SAN JOSE, Calif. – After a tough start to open the season, the UC Santa Barbara softball program hits the road to compete in the Silicon Valley Classic, co-hosted by San Jose State and Santa Clara. The Gauchos will play five games over three days in the classic.
ABOUT LAST WEEK
The Gauchos dropped their first four games of the season, then got into the win column against Utah Tech, only to fall in a nailbiter to LMU. The Gauchos returned to Campus Diamond to host Kentucky, but unfortunately fell again, starting the season 1-6.
SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS
Illinois State opened the 2026 season by going 2-3 at the USF-Rawlings Invitational. The Redbirds won their first two games before dropping their last three. ISU is coming off a season that saw them go 24-30 overall and 16-11 in the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC).
Morgan Calhoun and Hannah Meshnick lead the way offensively, hitting .462 and .444, respectively. Calhoun recorded six hits, two for extra bases and drove in six runs, the second most on the weekend. Meshnick, a 2026 MVC Preseason All-Conference selection, recorded four hits in nine at-bats with one extra-base hit.
In the circle, Meshnick leads the team in ERA, posting a 3.50 across 12.0 innings with eight strikeouts. Paige McLeod threw the most innings (13.0) over opening weekend for the Redbirds, posting a 4.31 ERA with two strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
The Spartans opened the 2026 season at the Stanford Invitational going 1-4 at the invite. The Spartans are coming off a 22-28 2025 campaign and 9-14 in conference. The Spartans open up the Gauchos at the Classic.
Sophia Burdick and Ahmiya Noriga lead the team offensively, hitting .545 and .417 respectively. Burdick had six hits during the Spartans opening weekend, including a home run while scoring three runs. Noriega recorded five hits, all singles, and drove in two.
The San Jose State pitching staff is headed by two arms, Norah Coulsell and Delaney Faus. The duo combined to throw 21 of the Spartans' 26 total innings. Both do not strikeout a lot of hitters, recording a combined four strikeouts. Teams are also hitting over 3.10 off both Coulsell and Faus.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS
Cal comes into the second weekend of the season, like the Spartans, sitting at 1-4. The Golden Bears dropped their first three games of the season before winning a nailbiter against San Jose State, 1-0. Three of the Golden Bears first five games were against ranked opponents.
Cal's top two hitters are hitting just north of .300; Kayli Counts and Kyndal Todd are both hitting .308 to lead the team. The duo combined to go 8-for-26 with a double, two home runs and six RBIs.
In the circle, Tamya Waiters has proven to be a strong asset out of the bullpen. In three appearances, she has thrown five innings, allowed just one earned run and struck out five. Mya McGowan looks to be the Bears' ace, starting in three games; she leads the team in innings with 12.1 and a 3.41 ERA.
SCOUTING THE BRONCOS
The Gauchos will look to avenge their two losses from last season against Santa Clara. The Broncos opened the season at the Grand Canyon Kickoff Classic, seeing them go 3-2 in five games. Santa Clara won its first three games to open the season before falling twice to the host school, Grand Canyon.
Hazyl Gray and Robynn Balmediano lead the team, each hitting .400 or better. Gray drove in six runs to lead the team during opening weekend, while Balmediano reached base seven times and currently leads the team in on-base percentage.
In the circle, Cari Ferguson dominated, pitching 13 innings, striking out 15 and giving up just one earned run. As a staff, the Broncos posted a 2.31 ERA over the weekend, good for 37
th in the nation. The pitching staff's WHIP also ranks 55
th in the nation.
SCOUTING THE UTES
UC Santa Barbara and Utah will meet for the second time in as many weekends. The Utes got the best of the Gauchos in the first matchup, winning 4-0. Utah finished the weekend 4-1, with their lone loss coming to UCLA.
The Utes currently have four players hitting .375 or better and Hailee White leads the way hitting .500. White had five hits in 10 at-bats during opening weekend, including two triples and driving in two while scoring five runs. Kayla Lyon ranks second on the team in batting average hitting .400 with one double and two home runs.
The Utes threw a handful of pitchers over their first five games. Two of the six that threw accounted for nearly 80 percent of Utah's innings. Shelbee Jones and Hailey Maestretti combined for 25.1 innings, three wins, 17 strikeouts and a sub-2.00 ERA.
FOLLOW ALONG
UC Santa Barbara's games against San Jose State and Santa Clara will be broadcast on the Mountain West Network and ESPN+, respectively, with all other games just having live stats available.
