Cal State Bakersfield
Cal Poly Begins Big West Road Stretch at Cal State Bakersfield April 3-4
4/1/2026 10:06:00 AM | Softball
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Three of the Cal Poly softball program’s four April Big West series occur on the road as the Mustangs visit Cal State Bakersfield for a Friday, April 3 solo matchup at 2:30 p.m. and a Saturday, April 4 doubleheader at 12 noon. After winning two of three home contests last weekend against UC Riverside, eighth-place Cal Poly (9-22, 3-9) sits just a game behind Cal State Bakersfield (6-27, 4-8) in the Big West standings. The Mustangs also trail sixth-place CSUN (9-20, 5-7) by just two games with the top six programs in the standings qualifying for the May 6-9 Big West Championship.
CAL POLY VERSUS CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD: Cal Poly has won 11 of its 12 Big West matchups against Cal State Bakersfield since the Roadrunners joined the conference ahead of the 2021 season. California Collegiate Athletic Association foes from 1985-94, Cal Poly leads the all-time series against Cal State Bakersfield, 46-40.
VENEGAS LOCKED ON TARGET: Only three players in NCAA Division I softball have thrown out more runners than Cal Poly sophomore catcher Maya Venegas, who has taken out 12 would-be basestealers in 30 appearances. Cal Poly’s leader and ranked third among Big West players with six doubles, Venegas threw out a career best three Sacramento State baserunners during the program’s Feb. 19 home opener. Lafayette senior Maggie Klug leads the nation with 14 thrown-out runners while sophomores Gracie Alejo (East Texas A&M) and Macie Bergmann (Drexel) rank second with 13 apiece. Two seasons ago, Cal Poly catcher Julia Barnett finished second nationally with 19 thrown-out runners.
FRESHMEN FUEL THE OFFENSE: Cal Poly’s top two hitters entering the April 3-4 series at Cal State Bakersfield are freshmen with first baseman Myleigh Cooper (.363) topping the lineup while third baseman Leilani Allen (.354) is second. Cooper, one of two Mustangs to start all 31 games alongside second baseman Sienna Erskine, also leads Cal Poly with 33 hits and 11 multi-hit games. Allen, having reached base in 10 straight games and batting .550 (11-for-20) during the previous two series, ranks second with 28 hits and six multi-hit outings.
BRENNAN IN THE CIRCLE: Securing just one victory in 19 appearances last season, sophomore righthander Bree Brennan enters the Cal State Bakersfield series having earned five of Cal Poly’s nine victories to rank 10th among conference pitchers. Brennan also sits 11th with 31 strikeouts after registering a career high seven versus Kansas City (Feb. 27) while remaining second on Cal Poly’s staff with 17 appearances, 11 starts and 60.0 innings pitched.
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 five 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 495 total victories and 213 conference wins. A four-time Big West Coach of the Year honoree, Condon has accounted for 41 percent of the program’s 1,205 all-time victories.
LOOKING AHEAD (APRIL 11-12): Cal Poly’s six-game road trip concludes at UC San Diego with a Saturday, April 11 doubleheader at 4 p.m. and Sunday, April 12 solo matchup at 12 noon. Cal Poly and UC San Diego met on 18 occasions between 1987 and 1994 as Division II opponents and then not again until the Tritons joined the Big West ahead of the 2021 season. UC San Diego captured the first two Big West series against the Mustangs – prevailing twice in 2021 and 2022 – before Cal Poly won two of three home matchups in 2023 and swept the Tritons in La Jolla to end the 2024 season. UC San Diego, however, returned the sweep in San Luis Obispo last spring. The Mustangs lead the all-time series, 25-8.
