This Week in Cougar Athletics: Feb. 18-24

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SAN MARCOS, Calif. – The spring sports season will be in full swing this week for Cal State San Marcos Athletics as men’s golf, baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball and men’s and women’s track & field all compete.

Men’s golf will get the week started at the CSUSB Coyote Classic in San Bernardino on Monday and Tuesday.

Men’s and women’s basketball will play at San Francisco State on Thursday. From there, they’ll travel to Rohnert Park to face Sonoma State on Saturday. Both of the women’s games will take place at 5:30 p.m. while the men’s games will begin at 7:30 p.m.

Softball will go on the road to face Cal State East Bay in a four-game series. The Cougars will play at noon and 2 p.m. on Friday before rounding out the weekend with games at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Baseball will play a home-and-home series against Cal State Dominguez Hills this weekend. The Cougars and Toros will play in Carson on Friday and Saturday at 2 p.m. before playing a doubleheader at CSUSM Baseball Field on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.

The 2019 men’s and women’s track & field season will get underway this weekend as Claremont-Mudd-Scripps hosts the Rossi Relays on Saturday in Claremont beginning at 11 a.m.

MEN’S GOLF
Monday, Feb. 18 – Tuesday, Feb. 19
CSUSB Coyote Classic
Beaumont, Calif. – Oak Valley Golf Club (par 72, 6,749 yards)
Live Scoring

CSUSM TOP FIVE
1. Ryan Bisharat (San Diego/Cathedral Catholic HS)
2. Daniel Kim Arredondo (Chula Vista/Christian HS)
3. Justin Vrzich (El Cajon/Cuyamaca College)
4. Jordan McBrayer (Carlsbad/Regis)
5. Matthew Moss (San Diego/Point Loma HS)
Individual – Tommy Jernigan (El Cajon/Valhalla HS)

TEAMS
Biola, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State San Bernardino “B” Team, Cal State San Marcos, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Colorado State-Pueblo, Colorado School of Mines, La Verne, La Verne “B” Team, Redlands, Redlands “B” Team, Stanislaus State

*rankings by Golfstat.com

THIS SEASON •The Cougars placed fourth at their own tournament, the CSUSM Fujikura Invitational, on Feb. 5-6 at Shadowridge Golf Club.
•Freshman Daniel Kim Arredondo was CSUSM’s top golfer with an even-par 144 and a share of sixth place.
•Randy Vergel de Dios, playing as an individual, matched his career-low 71 to post his best collegiate finish at tied for ninth.

CSUSB COYOTE CLASSIC •This marks the first time CSUSM has competed in the CSUSB Coyote Classic.
•Prior to their two-year hiatus, CSUSB hosted the Coyote Classic eight consecutive years.
•This is the first time CSUSB has hosted the tournament at Oak Valley Golf Club in Beaumont. It was previously hosted at Arrowhead Country Club in San Bernardino.

THE HUTTON FILE •Head coach Greg Hutton has been at the helm of the men’s program since the 2010-11 season and was named the women’s head coach in 2014.
•Under Hutton’s leadership, the women’s team won CSUSM’s first CCAA Championship in school history in 2018.
•Both teams qualified for the NCAA Regional Championships last season.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Feb. 21 – 5:30 p.m.
Cal State San Marcos (13-9, 10-8 CCAA) at San Francisco State (9-14, 8-10)
San Francisco – The Swamp
Live Stats | Live Video ($)

Saturday, Feb. 23 – 5:30 p.m.
Cal State San Marcos at Sonoma State (10-11, 8-10)
Rohnert Park, Calif. – The Wolves’ Den
Live Stats | Live Video ($)

PREVIOUS WEEK •The Cougars completed a series sweep over Cal State L.A. on Thursday with a 58-49 victory over the Golden Eagles.
•CSUSM closed out the weekend with a 76-64 win against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday. The game was highlighted with the Cougars’ highest field goal percentage of the season at 62.5 percent.
•Jon’Nae Vermillion remains in seventh in points and moved up to ninth in rebounding in the CCAA, averaging 14.3 and 8.4 per game, respectively.
•Emma Forel also ranks in the top 10 in scoring at eighth in the CCAA, averaging 14.3 points per game.
•CSUSM ranks second in the CCAA in field-goal percentage with a 42.1 average.
•The Cougars are fourth in the CCAA standings, one game ahead of Chico State, entering the final two weeks of conference play.

THURSDAY NIGHT AT SAN FRANCISCO STATE •The Gators defeated Cal State East Bay 87-82 last Thursday before giving Cal State Monterey Bay its first win of the season, falling 74-55 to the Otters.
•The Cougars hold a 3-2 advantage over SF State in the all-time series, splitting the series last season with each team winning on the road.
•CSUSM dropped a 53-49 decision to the Gators on Dec. 8 in The Sports Center.
•The Gators rank last in defense in the CCAA, giving up an average of 72.0 points per game. On the flip side, SF State is averaging the second highest steals percentage at 9.78 per game.
•Jhaina Stephens continues to lead SF State with 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
•SF State is in a three-way tie for eighth place alongside Cal State Dominguez Hills and Sonoma State.

