Spring Trip to California Up Next for Softball Team

A seven-game trip to Southern California is ahead for the Princeton softball team as the Tigers head west for their annual spring trip and the final games before Ivy League play begins March 23 at Columbia. Princeton will start with five games at an event co-hosted by Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton before playing midweek games at Cal Baptist and UC San Diego.

Princeton stands 5-4 entering the week with a pair of juniors leading the team at the plate in Lauren Sablone, with a slash line of .391/.417/.696, and Sophia Marsalo, with a slash line of .364/.462/.500. Rookie Cassidy Shaw leads the team in innings pitched, throwing 20 1/3 of the team's 53 2/3 innings.

Here's a look at the Tigers' competition for the trip.

vs. Toledo, Friday, 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT, at Fullerton | Live Stats | Tickets (All fans)
The Rockets are 6-7 heading into a Wednesday game at Long Beach State and were picked seventh in the Mid-American Conference preseason poll. First baseman Riley Mohr was a first-team All-MAC honoree, and shortstop Eli Enriquez leads the nation in stolen bases per game at 1.00 and is 14th nationally with a .500 batting average. Princeton and Toledo have met just once, a Tiger win at Liberty in 2015.

at Cal State Fullerton, Friday, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets (All fans)
The Titans are 11-9 heading into a Thursday game against Toledo. Cal State Fullerton was the preseason Big West softball pick, and the Titans return infielder Hannah Becerra, a 2023 Big West first-teamer. Outfielder Megan Delgadillo ranks fourth in the nation in hits (34) and sixth in stolen bases (14) while pitcher Staci Chambers has the sixth-best strikeout-to-walk ratio at 15.33 Ks per walk. Princeton is 1-2 all-time against the Titans, winning in Fullerton in 2004 before two Fullerton wins in 2016, at Fullerton and Long Beach State.

vs. Grand Canyon, Saturday, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, at Long Beach | Live Stats | Tickets (All fans)
Grand Canyon is 16-4 heading into a Friday game against San Diego State, which will be the team's first game away from campus this season. Utility player Kristin Fifield is 13th in the nation in RBIs, with 26. The Antelopes were the preseason pick in the WAC and had the preseason Player of the Year in Fifield, one of two preseason Pitchers of the Year in Meghan Golden, and had five of the 12 players on the preseason All-WAC team, in Fifield, Golden, infielder Katelyn Dunckel, infielder Ramsay Lopez, and pitcher Ariel Thompson. Grand Canyon is 4-0 against Princeton, winning twice in 2014 at Santa Clara and twice in 2018 at Grand Canyon.

at Long Beach State, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT | Live Stats | Tickets (All fans)
The 49ers are 3-17 heading into Wednesday's game against Toledo. Long Beach State was picked second in the Big West preseason poll. Infielder Jacquelyn Bickar, pitcher Shannon Haddad, and outfielder Sara Olson were All-Big West first-teamers last year, and Makayla Medellin was the conference's Freshman Field Player of the Year last year. Long Beach State is 2-0 all-time against the Tigers, winning in 1996 in Columbus, Ga., and in 2016 in Lakewood, Calif.

vs. North Dakota, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, at Fullerton | Live Stats | Tickets (All fans)
The Fighting Hawks are 5-16 as they wrap up the Florida portion of their spring trip with games against Southern Indiana and Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday and Wednesday. UND was picked fifth in the Summit League's preseason poll. Pitcher Makaela Carr ranks 11th in the nation at 0.63 walks allowed per seven innings. Princeton won the teams' lone meeting, in Davis, Calif., in 2017.

at California Baptist, Tuesday, March 12, 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT | ESPN+ | Live Stats
The Lancers are 9-10 heading into a Wednesday visit from Fairfield and were picked sixth in the WAC with shortstop Priscilla Estrada was a preseason all-conference pick. CBU ranks 10th in the nation in doubles, with 36, and 14th in doubles per game, at 1.89, paced by Kayla Lyon's fifth-ranked 10 doubles and 11th-ranked 0.56 doubles per game. This will be the first meeting between Princeton and California Baptist.

at UC San Diego, Wednesday, March 13, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT | ESPN+ | Live Audio | Live Stats
The Tritons are 4-14 heading into a Wednesday game at the University of San Diego. UCSD was picked ninth in the Big West preseason poll and has a 2-0 record all-time against Princeton, sweeping a 2022 doubleheader in San Diego.

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