SAN MARCOS, Calif. – For the second consecutive season the Western Washington University softball team is headed to the NCAA Division II World Series as the West Region champion.

 

Needing a pair of wins Friday over Super Regional host Cal State San Marcos, the Vikings delivered a pair of hard-fought victories punching their ticket to the national championship tournament held May 22-28 at Frost Stadium at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee. WWU made the trek to Florida last year competing in its first NCAA II World Series, reaching the championship final earning national runner-up honors.

 

After dropping Thursday's Super Regional opener 9-0 in 6 innings, the Vikings needed a pair of wins to keep their season alive, and they did just that winning the opener 4-1 and the clinching game 3-2 in comeback fashion. WWU improved to 45-11 overall, 8-1 in the postseason, 5-1 in the NCAA Tournament and have won 24 of the last 26 games heading into the World Series.

 

WWU received a pair of pitching gems from sophomore Kaiana Kong in the opener and senior Joie Baker in the nightcap to limit San Marcos to three runs over the two games, after scoring nine on Thursday. Both logged complete-game victories to clinch the trip to Chattanooga. 

 

Senior Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez had the key hit in the opener with a two-run double off the left field fence to provide enough runs in the 4-1 victory and junior Olivia Matlock needed just one swing of the bat to key the 3-2 win with a three-run home run to left field.

 

Sophomore third baseman Maleah Andrews reached base five times between the two games, including going 3-for-3 in the nightcap, extending her school-record on-base streak to 53 consecutive games.

 

The tournament schedule and seeding for the Division II Softball Championship in Tennessee will be announced later this weekend at NCAA.com.

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WWU becomes the first West Region program to win consecutive regional titles since Cal Poly Humboldt (Humboldt State) in 2016 and 2017 … the Vikings are the only team from the GNAC to reach the D2 Softball World Series, making the conference's first appearance in 2024 reaching the championship series … WWU is 8-1 in the postseason going 3-0 in the GNAC tournament, 3-0 at the East Bay Regional and 2-1 in the Super Regional, with all games played on the road … dating back to the start of the 2024 season, WWU has posted a 97-23 record (.808) … Maleah Andrews recorded her 25th multi-hit game of the season in the second game and heads to the World Series with a school record streak of reaching base safely in 53 consecutive games … Olivia Matlock delivered the game-winning 3-run home run in the bottom of the 4th inning to clinch the Super Regional title … WWU leads the all-time series vs. Cal State San Marcos 5-3 following Friday's wins … Kaiana Kong improved to 13-0 this season and 29-1 in her career with the win in Friday's opener … Joie Baker tallied her 40th career pitching victory tying for 6th-best in program history with sophomore teammate Alli Kimball.

 

 

Needing a victory to force a decisive third game in the Super Regional, the Vikings delivered with a 4-1 victory behind a complete-game victory by sophomore starting pitcher Kaiana Kong.

 

The Vikings got on the scoreboard first breaking up the 0-0 game in the bottom of the 3rd inning with a pair of runs. WWU loaded the bases on a single by Lexi Barcomb, walk to Maleah Andrews and a hit-by-pitch to Hailey Rath. Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez worked a full count before lining a ball off the left field fence for a two-run double.

 

Kanilehua Pitoy added an important insurance run in the 4th inning with a two-out single up the middle to score Laila Carpenter.

 

CSUSM put a pair of runners on base with back-to-back singles to lead off the 5th inning, but Kong got a fly out and induced a groundball double play to end the inning. The Cougars threatened again in the 6th inning pushing across their first run of the game on a bloop single by relief pitcher Dahlia Fink.

 

The Vikings loaded the bases in the bottom of the 6th inning and added another insurance run on a RBI groundout by Rath.

 

CSUSM brought the potential tying run to the plate in the top of the 7th inning, but Kong pinch hitter Olivia Rivera to groundout to end the game forcing the decisive third game.

 

Kong improved to 13-0 on the season scattering nine hits and allowing one run in the complete game. The national leader in strikeout-to-walk ratio battled through three walks and no strikeouts in her outing, getting several outstanding plays by the WWU defense, including a pair of diving catches by outfielders Laila Carpenter and McKenna Crum.

 

A day after setting the WWU all-time hits record, Pitoy went 2-for-3 with one RBI, Andrewjeski-Ramirez had a two-run double and left fielder Lexi Barcomb went 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.

 

 

 

The Cougars got off to a quick start at the plate with a solo home run by first baseman Paige Donnelly in the top of the 1st inning and got a two-out RBI single from Makenzie Guliano in the top of the 2nd to build a 2-0 lead.

