SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Softball team will host four teams this upcoming weekend in the first of two UC Santa Barbara tournaments. The Gauchos will welcome Michigan, Northern Colorado, Sacramento State and St. John's to Campus Diamond from Friday, Feb. 23 through Sunday, Feb. 25.

LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos come into the weekend after a 3-2 outing in the UNLV Desert Classic. The Gauchos defeated Bradley and UNLV twice but dropped both games to Iowa State by a total of three runs. Over the weekend UC Santa Barbara had four players hit over .400 on the weekend. Jazzy Santos led the bunch hitting .529 including hitting her first career home run as a Gaucho. Ainsley Waddell, Tehya Banks and Madelyn McNally also all hit over .400 on the weekend. 

WADDELL EARNS WEEKLY AWARD
Freshman Ainsley Waddell was recently named The Big West Freshman of the Week after an impressive weekend at the UNLV Desert Classic. At the plate the Sequoia High School product put a .500/.526/.778 slashline together. Of her nine hits three went for extra bases including her first career home run in the Blue and Gold. She was equally as dominate on the mound throwing 12.1 innings, striking out 13 and posting a 1.70 earned run average. Additionally, she also earned her first win with a complete-game outing against UNLV.

MCNALLY EXTENDS HITTING STREAK
Senior infielder, Madelyn McNally extended her hitting streak to 13 games. Dating back to the 2023 season McNally ended the season on a three-game streak and has now hit safely in all 10 games for the Gauchos so far this season. The senior currently paces the team with a .455 batting average and has recorded 15 hits, two of which have been for extra bases.

SERIES HISTORY
NORTHERN COLORADO: The Gauchos and Bears have played nine previous times. UC Santa Barbara holds a 6-3 edge over the Bears with their last win coming last season in the Silicon Valley Invitational. The Gauchos won 9-1 in five innings.

MICHIGAN: UC Santa Barbara and Michigan have met three times prior to this upcoming contest. The Gauchos have never beaten the Wolverine. The last contest between the two teams was nearly 15 years ago during the 2008 season. Michigan defeated the Gauchos 9-1 in six innings during the NFCA Leadoff Classic.

FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara opens up the tournament against Northern Colorado on Friday, Feb. 23 at 9 a.m. For those unable to attend the game will be streamed through ESPN+ with live stats available.