HAYWARD, Calif. – The Western Washington University softball team opened the NCAA West Regional with a convincing 8-0 victory over Concordia University Irvine Thursday afternoon at Pioneer Softball Field.

 

The No. 4 seed Vikings scored in each of the first three innings to build a 7-0 lead and put the run rule into effect with a walk-off solo home run by senior Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez in the bottom of the 6th inning. WWU won its 14th consecutive game (and 20th in the last 21 games) to improve to 41-10 on the season, advancing in the winner's bracket to face No. 1 seed Cal State East Bay Friday at 10 am.

 

Senior starting pitcher Joie Baker overcame first-inning command issues (walked the first two batters she faced) to record a complete-game, two-hit shutout to improving to 14-7 on the season. Baker recorded four strikeouts and had a no-hitter through the first 4.2 innings.

 

The No. 9 nationally ranked Vikings got off to a quick start with four runs in the bottom of the 1st inning with sophomore center fielder Laila Carpenter providing the big hit with a three-run double to center field. Western added another run in the 2nd inning and two more in the 3rd to build the 7-0 lead. 

 

CUI relief pitcher Kailey Estes tamed the Vikings bats through the middle innings with six strikeouts in 3.1 innings before Andrewjeski-Ramirez left the yard in center field for her team-leading seventh home run to end the game an inning early.

 

Carpenter went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBI and Andrewjeski-Ramirez was 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Sophomore Maleah Andrews recorded a bases loaded walk extending her school-record streak of reaching base safely to 48 consecutive games.

 

 

The Vikings (41-10) advance in the winner's bracket facing No. 1 seed and regional host Cal State East Bay Friday morning at 10 am. Links to watch all the action will be made available at wwuvikings.com/Live. 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 Vikings record breakdown for the 2025 season:

 

 

WWU is the No. 4 seed in the West Region competing in the Hayward pod of the 2025 NCAA II West Regional Championship at Pioneer Softball Field on the Cal State East Bay campus. Here is a look at the Hayward bracket with game times listed. The other side of the West Region bracket will be played in San Francisco on the campus of San Francisco State University. The winner of each sub-regional advances to the West Super Regional played May 15-16 (best of 3), with the winner advancing to the NCAA II Championship Finals May 22-28 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

 

 

Thursday, May 8:

Game 1 – No. 1 Cal State East Bay 3, No. 8 Sonoma State 0

Game 2 – No. 4 Western Washington 8, No. 5 Concordia Irvine 0 (6 inn.)

 

Friday, May 9:

Game 3 – No. 1 Cal State East Bay vs. No. 4 Western Washington, 10:00 am

Game 4 – No. 8 Sonoma State vs. No. 5 Concordia Irvine, 12:30 pm (elimination game)

Game 5 – Loser Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 3:00 pm (elimination game)

 

Saturday, May 10:

Game 6 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5, 12:00 pm

Game 7 – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6, 2:30 pm (if necessary)

 

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

 

WWU extended its winning streak to 14 consecutive games Thursday's 8-0 victory over CUI, the 2nd-longest winning streak in program history. It is the second double-digit winning streak this season. The Vikings set the club record twice last season with winning streaks of 13 games (in February) and 17 games (in March/April). Here is a look at the longest winning streaks in the 33 years of WWU Softball:

 

 

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.