LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego softball heads to the Lance Up Invite in Riverside for five games over three days facing Sacramento State, Harvard, and California Baptist. The invite begins on Friday, March 8 at 10 am vs. Sac State.
 
THE MATCHUPS
Entering the weekend on a five-game skid, the Tritons went 1-4 at the ASU Invitational before dropping a single game to San Diego. Lexi O'Gorman continues to lead the Tritons at the plate with a .403 overall batting average. The freshman is currently on a five-game hitting streak. In the circle, India Caldwell leads the gold and blue with a 2.61 ERA with 56.1 innings of work. The right-hander has dealt 36 strikeouts with a 2-5 record.
 
Sacramento State (11-6) enters the invitational after going 4-1 at the Capital Classic with wins over BYU, Santa Clara, Utah State, and UC Santa Barbara. At the plate, Alexis Parish leads the Hornets with a .420 batting average in her 17 games played. Lewa Day adds her support with 24 runs batted in with five home runs. Marissa Bertuccio leads the pitching staff with a 2.12 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 43.0 innings of work.
 
The Crimson went 4-0 at the Bob Heck Classic and are currently on a five-game winning streak. In the circle, Riley Flynn has done the most work for Harvard with 21 innings pitched for a 0.33 ERA and 18 strikeouts. Batting an average of .368, Savannah Fitzpatrick has batted in 8 runs and scored seven of her own.
 
GAME DETAILS

Game 20	Game 21	Game 22
vs. Sacramento State	vs. Harvard	vs. Sacramento State
Riverside, Calif.	Riverside, Calif.	Riverside, Calif.
John C. Funk Stadium	John C. Funk Stadium	John C. Funk Stadium
March 8 | 10 am	March 8 | 12:30 pm	March 9 | 3 pm
Live Stats	Live Stats	Live Stats

 

Game 23	Game 24
vs. California Baptist	vs. Harvard
Riverside, Calif.	Riverside, Calif.
John C. Funk Stadium	John C. Funk Stadium
March 9 | 5:30 pm	March 10 | 10 am
Live Stats | Watch	Live Stats

 
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster | Schedule | Stats
2024 Overall: 4-15
2023 Big West: 9-18
2024 Home: 3-7
2024 Away: 0-2
2024 Neutral: 1-6
Streak: L5
 

ABOUT THE HORNETS	ABOUT THE CRIMSON	ABOUT THE LANCERS
Roster | Sched | Stats	Roster | Sched | Stats	Roster | Sched | Stats
2024 Overall: 11-6	2024 Overall: 8-1	2024 Overall: 10-10
2023 Big Sky: 10-5	2023 Ivy League: 16-5	2023 WAC: 10-14
2024 Home: 6-2	2024 Home: 0-0	2024 Home: 9-6
2024 Away: 2-1	2024 Away: 1-1	2024 Away: 0-4
2024 Neutral: 3-3	2024 Neutral: 7-0	2024 Neutral: 1-0
Streak: W3	Streak: W5	Streak: W3
All-Time vs: 1-1	All-Time vs: 1-0	All-Time vs: 3-12

 
LAST TIME OUT
UC San Diego softball falls to University of San Diego in five innings after the rain ends the game early at 8-5.
 
In the circle, India Caldwell got the start allowing two earned runs on seven hits and three walks over 3.0 innings of work. Shelby Thompson came on as relief and allowed one run on two hits with one strikeout tallied.
 
At the plate, six Tritons tallied a hit with four batting a run in. Zoë Richards went 1-for-2 with a run scored and a run batted in. Morgan Eng added her support going 1-for-2 with a walk and a stolen base. Hitting in the ninth spot, Mariah Melendez batted in her first run of the season after winning an eight pitch at-bat.
 
UP NEXT
UC San Diego returns home to host Princeton in a single game matchup on Wednesday, March 13 before starting Big West play on Thursday, March 14 vs. Cal State Bakersfield in a home
doubleheader.
 
MULLIGAN NAMED CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
On March 4, Hailey Mulligan was selected as the Big West Field Player of the Week after her outstanding seven-game week in the doubleheader sweep of St. John's and the ASU Invitational.
 
Starting the week with a home doubleheader vs. St. John's, Mulligan was critical in the sweep during game number two when she powered a double to the left field warning track to bring in the go-ahead run. After the hometown kid took back the lead, the Tritons never gave it up.
 
At the ASU Invitational, Mulligan went 7-for-12 with two runs scored and three more batted in. In her first at-bat of the invite, Mulligan hit an inside the park home run to left field and sped her way around the bases to score.
 
Mulligan is the fifth Triton to earn Big West weekly honors and the second Triton to earn conference honors this season.
 
O'GORMAN EARNS FIRST WEEK CONFERENCE HONORS
On Feb. 12, Lexi O'Gorman was selected as the Big West Freshman Player of the Week after her outstanding five-game homestand at the La Jolla Invitational.
 
In her collegiate weekend debut, the first year started all five games and led the gold and blue at the plate through the invitational. Finishing the weekend with a .400 batting average after going 6-for-15 with five runs batted in, eight total bases, a run scored, and 100% in the field.
 
In her first collegiate at-bat the San Carlos product laced a single to the left side and the hits didn't stop. Against FDU, O'Gorman earned her first collegiate RBI on a sacfly when Gabby Williams scored after her at-bat. With two outs on the board, she then cracked a triple to left field warning track to plate two more runners.
 
