
 
Assistant coach Amanda Gardner, who works closely with the Triton pitching staff, added, "Jada is resilient, dedicated, and extremely humble. From day one she has trusted in the process and continues to want to learn and grow as a pitcher. I'm proud to be her coach. This recognition is only the beginning!"
 
This year's finalists hail from 10 different universities and represent eight NCAA Division I conferences from across the nation.

SIX TRITONS EARN ALL-BIG WEST HONORS; CECIL TAKES TWO MAJOR AWARDS
UC San Diego softball had six Tritons earn All-Big West honors along with Jada Cecil named Big West Pitcher of the Year and Freshman Pitcher of the Year on Wednesday as the league announced its postseason awards as voted on by the conference's 10 head coaches. Cecil's awards are the first major conference awards earned by UC San Diego softball in the Division I era and four years since a major conference award.
 
Redshirt-senior Isabel Lavrov earned All-Big West First Team with freshman pitcher Jada Cecil, who was named to the All-Big West First Team, Big West All-Freshman Team, Pitcher of the Year, and Freshman Pitcher of the Year. Senior outfielder Keila Bosinger and sophomore pitcher Gabby Williams were named to the All-Big West Second Team. First baseman redshirt-senior Bobbi Aguirre and third baseman junior Sophia Real earned Big West Honorable Mention honors.
 
ESPNU TO BROADCAST TRITONS' APRIL SHOWDOWN AT FULLERTON
The Big West announced four telecasts on ESPNU this spring featuring championship-caliber teams in men's volleyball, softball, and baseball.  – including a UC San Diego softball game at Big West preseason favorite Cal State Fullerton in April.
 
On Friday, April 15, Big West softball took center stage when Cal State Fullerton, ranked No. 1 in the Big West preseason poll, took on UC San Diego, rated No. 4 in the poll, in a prime time matchup. The Tritons bested the Titans, 4-3, in seven innings. A no-doubter home run from Clarissa Reynoso brought in three runs for UC San Diego and a late RBI from Morgan Eng extended the Tritons' lead. Cal State Fullerton recorded add a solo-home run to pull within one of the Tritons but were unable to overcome UC San Diego's pitching staff. The pitching staff consisted of Jada Cecil, Gabby Williams, and Kaia Simpson, who all recorded strikeouts against the Titans and allowed three runs on seven hits with 11 strikeouts between them.
 
CECIL TAKES BIG WEST HONORS FOR THIRD TIME & TRITON ATHLETE OF THE WEEK | APRIL 4
Jada Cecil had a fantastic weekend against the Rainbow Wahine in her 13th and 14th starts for UC San Diego softball to earn Big West Freshman of the Week for the third time this season on April 4.
 
In her two appearances over the weekend, Cecil pitched a total of 255 pitches, allowing one run over 15 innings, 6 hits with 29 strikeouts and four walks. She struck out over 50% of the batters she faced this weekend.
 
Opening the series against Hawai'i with a shutout, Cecil broke the UC San Diego program single-game strikeout record, again, with 16 strikeouts over 7 innings. This is her second shut of the season and the sixth game without an earned run in five or more innings pitched.
 
In the final game of the series, she pitched another gem, recording 13 strikeouts in 8 innings. Cecil finished with an ERA of 0.47 this weekend and the Rainbow Wahine were batting an average of .111 against her. She leads the Big West in total wins (12), opposing batting average (.151), strike­outs (157), and batters struck out looking (44).
 
Through 34 games this season, Cecil (12-2) has recorded a team-best 157 strikeouts in 105 innings of work with a 1.53 ERA. Opponents are batting .151 against the Temecula product. This is the second time Cecil has been named Triton Athlete of the Week.
 
TRITON DUO TAKE BIG WEST WEEKLY HONORS | MARCH 28
In the second week of Big West Conference play, the Tritons went 4-0 against CSU Bakersfield and UC Santa Barbara. From the plate, Isabel Lavrov's consistent and clutch hitting helped the Tritons take the series, 2-1 against CSU Bakersfield and then sweep the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos. For her great performances at the plate, she earns the Big West Fielder of the Week on March 28. Jada Cecil led the Tritons from in the circle with three outstanding appearances to earn Big West Freshman of the Week on March 28. 
 
Isabel Lavrov hit .538 (7-for-13) with seven runs, seven RBI, one walk and one home run in four games. In the final game against CSU Bakersfield, Lavrov recorded one hit, one run, and two RBI. Lavrov was perfect at the plate in game one against UC Santa Barbara going 3-for-3 with two runs scored. In the series final vs. the Gauchos, Lavrov was 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs. In the seventh inning, she blasted a three-run home run, her third of the season. 
 
Lavrov finished the week with a .923 slugging percentage and a .533 on base percentage, and currently sits in third in the Big West for RBI (21) and on base percentage (.465). This is the first time Lavrov has been recognized as Big West Fielder of the Week. She is the fourth Triton to earn the Big West honors and the second in the 2022 season.

The freshman righthander, Jada Cecil, went 3-0 in 17.0 innings pitched with a 0.00 ERA and recorded 21 strikeouts in her three appearances. Cecil tossed a six-inning complete game shutout with 11 strikeouts, allowing only two hits in the series finale win against CSU Bakersfield on Monday, March 21. In game one against UC Santa Barbara, she pitched six innings allowing two hits with seven strikeouts and one walk. Cecil went five innings, allowed one unearned run on four hits with three strikeouts in the series finale win vs. the Gauchos.
 
