LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego opens the 2025 season at the fourth annual La Jolla Invitational at Triton Softball Field. The Tritons will host BYU, Portland State, and Winthrop over four days of competition, Feb. 6 thru 9.
THE MATCHUPS
UC San Diego ended the 2024 season on a six-game skid after dropping their final two conference matchups to CSUN and Cal Poly. The Tritons are looking for a clean start as they open the weekend and season home in La Jolla. Notable returners are
Morgan Eng,
Alexa DeMarse, and
India Caldwell. Eng finished the 2024 season with a .297 batting average with 34 runs scored, six runs batted in, 17 walks, and 32 stolen bases in her 51 games played. DeMarse joined Eng in all 51 games with 14 runs scored, 12 runs batted in, and 38 total bases. From in the circle, Caldwell led the Triton defense tossing 105 strikeouts over 171.1 innings pitched. The right-hander forced a .277 batting average with only 52 walks and 66 earned runs given up in her 16 complete games pitched.
BYU finished the 2024 season 31-23 overall and 11-16 in the Big 12 Conference. Returning five of their top hitters and three of their aces, the Cougars were selected to finish fifth in the conference preseason poll. At the plate, Lily Owens finished with a .348 batting average after playing 51 games and batting in 40 of her teammates while scoring 54 of her own runs. In the circle, Kate Dahle posted a 4.93 ERA at the end of 2024 with 61 earned runs allowed, 68 strikeouts tossed, and 66 walks over 86.2 innings.
Runners-up to the Big Sky Championship last season, Portland State finished 23-24 overall to earn the third-place spot in their preseason conference poll. The Vikings return 13 veterans and add 11 newcomers with 8 true freshmen and 3 sophomore transfers. Sophomore Lorraine Alo returns to the plate for PSU after averaging .444 batting percentage in her freshman year with five home runs, 32 RBI, and 24 runs scored on a .669 slugging percentage. In the circle, redshirt senior Grace Kimball ended the 2024 season with a 3.45 ERA, tossing 14 complete games, 4 shutouts, 127 strikeouts, and 57 earned runs over 152.1 innings of work.
At the end of the 2024 season, Winthrop earned their way into the Big South Conference tournament after taking the series over the conference's top seed in the final week of regular play. The Eagles went on to come within a game of the championship and a trip to an NCAA Regional. Emma Jackson returns to the plate for Winthrop after scoring 17 runs, batting 27 more, and earning 29 walks in 45 games. Posting a 2.22 ERA over 120 innings of work, Megan Powell returns to the circle for the Eagles. The right-hander tossed 111 strikeouts with only 57 earned runs allowed.
DETAILS
Game 1
vs. BYU
Triton Softball Field
6 p.m. PST | Feb. 6
Watch |
Live Stats
Game 2
vs. Portland State
Triton Softball Field
4:30 p.m. PST | Feb. 7
Watch |
Live Stats
Game 3
vs. BYU
Triton Softball Field
7 p.m. PST | Feb. 7
Watch |
Live Stats
Game 4
vs. Winthrop
Triton Softball Field
4:30 pm PST | Feb. 8
Watch |
Live Stats
Game 5
vs. Portland State
Triton Softball Field
7 p.m. PST | Feb. 8
Watch |
Live Stats
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
2024 Overall: 16-35
2024 Big West: 9-17
2024 Home: 9-16
2024 Away: 3-12
2024 Neutral: 4-7
Streak: N/A
| ABOUT THE COUGARS |
ABOUT THE VIKINGS |
ABOUT THE EAGLES |
| Roster | Sched | Stats |
Roster | Sched | Stats |
Roster | Sched | Stats |
| 2024 Overall: 31-23 |
2024 Overall: 23-24 |
2024 Overall: 26-29 |
| 2024 Big 12: 11-16 |
2024 Big Sky: 8-6 |
2024 Big South: 9-9 |
| 2024 Home: 10-8 |
2024 Home: 11-4 |
2024 Home: 19-8 |
| 2024 Away: 7-12 |
2024 Away: 4-10 |
2024 Away: 7-13 |
| 2023 Neutral: 14-3 |
2023 Neutral: 8-10 |
2023 Neutral: 0-8 |
| Streak: N/A |
Streak: N/A |
Streak: N/A |
FULL LA JOLLA INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
| FEB. 6 | 6 PM |
BYU |
UC SAN DIEGO |
| FEB. 7 | 11 AM |
PORTLAND ST. |
WINTHROP |
| FEB. 7 | 1:30 PM |
WINTHROP |
BYU |
| FEB. 7 | 4:30 PM |
PORTLAND ST. |
UC SAN DIEGO |
| FEB. 7 | 7 PM |
BYU |
UC SAN DIEGO |
| FEB. 8 | 11 AM |
BYU |
WINTHROP |
| FEB. 8 | 1:30 PM |
PORTLAND ST. |
BYU |
| FEB. 8 | 4:30 PM |
WINTHROP |
UC SAN DIEGO |
| FEB. 8 | 7 PM |
PORTLAND ST. |
UC SAN DIEGO |
| FEB. 9 | 12:30 PM |
WINTHROP |
PORTLAND ST. |
UP NEXT
UC San Diego will travel to the Silicon Valley Classic in the Bay Area from Friday, Feb. 14 thru Sunday, Feb. 16. The Tritons will face UIC, San Jose State, Colorado State, and Santa Clara over the three days of competition with game one set for 12 p.m. in San Jose.
