The annual Judi Garman Classic softball tournament hosted by CSUF begins today at the Titan Sports Complex.
The tournament will consist of 37 games played over four days on Anderson Family Field and the adjacent secondary field.
Of the 14 teams participating in this year’s tournament, five are ranked in the Top 25 teams in college softball, according to a USA Today coaches’ poll. These teams include Washington (2), Texas (3), LSU (4), Michigan (13) and Texas Tech (25). Last season, Washington made it to the semifinals of the Women’s College World Series before losing to eventual champion, UCLA.
Fresh off splitting doubleheaders in the Mary Nutter Classic last week, the Titans will play their first games of the tournament against Texas Tech this afternoon, which will be followed by another game against California.
The Titans are 8-5 this season. Senior Zoe Richard currently ranks third in batting averages in the Big West Conference at .429. Freshman Megan Delgadillo falls right behind Richard with a .422 batting average, and she is also leading the conference in stolen bases. Averaging one steal a game throughout the first 13 games of her Titan career, Delgadillo is tied for fourth in steals per game among NCAA Division I softball.
The first pitch for the Titans will be against No. 25 Texas Tech on Anderson Family Field at 2:30 p.m. Texas Tech is 10-5 this season, and will be led by junior infielder Breanna Russell, who has a .357 batting average, 13 runs batted in and four home runs.
After that, the Titans will take on California, who are 9-6 this year, at 5 p.m. Junior Chloe Romero anchors the team’s defense in pitching with a 3.43 ERA. Last year, the Titans lost to the Golden Bears, 2-1, at the Mary Nutter Classic.
On Friday evening, the Titans face off against the Boise State Broncos. Scoring runs late in the game may prove difficult for the Titans, as the Broncos boast senior Kelsey Broadus, who is tied for first in shutouts in NCAA Div. I, with four under her belt so far this year.
On Saturday night, the Titans will play Illinois, who split their four games at the Baylor Invitational last week.
CSUF will round out the tournament on Sunday with games against No. 2 Washington and Fresno State.
Washington swept last weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic, including a win against previous No. 3 Oklahoma. Washington is led by senior Taryn Atlee, who has been hitting a batting average of .450.
Fresno State is riding a five-game winning streak after hosting the Fresno State Invitational last week.
Friday evening of the Judi Garman Classic will feature a highly competitive match between No. 2 Washington and No. 3 Texas.
Washington has won eight of their last ten matchups against the Longhorns, including their most recent encounter in 2018.
The tournament kicks off this morning with Loyola Marymount University playing No. 4 LSU.
LSU is 13-1 so far this year, with their only loss against the Ragin’ Cajuns of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
The Tigers made news recently when senior Maribeth Gorsuch pitched the first perfect game in LSU softball history against Belmont. On offense, freshman Taylor Pleasants leads the Tigers with a .500 batting average and 32 at-bats this year.
The tournament is named after former CSUF softball coach Judi Garman. Garman was the first to helm the program when it was established in 1979, and she led the team to win multiple conference titles and a national championship in 1986.
All CSUF games will be broadcasted for free by Big West TV, and the whole tournament will be streamed on Flo Softball.
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