LA JOLLA, Calif. – UC San Diego softball is back on the road after final exams for a three-game Big West series at Cal State Fullerton this weekend. The Tritons (12-15 overall, 2-4 Big West) took two of three from visiting UC Davis last weekend in La Jolla. Cal State Fullerton is off to a tremendous start in conference action (16-10, 5-1 BW), sitting just one game out of first place in The Big West standings. The Titans are 11-3 at home in 2026. All three games from Fullerton will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with live stats on UCSDTritons.com.
SERIES DETAILS
UC San Diego at Cal State Fullerton
Saturday, 6 p.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats
Sunday, 1 p.m.
ESPN+ |
Live Stats
Sunday game two
ESPN+ |
Live Stats
ABOUT THE TRITONS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 12-15
Big West: 2-4
Home: 11-3
Away: 0-5
Neutral: 1-7
Streak: L1
ABOUT THE TITANS
Roster |
Schedule |
Stats
Overall: 16-10
Big West: 5-1
Home: 11-3
Away: 3-1
Neutral: 2-6
Streak: W2
UP NEXT
UC San Diego is back home for a Big West series next weekend against Long Beach State. The Tritons host the Beach on Friday at 5 p.m. followed by a Saturday doubleheader with game one first pitch at 1. All three games can be seen on ESPN+ and heard on KSDT radio with live stats available on UCSDTritons.com.
OFFENSIVE FIREPOWER
UC San Diego's .317 team batting average, .466 slugging percentage, and 135 runs batted in are all second best in The Big West. The Tritons are third The Big West in scoring (141 runs) and third in home runs (23).
CHERRY BOMB(S)
Sophomore designated player
Maalia Cherry is having a miraculous season at the plate. Entering this weekend, she leads The Big West in:
Slugging percentage (.781)
On-base percentage (.537)
OPS (1.318)
Home runs (seven)
MAALIA MAKES HER MARK
UC San Diego sophomore designated player
Maalia Cherry was named The Big West Softball Field Player of the Week (Feb. 16) after a dominant performance in the USD/UCSD Co-Host Tournament. A first year Triton, Cherry ripped nine hits in 12 at-bats (.750 batting average) — including a double and two homers — as UC San Diego went a perfect 6-0. Cherry slashed .750/1.333/.778 for the week, walking four times while not striking out.
DYLAN DELIVERS
Freshman catcher
Dylan Kunkle was named UCU Athlete of the Week (Feb. 23). She was 4-for-9 (.444) at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic with a two-run homer. She scored a pair of runs and drove in three, making two starts at Mary Nutter.
SETTEMBRO STARTS STRONG
Freshman RHP
Bella Settembro was named Big West Freshman of the Week (Feb. 9). Playing in her first collegiate games, Settembro picked up a win and a save for the Tritons out of the bullpen in the La Jolla Invitational. For the week, she threw seven shutout innings, scattering four walks and seven hits. In her collegiate debut, Settembro threw five shutout innings in relief to secure a 6-2 win over Wagner. The following night, Settembro earned her first save, shutting the door with two scoreless innings as UC San Diego blanked 2025 NCAA Tournament participant Saint Louis, 3-0.
MARLEY'S MARK
First-year Triton
Marley Espiau had a strong UC San Diego debut. She hit .571 (8-for-14) with a homer and nine runs batted in as the Tritons went 4-1 at the fifth annual La Jolla Invitational (Feb. 5-7). Five of her nine hits went for extra bases and she scored six runs. Espiau had an RBI double and a three-run homer in an 11-3 win over 2025 NCAA tournament team Saint Louis on Feb. 6.
HOME COOKING
UC San Diego is 11-3 at Triton Softball Field so far this season. The Tritons' 11 home victories are tied for the most in the conference with Cal State Fullerton.
CHERRY SELECTED TO D1SOFTBALL PRESEASON TOP 100
UC San Diego sophomore
Maalia Cherry has been named to the inaugural D1Softball Preseason Mid-Major D100 list. A first-year Triton, Cherry played her freshman season at Cal State Bakersfield, posting a .336 batting average with 13 home runs and 37 runs batted in. Cherry led The Big West with an OPS of 1.129 and her 13 homers ranked second. During conference play, Cherry paced The Big West with a .526 slugging percentage.
CHERRY NAMED TO BIG WEST PRESEASON TEAM
UC San Diego softball was selected to finish in a tie for fourth place in The Big West, as announced in the 2026 Big West Softball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Tritons were awarded 50 points by the conference's head coaches and sophomore
Maalia Cherry was named to the preseason team.
HEAD COACH NIKKI PALMER
Now in her second season,
Nikki Palmer '07 became the 12th coach in program history, taking over the 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.
In her eight seasons at the helm of UC Riverside, 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.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
Seven true freshmen will don the blue and gold this season: RHP
Alyanna Gonzales, RHP
Bella Settembro, RHP
Auddrey Lira, RHP
Callie Howard, middle infielder
Tori Hinostro, utility
Gianna Ioja, LHP
Zoë Rutherford, and catcher
Dylan Kunkle.
TRANSFER TALENT
Three transfers joined the Tritons for the 2026 season:
Maalia Cherry (Cal State Bakersfield),
Marley Espiau (Utah) and
Tyla Arbuckle (West Valley College).
WHY THE TRITONS?
The Triton is described as the offspring of Poseidon and Amphitrite, a demigod of the sea with a lower part of the body like that of a fish. It is known as a mighty and fierce sea warrior. Given UC San Diego's close proximity to the Pacific Ocean and its connections with the world-famous Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the Triton became our mascot in 1964.
UC SAN DIEGO TO THE WCC
In the fall, UC San Diego announced that it has accepted an invitation to join the West Coast Conference beginning in 2027-28. Triton softball will face a trio of WCC foes this season: Pacific, Seattle U, and USD.
SOFTBALL TALK ON UC SAN DIEGO ATHLETICS' PODCAST
Produced by UC San Diego Athletics, Tritoncast features in-depth interviews with UC San Diego personalities including scholar-athletes, alums, coaches, and administrators. New episodes are available on the most popular podcasting apps and UCSDTritons.com. For individual show information and listen links, follow Tritoncast on X @Tritoncast.
ANDY FEE NAMED ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT UC SAN DIEGO
Andy Fee took the helm of UC San Diego Athletics in September, just the fourth Director of Athletics at UC San Diego since 1966. Fee joined the Tritons after spending the 2024-25 season as Deputy AD at Seattle University. Prior to Seattle U, Fee spent two years at Washington as Deputy AD and Chief of Staff. Before relocating to Seattle, Fee spent five years as Director of Athletics at Long Beach State from 2017 to 2022. The Beach claimed The Big West Commissioner's Cup three times in those five years.
No stranger to conference transition, Fee will help guide the Tritons into the West Coast Conference in 2027-28. He also helped guide Washington into the Big Ten and Seattle U into the WCC in July.
FOLLOW THE TRITONS
Keep up with the Tritons all season long on social media through X, 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 in NCAA Division I. The 24-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 84 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 NCAA Division I or II. For more information on the Tritons, visit UCSDtritons.com or follow UC San Diego Athletics on social media @UCSDtritons.
