Three Seniors Honored Ahead of Season Finale at Funk Stadium

Saturday, May 7

Riverside, Calif.

5 PM

California Baptist University

30-26, 12-12

Grand Canyon

36-13, 19-5

Grand Canyon

California Baptist

Photo by: Daniel Cook

Three Seniors Honored Ahead of Season Finale at Funk Stadium

5/7/2022 8:52:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Daniel Cook, Assistant Director of Athletics Communications

RIVERSIDE - California Baptist University softball closed out the 2022 season with one final tilt against the Grand Canyon Lopes in Funk Stadium. The West Division Champion Lopes claimed the final decision of the year with an 8-2 victory. With a final record of 30-26 on the year and 12-12 in league play, the Lancers finished the season in third place in the divisional standings. Such a result would have earned CBU the fifth seed in the eight-team conference tournament beginning next week in Huntsville, Texas.

The Lancers end the 2022 season with a program best 30 wins, a nine-game improvement from a season ago. They also surpassed double-digit conference wins for the first time in the Division I era, earning 12 victories against a loaded West Division in the WAC. CBU enjoyed putting on a show for the home fans as well, ending the year with an 18-9 home record, the best home winning percentage (66.7%) since 2018.

CBU took time before the contest to honor it's three departing seniors: Tiana Patrick, Shelby Arbeiter, and Amanda Argomaniz. The trio have played important roles during the Lancers' transition period, helping build a dominant Division II team into a program on the rise as they enter the first year of postseason eligibility in 2023.

That's a wrap for the historic 2022 season of Lancer softball. ☑️ Most Single-Season DI Wins ☑️ Most Single-Season WAC Wins ☑️ First Victory Over A Top-25 Team We will miss our three departing seniors dearly, but the future is bright here in Riverside!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/anWoq9xUnX
— California Baptist Softball (@CBUSoftball) May 8, 2022

Lancer starting pitcher Alyssa Argomaniz made quick work of the Lopes in the top of the first inning, forcing three of the first four GCU hitters into groundouts. CBU responded in the bottom half of the frame by executing a two-out rally to perfection. Katelyn Mangrello reached on a fielder's choice followed by Sydney Soto who doubled to right center, moving Mangrello on third. Molly Kolander prevailed against the third straight full count of the frame, doubling to right center, and scoring Mangrello and Soto to take an early 2-0 lead.

✌️ Molly Kolander comes through with a huge, 2-out double to give the Lancers an early lead!#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/2A3zdaSO6t
— California Baptist Softball (@CBUSoftball) May 8, 2022

Unfortunately, the Lancer offense would hit a wall after such a fruitful start. Soto would go on to collect the only other CBU hit in the game, a single in the third inning. GCU would score in the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to claim the final regular season win of 2022.

With just three seniors departing after this season, and a bevy of talent already signed in the incoming 2023 class, the strides taken by this year's CBU softball team have laid a foundation for a very bright future.