California Baptist softball team to face UCLA in first NCAA regional game
RIVERSIDE - The California Baptist University softball team sat patiently inside the lobby of the Fowler Events Center waiting for the start of ESPN Selection Show.
“We’re talking about how we want to react,” freshman shortstop Kenzie Farrier-Pilon told her father, Brian Pilon, moments before the broadcast started Sunday evening.
Saturday in Texas, the Lancers beat Tartleton State to win the Western Athletic Conference Tournament and secure the program’s first NCAA Division I Tournament bid.
There were murmurs amongst the players each time anchor Beth Mowins announced one of the regional hosts. Seven regional brackets were revealed and CBU’s name had not been called. And then UCLA was shown as the No. 8 overall seed. The Lancers soon erupted in unison when they were announced as the Bruins’ first opponent.
Big West Conference champion Cal State Fullerton and SEC at-large entry South Carolina join CBU and UCLA in the regional, which will be played at Easton Stadium.
The Lancers (43-17) square off against UCLA (47-8) in a first-round game Friday at 7 p.m. Cal State Fullerton and South Carolina get the regional started at 4:30 p.m.
CBU and UCLA played a nonconference game at Easton Stadium on April 14. The Lancers grabbed a 6-2 lead before the Bruins scored 11 straight runs to prevail 13-6.
“We know what we’re going up against. UCLA is a 12-time national champion,” CBU’s first-year coach Brandon Telesco said about the matchup. “We understand all the things that come with a game like this. We’re a confident but humble group right now. We also played them in the fall and competed with them. We’re going to go all out.”
Senior first baseman Ashlee Annett is the elder stateswoman of the team, having spent four years in Riverside. The program went a combined 87-86 across the previous three campaigns, with only one winning season during that stretch. Annett stuck it out and now gets to close her collegiate career with an NCAA Tournament appearance.
“For the longest time, I never imagined this could be possible,” said Annett, who graduated from Roosevelt High in Eastvale. “But the second we met this (coaching) staff and all the new players, I felt this was going to happen. The coaches are amazing, and this team has so much fight. I’m very excited to see what we’ll do at the regional.”
Junior left fielder Matti Severns is one of seven players on this year’s team who graduated from high schools located in Riverside or San Bernardino counties.
“It’s great having our families coming out to the games,” said Severns, who graduated from Norco High. “A lot of us played against each other in high school, and now it’s awesome to be teammates.”
Sophomore pitcher Miranda De Nava, a graduate of Riverside Poly, played for Cal last season and is one of four Lancers who have previous NCAA regional experience.
“Just have fun,” De Nava said about what advice she would give her teammates. “You never know when it’s going to be your last time, so enjoy every moment of this.”
Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.
This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 9:04 PM.