CSUN
Mustangs Open Road Stretch at CSUN March 21-22
3/18/2026 1:47:00 PM | Softball
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Playing three of its next four Big West series away from home, the Cal Poly softball program visits CSUN for a Saturday, March 21 doubleheader and Sunday, March 22 matchup. First pitch on ESPN+ each afternoon is 1 p.m. for Cal Poly (6-19, 0-6), which – three games behind joint fourth-place programs CSUN (7-15, 3-3), Hawai’i (11-13, 3-3) and Cal State Bakersfield (5-22, 3-3) in the conference standings – looks to close the gap on the final spot for the six-team, May 6-9 Big West Championship. CSUN, possessing the Big West’s third highest ERA (6.70), plays – during Saturday’s opener – just its fourth home game at Matador Diamond this season after hosting UC Riverside (March 6-7).
CAL POLY VERSUS CSUN: The Mustangs produced a 2024 sweep at CSUN before the Matadors swept Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo last spring. CSUN leads the all-time series, 92-62-1, dating to the first matchup – a Cal Poly home doubleheader sweep – on April 30, 1977.
VENEGAS LOCKED ON TARGET: Only one player in NCAA Division I softball has thrown out more runners than Cal Poly sophomore catcher Maya Venegas, who has taken out 11 would-be basestealers in 24 appearances. Cal Poly’s co-leader with four doubles, Venegas threw out a career best three Sacramento State baserunners during the program’s Feb. 19 home opener. Drexel sophomore Macie Bergmann leads the nation with 12 thrown-out runners. Two seasons ago, Cal Poly catcher Julia Barnett finished second nationally with 19 thrown-out runners.
FRESHMEN FUEL THE OFFENSE: Three of Cal Poly’s top four hitters entering the March 21-22 series at CSUN are freshmen with first baseman Myleigh Cooper (.357) topping the lineup while third baseman Leilani Allen (.288) is third followed by shortstop Madi Bohannon (.273). Cooper, one of two Mustangs to start all 25 games alongside second baseman Sienna Erskine, also leads Cal Poly with 25 hits, eight multi-hit games, 10 RBI and four doubles. Allen, meanwhile, is second in the lineup with 17 hits. Junior center fielder A’Niyla Byrd ranks second in the lineup with a .300 mark.
Attention baserunners: proceed at your own risk. Don't say we didn't warn you!#RideHigh pic.twitter.com/aSTYcdmXus
— Cal Poly Softball (@CalPolySoftball) March 17, 2026
CONDON ON THE VERGE OF MORE HISTORY: The first and only female head coach in Big West history to coach 1,000 games at a member program in any sport, 22nd-year Cal Poly head coach Jenny Condon requires just eight more victories to become the sixth coach in conference history to reach 500 career wins. The winningest female head coach in university history, Condon ranks sixth in Big West history with both 492 total victories and 210 conference wins. A four-time Big West Coach of the Year honoree, Condon has accounted for 41 percent of the program’s 1,202 all-time victories.
LOOKING AHEAD (MARCH 28-29): Cal Poly returns home to host UC Riverside (3-18, 1-5) for a Saturday, March 28 doubleheader and Sunday, March 29 single matchup at Bob Janssen Field. First pitch is 1 p.m. each day for Cal Poly, which has produced series wins against UC Riverside in two of the last three years.
Mustangs play three of their next four Big West series on the road, starting March 21-22 @CSUNSoftball!
— Cal Poly Softball (@CalPolySoftball) March 16, 2026
3?/2?1? Doubleheader at 1 p.m.
3?/2?2? Single Game at 1 p.m. pic.twitter.com/OWigex12qW