WRAP UP ROAD SCHEDULE AT SONOMA STATE •Last week, SSU took care of business with a 72-60 victory at Cal State Monterey before falling 59-49 at Cal State East Bay.
•The Cougars hold a 5-2 all-time series lead over the Seawolves, with their only losses coming in the Wolves’ Den.
•CSUSM recorded a 72-54 victory against SSU on Jan. 3, sparking a three-game win streak for the Cougars.
•The Seawolves’ offense ranks second to last in the CCAA, averaging only 59.3 point per game, but they are holding their opponents to just 61.9 points per game which ranks third in the conference.
•Ugochi Anudokem is the CCAA rebounding leader and No. 3 in the nation, averaging 12.7 per game.
•SSU is in a three-way tie for eighth place alongside Cal State Dominguez Hills and SF State.

THE JIMENEZ FILE •Head coach Renee Jimenez enters her fourth season in charge of the Cougar women’s basketball team, a program that is only in its eighth season of existence.
•In her eleven seasons coaching in the CCAA, Jimenez has compiled a 166-128 (.565) coaching record. She spent two seasons at Cal State San Bernardino after a five-year stint at Cal State Monterey Bay

MEN’S BASKETBALL
Thursday, Feb. 21 – 7:30 p.m.
CSUSM (6-18, 3-15 CCAA) vs. San Francisco State (15-8, 11-7 CCAA)
San Franciso, Calif. – The Swamp
Live Stats | Live Video ($)

Saturday, Feb. 23 – 7:30 p.m.
CSUSM vs. Sonoma State (8-14, 6-12 CCAA)
Rohnert Park, Calif. – The Wolves’ Den
Live Stats | Live Video ($)

PREVIOUS WEEK •The Cougars earned a 12-point victory over Cal State L.A. last Thursday by a score of 82-70.
•Dalton Soffer posted a game-high 22 points while Khalil Fuller tallied his sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds.
•CSUSM lost a tough one on Saturday as Cal State Dominguez Hills drained a late three to earn a 69-66 win.
•Fuller posted a team-high 18 points with eight rebounds while Darae Elliott tallied 17 points with nine rebounds.

THURSDAY AT SFSU •San Francisco State is currently fourth in the CCAA standings with an 11-7 conference record and a 15-8 overall record.
•The Gators took a 77-64 loss to Cal State East Bay before earning an 85-64 victory at Cal State Monterey Bay last week.
•SFSU has the sixth-best scoring offense in the league at 74.4 points per game and the fifth-best defense in the conference at 68.6 points allowed per game.
•Jiday Ugbaja is 10th-leading scoring in the CCAA at 13.3 points per game.
•The Gators defeated the Cougars 76-67 on Dec. 8 at The Sports Center.
•CSUSM is 2-4 in the all-time series against SFSU and is 1-1 when playing in San Francisco.

ROUNDING OUT THE WEEKEND AT SONOMA STATE •The Seawolves are currently 11th in the CCAA standings with a 6-12 conference record and an 8-14 overall record.
•SSU tallied an 81-64 win over Cal State Monterey Bay before posting a narrow 66-65 loss to Cal State East Bay last week.
•The Seawolves’ 69.3 points per game rank 10th in the CCAA while their 71.3 points allowed per game ranks eighth.
•Isaac Davidson is tied with Khalil Fuller for the sixth-most points per game in the league at 14.3.
•The Cougars took an 80-66 loss to the Seawolves on Jan. 3 at The Sports Center.
•CSUSM and SSU are knotted at 3-3 in the all-time series and are also 1-1 when playing at The Wolves’ Den.

THE FOSTER FILE •Head coach B.J. Foster enters his third season in charge of the CSUSM Men’s Basketball program after taking over the head position in 2016.
•Under his leadership, the Cougars advanced to the CCAA Tournament for the first time in 2017-18 after finishing the season with a 15-7 conference record and a 20-9 overall record.
•Prior to becoming head coach of the Cougars, Foster was an assistant coach with the team from 2013 to 2016.
•Foster has tallied a career record of 46-37 (.554).

SOFTBALL
Friday, Feb. 22 – Noon (DH)
Saturday, Feb. 23 – 11 a.m. (DH)
CSUSM (1-5) at Cal State East Bay
Hayward, Calif. | Pioneer Softball Field
Live Stats

PREVIOUS WEEK •The Cougars recorded their first win of 2019 in walk-off fashion, tallying a 5-4 victory over Concordia Portland.
•CSUSM’s doubleheader at Azusa Pacific was canceled due to field conditions from heavy rain and will not be rescheduled.
•Melody Forstie is riding a six-game hitting streak with three being multi-hit games.
•Jaqlyn Newhouser is tied for second in the CCAA with seven walks.