Looking to start a comeback against Cal Baptist, O'Gorman stepped up to the plate with two outs on the board and the bases load to lace a single up the middle to score two runs. Her at-bat cut the deficit to 3-2 in the fourth inning.
 
O'Gorman is the fourth Triton to earn Big West of the Freshman of the Week honors and the first Triton to earn conference honors this season.
 

First week honors for ????????! ??
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— UC San Diego Softball (@UCSDsoftball) February 12, 2024

 
2023 RECAP
In the 2023 season, the Tritons finished at 19-33 overall and 9-18 in the Big West. The third season in the Big West proved to be a challenge for the gold and blue as they dropped seven of their nine conference series.
 
Over the course of the season, UC San Diego lost 11 games by one run as the team's batting average dropped from .250 in 2022 to .242 in 2023. Jada Cecil led the Tritons from in the circle with another outstanding year with a 1.97 ERA and 171 strikeouts. The pitching staff combined for 310 strikeouts and a 2.58 ERA.
 
Deena Pederson was on her way to a career season sporting a .398 batting average through 29 games before an injury ended her season early. The outfielder recorded five doubles, two triples, and one homerun. She started the season with a four-game hitting streak and ended her season on a six-game hitting streak.
 
ENG BREAKS PROGRAM SINGLE-GAME RECORD
On March 11, 2023 Morgan Eng stole 6 bases against Harvard University to set the UC San Diego program record for a single game. The sophomore led Division I with that record and finished the season 35-for-36 on the base paths.
 
BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL
The UC San Diego softball team was picked to finish ninth according to the 2024 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll, as determined by the conference's head coaches. They were awarded 22 points in the poll.
 
TRITONS HEAD TO PUERTO VALLARTA COLLEGE CHALLENGE
UC San Diego softball will be one of eight programs competing in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge hosted by Triple Crown Sports from Feb. 14-18.
 
Split into two sessions, the Tritons will compete in the second session with Clemson, Auburn, Utah, South Carolina, UC Davis, Wichita State, and Mississippi State. Three of the teams UC San Diego will face finished the 2023 season in the top 25. UC San Diego is one of three Big West schools that will make the trip to Mexico.
 
This is the eighth edition of the event and games will be played at Nancy Almaraz Stadium. All games will be live-streamed by FloSoftball.
 
BALINT BECOMES PITCHING COACH
Head coach Patti Gerckens added Maggie Balint as the team's new pitching coach. 
 
Commenting on Balint's experience, Gerckens said, "She is very knowledgeable both with the mental game as well as the mechanics of pitching. Our pitchers and catchers are already eager to work with her and learn from her."
 
Balint joins the Triton softball staff after a stellar career at Oregon and San Diego State.
 
The right-hander finished her Aztec career with a 43-19 record, 10 saves and a 2.20 ERA in 433 1/3 innings, striking out 504 against 120. In 2022, Balint was named to the first-team All-NFCA West Region and the Mountain West Pitcher of the Year.
 
She earned All-Mountain West honors for three consecutive years and was named MW Pitcher of the week nine times before taking the conference title. In her time as an Aztec, Balint was name all-conference three times and was named to all-NFCA West Region two times.
 
At the University of Oregon, Balint had a 28-4 record helping the Ducks to a 53-10 finish in 2018. In her freshman season, she helped Oregon reach the semifinals of the WCWS and finish with a 54-8 record. In her breakout season, she was 21-3 with a 1.22 ERA and three saves in 126 innings, striking out 152 batters.
 
Balint earned first-team All-Region and All-Pac-12 honors, and being a finalist for the NFCA National Freshman of the Year award, she was one of 34 finalists (and the only freshman) for the USA Softball Player of the Year award. She was also on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team and earned a spot on the NCAA All-Eugene Regional team.
 
Balint majored in interdisciplinary studies at San Diego State and also has a Master's degree in education counseling.
 
SPERL ADDED TO COACHING STAFF
Dan Sperl brings over 10 years of experience to UC San Diego, including time at Big West member Cal State Bakersfield.
 
"I'm excited to remain in the Big West Conference and to work with such a talented, welcoming and committed group of coaches and scholar-athletes," Sperl said, "I'm so impressed with all that this city and campus have to offer our scholar-athletes and am looking forward to playing my small role in what I believe is a very bright future for Triton softball."
 
Sperl joins the Tritons most recently from Cal State Bakersfield where he led the program as the head coach for the 'Runners from 2019 to 2022. During his tenure, Sperl improved the 'Runners in nearly every statistical category including a 40-point improvement in Big West Conference batting average. He also coached two All-League Selections in Karissa Munsey and Savanna Montoya while competing against nation's 57th-toughest strength of schedule.
 
WHO'S BACK?
The team is returning 15 players, six seniors: Teagan Dobson, Zoë Richards, Mariah Melendez, Deena Pederson, Shelby Thompson, and Gabby Williams, four juniors: Marissa Hassis, Alexa DeMarse, Reilly Erickson, and Morgan Eng, five sophomores: Kayleigh Coberly, Lily Hermosillo, Georgia Heathcock, Hailey Mulligan, and Claire Adams.
 
NEW FACES
Joining the team this season are four new additions with three true freshmen: Lexi O'Gorman, Brooklyn Lee, and Jackie Tremper, and one junior transfer: India Caldwell.
 
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.
 
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 began a new era in 2020 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 earned 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 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.