CALDWELL NAMED TO BIG WEST PRESEASON TEAM
UC San Diego softball was selected to finish sixth in the Big West as announced in the 2025 Big West Softball Preseason Poll on Thursday afternoon. The Tritons were awarded 43 points by the conference's head coaches and senior,
India Caldwell was named to the preseason team.
The Fallbrook product led the gold and blue defense from in the circle, tossing 105 strikeouts over 171.1 innings pitched. The right-hander forced a .277 batting average with only 52 walks and 66 earned runs given up in her 16 complete games pitched.
BEHIND THE SCENES AT MEDIA DAY
PALMER NAMED HEAD COACH
"I'm thrilled and honored to become the Head Coach at UC San Diego. It's a dream come true to lead the Tritons and uphold their legacy of success. I'm deeply grateful to the hiring committee, Director of Athletics
Earl W. Edwards, and everyone at UC San Diego for this incredible opportunity," Palmer said.
Palmer becomes the 12th coach in program history, taking over a Triton squad which recently completed its four-year NCAA reclassification period from Division II to Division I with 14 All-Big West selections, a Big West pitcher of the year, and three NFCA All-Region selections.
"We are excited to welcome Nikki Palmer back home to UC San Diego," said Director of Athletics
Earl W. Edwards. "The coaching experience she has gained both in The Big West and internationally along with her proven track record of recruiting success will serve us well. Nikki had an impressive career as a Triton scholar-athlete during a period of sustained success in our program's history, and is very familiar with our culture and mission."
In her eight seasons at the helm of UCR, Palmer became the winningest head coach in program history in 2023 and tallied her 200th career-win in the same season. Out of her eight seasons, Palmer holds five of the winningest seasons on the top 10 list. The UC San Diego alumna takes over for her former head coach Patti Gerckens, who led the Tritons for over 30 seasons.
"I also want to thank Athletic Director Wes Mallette, support staff, and the athletes at UC Riverside for their support during my 8 years with the Highlanders. Returning to UC San Diego feels like coming home, and I'm excited to contribute to Triton Athletics' ongoing success," Palmer said. "Together, we'll aim for excellence both on and off the field, inspiring our scholar-athletes to excel. A special thanks to the countless alumni whose unwavering love and support for UC San Diego softball has been evident throughout this journey."
Palmer returns to La Jolla following a solid stint at UC Riverside and prior to that three seasons at Utah Valley. In the Big West, Palmer has coached 13 All-Big West honorees (five First Team), three Big West All-Freshman honorees, four All-Region selections and the 2018 Big West Defensive Player of the Year in Hannah Rodriguez.
SOFTBALL STAFF IS SET
Head coach Nikki Palmer announced the additions of Brittney Fernandez and Kiarra Crockett-Pope to her staff as assistant coaches. Both alumnae of the Big West, Garcia joins UC San Diego from UC Riverside and Crockett-Pope joins from CSUN. The duo brings a combined 8+ years of coaching experience.
In her two seasons at her alma mater, Fernandez helped the Highlanders to a 44-56 record with 10 of her scholar-athletes earning All-Big West distinction. She helped UCR improve their average at the plate as a team and saw their leading hitter improve her average from .343 to .386 with each hitting stat improving.
Prior to coming back to UC Riverside, she enjoyed a highly-successful three-year stint as an assistant coach at Division II power Sonoma State from 2020 to 2022. The Seawolves went 59-26 with Fernandez in the dugout while racking up four NFCA All-Region and 10 All-California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) selections.
In her first coaching stint, Crockett-Pope helped guide Loyola Marymount to a 37-17 record in 2022 and its first West Coast Conference title in program history before an NCAA Regional appearance at UCLA, where the Lions downed Ole Miss in the opener.
Crockett-Pope joined UC Riverside in the summer of 2022, where she helped the Highlanders to a 44-56 record with 10 of her scholar-athletes earning All-Big West distinction. The Highlanders' pitching staff posted a 2.85 ERA in Crockett-Pope's first season with the ace tossing 130 strikeouts over 146.2 innings.
WHO'S BACK?
The team is returning 10 players, five seniors:
Morgan Eng,
India Caldwell,
Reilly Erickson,
Alexa DeMarse, and
Marissa Hassis; four juniors:
KayLeigh Coberly,
Lily Hermosillo,
Hannah Allen, and
Claire Adams; one sophomore:
Jackie Tremper.
NEW FACES
Head coach Nikki Palmer brought in six transfers, one senior,
Jaden Hill, one junior,
Haley Garcia, and four sophomores:
Zara Wasserman,
Gabrielle Flores,
Elise Nishimura, and
Chloe Lesko. Plus, nine true freshmen will don the gold and blue this season:
Alyssa Doucette,
Scarlette Chapman,
Lexi Ellenwood,
Ryanna Alano,
Samantha Womack,
Alexis Jimenez,
Lauren Rozell,
Emma Umemura, and
Callie Christian.
PALMER JOINS TRITONCAST
On this week's show, it's our 2025 UC San Diego softball season preview! New head coach and Triton alum Nikki Palmer joins us in the Triton Spotlight to talk about building on the tradition and foundation, and what kind of team we can expect to see at Triton Softball Field this season. As always, host
Jeff Tourial takes us around campus for the latest in Triton Athletics.
Episode 111 of
Tritoncast, the official podcast for UC San Diego Athletics, has dropped and is available to download or stream on every major podcast platform.
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 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.
