NORTHRIDGE, Calif. - The UC Santa Barbara Softball team (27-21, 16-8 Big West) looks ahead to their final series of the regular season this weekend at CSUN (22-23, 15-9 Big West), with a lot to play for. Whoever wins the series has a decent chance at being the two-seed in next week's inaugural Big West Championship, a double-elimination format where the top two teams receive first round byes. The Gauchos and Matadors are slated for a doubleheader Friday afternoon with the final game Saturday at 1 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
The Gauchos hosted UC Davis last weekend for their final home series of the year. All three games were close, beginning with Malaya Johnson's 1-hit shutout on Saturday to guide the Gauchos to a 1-0 win. The Aggies took a 3-2 victory in game one of Sunday's doubleheader before UC Santa Barbara honored their seniors for Senior Day prior to game two. Again, Johnson was magnificent, tossing a 1-run complete game in the Gauchos' 3-1 celebratory win to win the series.

SCOUTING THE MATADORS
CSUN has been the Big West's model of consistency this season, winning all of their series outside of a sweep at the hands of Cal State Fullerton. Since that sweep, the Matadors have won five of their last seven games, the two losses being one-run affairs. Currently tied for third with a 15-9 conference record, it has been quite the turnaround for the program who finished ninth with a 9-18 conference record in 2024.
 
Sophomore Tiara Westbrook is unquestionably CSUN's most dangerous hitter. Hitting out of the three-hole, not only does she lead the team in batting average (.369), she provides a ton of power—her nine homers on the year are six more than any other Matador. Naturally, her 34 RBIs and 1.076 OPS are both team-highs and top-five among all Big West hitters.
 
In the circle, the Gauchos are most likely to see Lauryn Carranco and Isabella Alonso, who have pitched 278 of the team's 302 innings this season. Carranco has been effective and a workhorse, boasting a 2.70 ERA (third in the Big West) while pitching 160.2 innings (second most in the Big West). Alonso, meanwhile, logged either a win or save in three of her last four appearances with a 4.12 overall ERA on the year.
 
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
1. Cal State Fullerton (19-5)
2. UC Santa Barbara (16-8)
T-3. CSUN (15-9)
T-3. Hawai'i (15-9)
5. Long Beach State (14-10)
6. UC San Diego (12-12)
7. UC Riverside (10-14)
8. UC Davis (8-16)
9. Cal State Bakersfield (7-17)
10. Cal Poly (4-20)
 
FOLLOW ALONG
Friday's doubleheader at Matador Diamond is set to begin at 1 p.m., with Saturday's game also at 1 p.m. At least the first two games can be streamed on ESPN+ with live stats available at ucsbgauchos.com/SoftballLiveStats.