ROHNERT PARK, CALIF. - On Tuesday, January 25th, the 2022 CCAA preseason coaches poll was announced showing the Sonoma State Seawolves picked to finish second in the conference poll. The SSU softball program has proven to be one of the most consistent and successful programs in recent history as head coach Jennifer Bridges has led her teams to 9 NCAA Tournament appearances in her first 10 seasons. The programs latest appearance came during the 2019 season where the team went 36-20 on the year and in a bit of an underdog fashion, were able to win the CCAA Championship Tournament as they went undefeated and won all four games to earn the tournament title and an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. In the first round they would lose to conference rival Chico State but bounce back with a must win over Central Washington, 5-0. They would then advance to face off against conference giant UC San Diego once again but lose a tightly contested game to end their tournament run. 

In 2020, the team would get off to one of their worst starts in that ten year span under head coach Bridges. They would play in the annual Desert Stinger tournament in Las Vegas hosted by Montana State Billings. There, they would go just 1-4 in their five scheduled games and give up three 10-run games as the pitching staff struggled to get going. They would finally get their first win of the season in their final contest of the tournament as they defeated the host team 9-2. Their road would not get any easier as they would return home and then travel to San Diego to take on the #6 ranked Tritons. UCSD were in their final year of Division II with several of their programs nationally ranked as they were making the jump to Division I the following year. Despite the teams uncharacteristic 1-4 start, they were able to keep the Tritons offense in check and salvage a huge series split on the road. After returning home and splitting their four game series with bay area rival SF State, the Seawolves would finally seem to get into rhythm and go on a historic run up until the cancellation of the season due to COVID-19. 

They would take a solid two game series over non-conference opponent Academy of Art where they held the Urban Knights to just 3 total runs over the two games. They would go on to win their next 10 games including conference wins over Humboldt State and Cal State Monterey Bay and give themselves a momentous 12-game win streak before facing off against the #2 ranked Wildcats of Chico State. The Seawolves outscored their opponents 82-26 during that span and also held the Otters of Monterey Bay to just two runs in their four game series. Everything was clicking for SSU and certainly at the right time as they were preparing for their biggest test of the season against one of the best teams in the country. 

Some notable returners for the Seawolves that were a part of that infamous 12-game streak include star catcher Jordyn Martinez, second baseman Giana Hays, and stud shortstop Cassidy Romano. Martinez was off to a solid start to the shortened 2020 season as she posted a .318 batting average including a team high 22 RBI's and a conference leading 5 home runs. Giana Hays was also a nice young surprise for SSU as she held a .339 average, good for third on the team. Hays also showcased her power as she was second in the conference with 4 home runs and top ten in the conference in slugging and on base percentage. Cassidy Romano was a staple in Bridges's lineup as she was one of just two players to start in all 25 games that season. For the second year in a row Romano had stepped into the everyday shortstop role and did not disappoint. She was second on the team with 30 assists during her 2020 campaign and posted a near .900 fielding percentage with numerous diving stops and highlight plays throughout the season. Romano also finished 2020 with a .281 average along with 18 hits and 3 doubles. 

Head coach Jennifer Bridges will look to pick up where they left off in 2020 as the Seawolves open up their 2022 season down in southern California. There they will participate in the Concordia Kickoff Classic hosted by Concordia University Irvine February 4th-6th. Tickets can be purchased for the tournament online at cuieagles.com or at the link HERE. The Seawolves full schedule can be accessed HERE or at sonomaseawolves.com. The full 2022 CCAA preseason poll can be accessed HERE. 

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