Big West Postgame Press Conference
FULLERTON, Calif. – The top-seeded Cal State Fullerton softball team capped off the weekend as the 2026 Big West Champions with a 1-0 victory over the No. 3-seeded UC Santa Barbara Guachos. Fullerton finished the season with a 40-13 overall record and 24-3 in Big West play, including an undefeated performance at the second annual Big West Championship.Â
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The Titans found the only run of the day in the third inning on an error by UC Santa Barbara's second baseman.
Colby McClinton, who reached on a single to third base, scored on the play.
Leanna Garcia (8-0) earned the start for the Titans in the Big West Championship final, retiring the Gauchos in order in the first two frames. Garcia and UC Santa Barbara's Malaya Johnson put on a show from the circle, silencing both offenses and not allowing an earned run.Â
Garcia pitched her first seven-inning game since she left the 2025 season with a torn ACL, earning the 2026 Big West Championship Most Valuable Player award. In seven innings, she held the Gauchos to two hits with three walks and one strikeout.Â
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She was one of six Titans to be named to the All-Tournament Team. McClinton,
Ava Arce, Â
Sarah Perez,
Eva Hurtado and
Trisha McCleskey joined her on the list.
McClinton led the Titans at the plate in the tournament, slashing .571/.625/1.429 with four hits, two home runs, four RBI and four runs scored. McCleskey joined Garcia in posting a 0.00 ERA in her own shutout win against UC Davis on Thursday.
The Titans and Gauchos closed the regular season against one another in Santa Barbara, Calif., on May 1-2. After dropping the series opener in an 8-0 run-rule loss, the Titans won the series with 7-1 and 3-1 victories.
Leanna Garcia earned the series finale win on May 2 after allowing just one earned run on four hits, three walks and two strikeouts.Â
As a team, the Titans slashed .301/.354/.479 in three games, featuring two home runs from McClinton and one from Arce. Fullerton's pitching staff held opponents to a .160 batting average with nine strikeouts.Â
The Titans are set to make the program's 33rd NCAA Tournament appearance, its first since 2024 at the Stanford Regional. The team will have a no-host Selection Show Watch Party at Big's American Sports Bar & Grill in Fullerton on Sunday, May 10, starting at 3:00 p.m.
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WATCH THE TITANS ON ESPN+
Titans fans can now watch home contests exclusively on ESPN+. Cal State Fullerton has built a top-tier production studio to give the viewers an ESPN-quality production for Titans Athletics. Additionally, all schools in the Big West Conference are committed to producing ESPN-quality streams, which will allow fans to watch the Titans on ESPN+ for all road conference games.
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