NORTH BOUND TO CAL STATE EAST BAY •The Cougars hold a 7-3 led in the all-time series against the Pioneers.
•CSUSM won the 2018 series, recording wins in the first three games (4-0, 4-2, 7-2) before falling 5-4 in the finale.
•The Pioneers had last week’s series at Cal State San Bernardino cancelled due to rain.
•CSUEB hasn’t played since competing in the Dixie State Courtyard Classic Feb. 7-9.
•CCAA Player of the Week for Feb. 4-10, Sarah Fukushima has a team-leading 12 hits, three doubles and eight RBIs for CSUEB.
•CSUEB was picked to finish tied for eighth in the CCAA preseason coaches’ poll.

THE EWING FILE •Head coach Stef Ewing enters her first season in charge of the Cougar softball season as the fourth head coach in program history.
•Ewing captured her first win as a collegiate head coach on Feb. 17th as the Cougars won 5-4 in a walk-off over Concordia Portland at CSUSM Softball Field.
•She previously served as the assistant coach at New Mexico State where she helped the Aggies to three WAC Regular Season Conference Championships and two WAC Conference Tournament Championships.

BASEBALL
Friday, Feb. 22 – 2 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 23 – 2 p.m.
CSUSM (7-3, 3-1 CCAA) at Cal State Dominguez Hills (1-4, 0-4 CCAA)
Carson, Calif. – Toro Field
Live Stats | Live Video ($)

Sunday, Feb. 24 – 11 a.m. (DH)
CSUSM vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills
San Marcos, Calif. – CSUSM Baseball Field
Live Stats | Cougar Sports Network

PREVIOUS WEEK •The Cougars earned their first-ever series win over Cal State East Bay as they went 3-1 against the Pioneers this past weekend at CSUSM Baseball Field.
•CSUSM blasted CSUEB in the first game of the series with an overwhelming 18-2 victory.
•The Cougars then suffered a 6-5 loss to the Pioneers in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader.
•The rain couldn’t hold down the Cougars on Saturday as they earned a walk-off 11-10 win in 11 innings and a 13-4 victory in the series finale to take the series.
•With 10 games under its belt, CSUSM leads the league in team batting average (.334), run scored (78), hits (115) and sacrifice flies (7) while ranking second for ERA (3.81), triples (4), home runs (8), total bases (166) and slugging percentage (.483).
•Austin Ott leads the league with 14 runs scored and two triples while Grant Buck leads the conference with 13 RBIs and three home runs.
•Mike Lopez has tallied a league-leading 25 strikeouts in three starts.
•The Cougars came in at No. 9 in the first NCBWA NCAA Division II West Region Poll on Feb. 18.

HOME-AND-HOME AGAINST CSUDH •The Toros are 1-4 to start the season as they earned a 5-4 win against Concorida Irvine before being swept in a four-game series against No. 16 Cal Poly Pomona this past weekend.
•CSUDH is hitting a league-worst .235 while owning the second-worst ERA in the conference at 7.74.
•The Cougars are 9-7 in the all-time series against the Toros and have won the past three contests.
•In Carson, CSUSM is 6-4 while the series is tied at 3-3 when playing in San Marcos.

THE GUILIANO FILE •Head coach Matt Guiliano enters his third season at the helm of the Cougars baseball program.
•Prior to making his way to San Marcos, Guiliano was the head coach for nine seasons (2008-16) at his alma mater Sioux Falls.
•Guiliano is a 2006 graduate of the University of Sioux Falls and a 2001 graduate of Valley Center High School.
•Guiliano is 44-69 (.389) as CSUSM’s head coach and is 219-302-1 (.421) for his entire head coaching career.

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD
Saturday, Feb. 23 – 11 a.m.
23rd Annual Rossi Relays
Claremont, Calif. – Burns Track Complex
Live Results

SEASON OPENER AT THE ROSSI RELAYS •CSUSM will begin its 2019 season at the Rossi Relays hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at the Burns Track Complex in Claremont.
•Field events will begin at 11 a.m. while running events will start at 11:30 a.m.
•The full schedule of events can be found here.

THE OLSON FILE •Head coach Torrey Olson begins his first season at the helm of the men’s and women’s track and field programs after taking over in the summer of 2018.
•Olson came to CSUSM after spending three seasons as the Director of Track & Field and Cross Country at the Academy of Art University where his teams earned 50-plus All-American honors.
•Olson served as the head cross country coach the previous three years at Academy of Art.
•In addition to the Academy of Art, Olson has also worked with the University of San Francisco and Pomona-Pitzer College.
•A graduate of Pomona College in 2009, Olson also holds an MFA from St. Mary’s College (2012).

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