 

WWU went ahead with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the 4th inning when Olivia Matlock cleared the left field fence for her 7th home run of the season. Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez led off the inning with four-pitch walk and the Vikings put a pair of runners in scoring position when Paris Dellamaggiore reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt. Matlock lifted the first pitch from Jayline Sloss over the left field fence.

 

CSUSM put the potential tying run on base in the top of the 6th inning, but Baker got Lombardi to line into a hard-hit double play to third base. Baker worked a 1-2-3 top of the 7th inning to record the complete-game victory.

 

Andrews finished 3-for-3 extending her school-record streak of reaching base safely to 53 consecutive games. Matlock hit her 7th home run of the season going 1-for-3. Baker improved to 15-7 on the season while logging the complete game victory, allowing four hits in 7.0 innings.

 

 

The Vikings (45-11) advance to the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Finals as one of eight teams in the nation to play in the College World Series at Frost Stadium at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The tournament schedule will be released over the weekend with games beginning Thursday, May 22. The complete 2025 schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/Team33 with links to season statistics, photo galleries and program history.

 

Here is a look at the West Super Regional Schedule with the best-of-three series played at CSUSM Softball Field on the campus of Cal State San Marcos. WWU won its second consecutive West Region title earning one of eight spots in the D2 College Softball World Series held May 22-28 at Frost Stadium at Warner Park in Chattanooga, Tennessee:

 

• Thursday, May 15 (Game 1): No. 3 Cal State San Marcos 9, No. 4 Western Washington 1
• Friday, May 16 (Game 2): No. 4 Western Washington 4, No. 3 Cal State San Marcos 1
• Friday, May 16 (Game 3): No. 4 Western Washington 3, No. 3 Cal State San Marcos 2

 

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025 season:

 

 

WWU is making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Division II Softball Championships and second consecutive after the historic run to the NCAA II World Series in 2024. Entering the 2024 postseason with one NCAA Tournament victory, the Vikings went 10-5 during the run to the national championship series. Prior to moving to the NCAA level in 1999, WWU won the NAIA World Series in 1998 for the first team national championship in WWU Athletics history. Here is a look at the Vikings game-by-game listing in the NCAA Championships with the regional host site listed next to the year:

 

2003 (Bakersfield, CA):

Lost to UC Davis, 4-2

Lost to Humboldt State, 7-1

 

2007 (Turlock, CA):

Lost to Stanislaus State, 2-0

Lost to Sonoma State, 3-1

 

2011 (Chico, CA):

Lost to Chico State, 3-1

Lost to Central Washington, 8-4

 

2017 (Seaside, CA):

Defeated Cal State Monterey Bay, 5-3

Lost to Dixie State, 5-0

Lost to Sonoma State, 6-4

 

2021 (Irvine, CA):

Lost to Hawai'i Hilo, 3-0

Lost to Central Washington, 9-5

 

2024 (Bellingham, WA):

Defeated Azusa Pacific, 1-0

Lost to Cal State San Marcos, 4-3

Defeated Azusa Pacific, 3-0

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 7-1

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 2-1

Defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 4-3 (Super Regional)

Lost to Cal State Dominguez Hills, 3-2 (Super Regional)

Defeated Cal State Dominguez Hills, 7-6 (West Region Champions) – 8 innings

Defeated Wilmington (DE), 2-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Lost to UT Tyler, 10-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Defeated Auburn Montgomery, 7-1 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Defeated UIndy, 2-1 (9 inn.) (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Defeated UIndy, 7-0 (NCAA Championship Finals) – Longwood, FL

Lost to UT Tyler, 3-0 (NCAA Championship Series) – Longwood, FL

Lost to UT Tyler, 10-1 (NCAA Championship Series) – Longwood, FL

 

2025 (Hayward, CA):

Defeated Concordia Irvine, 8-0

Defeated Cal State East Bay, 2-1

Defeated Cal State East Bay, 6-2

Lost to Cal State San Marcos, 9-1 (Super Regional)

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 4-1 (Super Regional)

Defeated Cal State San Marcos, 3-2 (Super Regional)

 

The WWU softball program is in its 33rd season in 2025 while coming off a historic 52-12 season in 2024. The Vikings won the 2025 GNAC regular-season title with a 21-3 league record and have won back-to-back GNAC Tournament titles in 2024 and 2025. WWU advanced to the NCAA Division II Championships for the sixth time in program history in 2024, playing on its home field in the NCAA postseason for the first time. WWU won its first West Regional title defeating Cal State San Marcos in the sub-regional and Cal State Dominguez Hills in the Super Regional. The historic season ended playing in the national championship series as part of the NCAA Division II Spring Sports Festival in Longwood, Florida. WWU has posted a winning record 21 times during the 32-year history of the program, which won the 1998 NAIA National Championship in only its sixth season to record the school's first ever team national title.