SDSU Softball Three-peats: Earns Third Automatic Bid Into NCAA Tournament
Four Aztecs named to All-Tournament team, including pitcher Cece Cellura, named MVP. The Aztecs will play Arizona State on May 16 at 7 pm in the first round of the NCAA Regional Tournament.
SAN DIEGO – Three-peat! The SDSU Aztecs softball team pulled off the nearly impossible at San Diego State Softball Stadium, clinching their third consecutive Mountain West Championship with back-to-back 3-1 wins over Fresno State in Saturday’s blazing heat.
The No. 2-seed Aztecs took the hard road to the championship—through the losers' bracket. After dropping their tournament opener 3-0 to No. 3-seed Fresno State on Thursday, SDSU’s path became steeper. Instead of needing just three games to win it all, the Aztecs had to fight their way back. On Friday, they knocked off No. 4-seed Boise State 6-1, then overcame No. 1-seed Nevada 5-4 in back-to-back elimination games to earn a shot at redemption—and the title—against, who else? Fresno State.
The Bulldogs entered Saturday undefeated in their bracket and needed just one win to claim the title. But the Aztecs had other plans, edging Fresno State 3-1 in a tense noon matchup to force a winner-take-all final. Led by pitcher and Tournament MVP Cece Cellura, SDSU sealed the championship with another 3-1 victory in the second thriller of the day.
“What CeCe did this weekend was so impressive because these are teams that know her,” said head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz. “They know what she does, they know her stuff, and she still continued to pound and do what she does and find a way to be successful, and as a testament to her, her mindset and her determination to get get it done this weekend.”
Championship Game One Versus Fresno State
In Game One, Cellura faced the minimum nine batters through three innings. In the bottom of the third, Aztec Jazmine Williams worked the count to full, and then walked on a low outside pitch. Next, Bella Espinoza bunted and pitcher Serayah Neiss made a wild throw toward first. Espinoza reached while Williams sprinted to third on the error. Espinoza then stole second as the crowd chanted, “Let’s go Aztecs!”
Center fielder Julie Holcomb came to bat with no outs and runners on second and third. Holcomb tripled with a sharply hit fly ball over the center fielder’s head to bring in two runs. Catcher Cali Decker came to the plate with no outs and Holcomb on third. Decker bunted between home and third as Holcomb slid home and was called safe at the plate for the third and (as it turned out) final Aztec run of the game, to go up 3-0. Fresno State pitcher Key-annah Campbell-Pu’a entered the game and retired the next three Aztecs– Angie Yellen, Jade Ignacio, and Shannon Cunningham.
Fresno State created stress for the Aztec faithful in the sixth. SDSU pitcher Dee Dee Hernandez, who entered the game in the fifth by retiring three batters in order, also started the sixth. After a double, bunt, and error, the Bulldogs scored a run to cut the lead to two, 3-1. Cellura re-entered the game with a runner on first and one out. After a single and a wild throw, runners advanced to second and third. Fresno State’s Taryn Irigoyen grounded to third and the Aztecs caught the lead runner in a pickle to get the second out. Cellura walked the next batter to load the bases, bringing up freshman Kiara Sipe who lined out to Ally Dueker in right field.
In the seventh, Cellura retired the first two batters. As Aztec fans stood and cheered, Fresno State singled, and the next batter, Marissa Montelongo, popped out to Mountain West Defensive player of the year, shortstop Quinn Waiki for the win, 3-1.
Championship Game Two Versus Fresno State
Game two offered its own drama. In the bottom half of the first, SDSU’s Espinoza scored off of a Decker double after walking, reaching second on a Holcomb bunt, and stealing third.
In the top of the second, the Aztecs added two more runs. Jazmin Williams made it safely to first on a fielder’s choice. Espinoza singled and Holcomb walked to load the bases, bringing Decker to bat. She singled down the right field line, scoring Williams and Espinoza. After two full innings, the Aztecs led Fresno State, 3-0.
Similar to the first game of the day, Cellura pitched the first four scoreless innings, Hernandez pitched a scoreless fifth, and Cellura came back in for the sixth and seventh innings. Fresno State’s Irigoyen doubled and then scored in the sixth with Lauren Almeida’s RBI single to close the gap to 3-1 with one out. A strikeout and a groundout followed to end the sixth.
In the final inning, the Aztecs secured the first two outs, bringing the Aztec crowd to their feet. However, Fresno State’s Montelongo took a first-pitch swing and singled down the right field line. The next batter grounded out to Williams at second base to clinch the championship, 3-1.
"I have full faith and full trust in my defense behind me,” said Cellura. “I think Jaz (Williams) making that play, and us coming together before the inning and being together was huge. It’s such a great feeling to know that I have that defense behind me.”
“I just love the fight we had,” said head coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz. “We had some really tough moments, some big moments. . . . The togetherness was outstanding.”
NCAA Bid
With the championship, the Aztecs earned one of 31 automatic bids into the 64-team NCAA tournament. During non-conference play, the Aztecs beat the No. 13-seed Arizona Wildcats and No. 15-seed Alabama. They will play Arizona State in the Los Angeles Regional at No.9-seed UCLA’s Easton Stadium in the first round of the double elimination tournament. The Aztecs will play Friday, May 16 at 7:00 PM PT on ESPN2.
“You know, we start a season with this goal in mind: championships and postseason, getting to the NCAAs,” continued Nuveman Deniz. “We don't believe we're done. We want to … make a statement that two years ago, when we went to Super Regionals, it wasn't an accident. It wasn't a fluke… We are a team that belongs there and when we play the way we're capable of playing we can beat anybody in the country.”
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