This is the second time Cecil has been recognized as Big West Freshman of the Week. She was previously recognized for her 15-strikeout single-game UC San Diego record. Through 30 games this season, Cecil (11-1) has recorded a team-best 128 strikeouts in 90 innings of work with a 1.71 ERA. Opponents are batting .158 against the Temecula product. Cecil leads the Big West in strikeouts and is tied for 18th in the nation.
 
CECIL SHATTERS SINGLE GAME STRIKEOUT RECORD | MARCH 14
Jada Cecil had a fantastic performance and win over California Baptist in her seventh start for UC San Diego softball to earn Big West Freshman of the Week on March 14.
 
The freshman righthander threw all 7.0 innings in Wednesday night's second game at California Baptist, allowing one run on three hits with a career-high and program-high 15 strikeouts and only one walk. Her 15-strikeout performance on March 9 is a UC San Diego program record previously held by Robyn Wampler with 12 strikeouts.
 
Cecil is the second Triton to be recognized as Big West Freshman of the Week and the first this season. Through 24 games this season, Cecil (7-1) has recorded a team-best 97 strikeouts in 66 innings of work with a 2.02 ERA. Opponents are batting .167 against the Temecula native. Cecil leads the Big West in strikeouts and is tied for 11th in the nation.

REAL HONORED AS TRITON ATHLETE OF THE WEEK | FEB. 28
Over five games at the Mary Nutter Classic, Sophia Real hit .600 (9-for-15), recorded 10 total bases and an average .647 on base percentage. Real led the Nutter Classic in batting average and on base percentage out of all 27 teams and tied third for most hits. Her slugging percentage for the weekend was .667 with one RBI brought in.
 
CECIL HONORED AS TRITON ATHLETE OF THE WEEK | FEB. 14
On her career opening weekend with the Tritons, Jada Cecil was the primary pitcher against the Nevada Wolf Pack and the LMU Lions, she even pitched an inning against #3 UCLA. In the Nevada game, Cecil faced 16 batters and struck 12 of them out. She allowed no runs to be scored in her five innings on the mound and kept the Wolf Pack swinging with three flyouts. Against the Lions, Cecil pitched all seven innings, recording four more strikeouts, 12 flyouts, and 5 groundouts. The Lions were only able to squeeze two runs out of Cecil. As she led from the circle, the Tritons defense was able to force LMU to leave nine runners on base over the course of the game. In her inning against the Bruins, Cecil faced three batters. She recorded no hits, no runs, one strikeout, and two flyouts. She is now 2-0 in her collegiate pitching career.
 
BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
The UC San Diego softball team was picked to finish fourth according to the Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, determined by the conference's head coaches. They were awarded 49 points along with Hawai'i. View full poll here.
 
SHERRIAH HARRINGTON – NCAA WOMAN OF THE YEAR NOMINEE
Sherriah Harrington, former UC San Diego softball first baseman, has been named a 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee. She is one of eight Big West student-athletes nominated and one of 535 nationwide. The NCAA announced its full list of potential award winners on July 15, 2021. Read Sherriah's full nominee announcement here.
 
MAKING THE GRADE
Continuing their academic excellence, the Tritons posted a 3.29 grade point average this past fall quarter. Keila Bosinger and Kelley Renner both posted a perfect 4.0 GPA last term.

WHO'S BACK?
The team is returning 13 players, four seniors: Keila Bosinger, Clarissa Reynoso, Isabel Lavrov, and Bobbi Aguirre; four juniors: Mikaila Pancino, Kelley Renner, Sophia Real, and Kaia Simpson; five sophomores: Zoe Richards, Mariah Melendez, Deena Pederson, Shelby Thompson, and Gabby Williams.
 
Gabby Williams, Bobbi Aguirre, and Keila Bosinger led the team in hitting last season with a combined 49 runs batted in, 53 runs, and 134 total bases. Clarissa Reynoso and Bobbi Aguirre led fielding with a 0.991 and 0.987 fielding percentage and 227 putouts. While Gabby Williams led from mound as she generated a team-best ERA of 2.32 overall and 1.27 in conference.
 
NEW FACES
Joining the team this season are five freshmen: Marissa Hassis, Jada Cecil, Alexa DeMarse, Reilly Erickson, and Morgan Eng.
 
TEAM LEADERS
Instead of being led by a captain or captains, the Triton softball team is led by a full leadership team made up of various positions and classes.
2022 Leadership Team
Bobbi Aguirre (SR)
Isabel Lavrov (SR)
Keila Bosinger (SR)
Clarissa Reynoso (SR)
 Alexa DeMarse (FR)
 
UC SAN DIEGO ON THE WORLDWIDE LEADER
Most UC San Diego home softball, baseball, men's and women's basketball games and men's and women's volleyball matches are broadcast live on ESPN+. For more information on where to watch UC San Diego softball, visit UCSDTritons.com/live.
 
UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS LAUNCHES WEEKLY PODCAST
As part of UC San Diego's transition to Division I, the Athletics Department launched a weekly podcast, Tritoncast. Produced by UC San Diego Athletics Communications, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. Triton fans will get an inside look at the UC San Diego Athletics Department as the program transitions to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. New episodes of Tritoncast are available each week on the most popular podcasting apps, including Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn. In addition, each episode can be heard and downloaded on UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on Twitter @Tritoncast.
 
FOLLOW THE TRITONS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. The team's handle is @UCSDsoftball.

GEAR 
For the latest Triton apparel and accessories, visit the official team store of the Tritons here.

FOR THE YOUNGER CROWD
Got some young Triton fans in your family? If they are eighth grade or under, check out the Junior Triton Club. Membership includes a free t-shirt, admission to over 100 UC San Diego home athletic events, and much more!
 
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era as a member of the Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.