College notebook: SSU softball coach notches 500th career win; Seawolves up to highest national ranking in program history

Sonoma State head softball coach Jennifer Bridges reached a rare milestone last week.

The Seawolves’ 6-1 win over Cal State East Bay in the second part of a doubleheader Friday was Bridges’ 500th career win as a head coach.

Bridges is in her 14th year and 13th season leading SSU, where she’s now compiled an overall record of 457-243-1. Prior to SSU, she coached at Whittier College, a Division III program, where she went 45-35.

With Bridges at the helm, the Seawolves have experienced success year after year. Over her 12 complete seasons, they’ve won 30 or more games in all but two — one of which was the canceled COVID year in 2020. They’ve also won five California Collegiate Athletic Association postseason tournaments and won one NCAA Regional Championship.

The Seawolves are in the midst of another great season this spring as they’ve climbed to a new program-best national ranking.

SSU softball up to No. 11 nationally

With their series win over Cal State East Bay last week, the Seawolves (30-7, 19-4) leapt four spots in the national coaches’ poll to No. 11 in NCAA Division II, the highest the program has ever been ranked.

The Seawolves dropped their first game to Cal State East Bay 4-2 but bounced back with wins of 6-1, 11-0 and 4-1.

Former Montgomery and Santa Junior College standout Anna Zoia-Buescher had a huge week offensively, racking up 12 hits with a batting average of .600 over six games en route to being named the Conference Player of the Week for the second time this season.

The junior outfielder finished the week 12-for-20 at the plate with four RBIs, two doubles and eight runs scored to go with four walks and six stolen bases. She’s now 12th in NCAA Division II with a .483 batting average this year and leads the conference in several offensive categories.

SSU currently holds a four-game lead atop the conference standings ahead of a four-game series against Chico State this weekend.

SRJC baseball fighting for top NorCal spot

The Santa Rosa Junior College baseball team remained the No. 1 team in Northern California in the most recent coaches’ poll for the fourth straight week but may be fighting to stay at the top after dropping their series opener.

The Bear Cubs (24-7, 13-4) had their 10-game winning streak snapped in an 8-6 loss to Folsom Lake, the No. 8 team in NorCal, in conference play Tuesday. They then dropped Game 2 on Thursday 6-4 in 10 innings.

The Bear Cubs have two conference series against ranked opponents left before the California Community College Athletic Association regional playoffs start in early May. They’ll face Sierra, currently in second place in the Big 8 and No. 4 in NorCal, in a three-game series next week before closing out the regular season with a three-game series against Diablo Valley, ranked No. 15 in the region.

The Bear Cubs currently hold a one-game lead atop the Big 8 standings as they look to capture their first conference title since 2017.

SSU men’s golf finishes 2nd

The Seawolves turned in their best finish since the fall season this past week as they took second place in the 20-team field at the NCAA West Regional Spring Preview at Foxtail Golf Club in Rohnert Park.

Playing in tough conditions, the Seawolves finished 10 shots behind champion Cal State San Marcos and three shots better than third-place Hawaii Hilo in the team competition.

Griffin Pace and Colin Huang each shot three-under par 213 for the three-round tournament to finish tied for fifth overall among individuals. Pace shot a five-under par 67 in the second round, while Huang closed out the third round with a four-under par 68. They were five shots back of the individual champions.

The Seawolves are now ranked No. 19 in NCAA Division II ahead of the CCAA Championships at Victoria Golf Club in Riverside. The Seawolves are currently in line to earn a bid to regionals but must close out the season strong next week in order to secure a spot.

Foxtail will be the host site for the 2023 NCAA West Regional, running May 11-13.

Honors for trio from SSU lacrosse

Former SSU standout lacrosse players Dominic Gomez and Dallas Hartley will finally be inducted into the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association Hall of Fame next month after a three-year delay. The duo were originally members of the 2020 induction class.

Joining Gomez and Hartley as an inductee this year will be former SSU head coach Doug Carl, who won a national championship in 2002 and led the Seawolves to a runner-up finish in 2005.

Gomez, a three-time All-American, was goalkeeper for that 2002 team. Hartley, a midfielder, was a two-time All-American during his time with the Seawolves in the late 1990s.

You can reach Staff Writer Gus Morris at 707-304-9372 or gus.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @JustGusPD.