Coach Smith Reaches a Historic Milestone as CBU Downs CSU Bakersfield

Sunday, February 18

Riverside, Calif.

12:30 PM

California Baptist University

7-4

CSU Bakersfield

1-7

CSU Bakersfield

California Baptist

Coach Smith Reaches a Historic Milestone as CBU Downs CSU Bakersfield

2/18/2024 6:18:00 PM | Softball

Box Score

By: Daniel Cook, Director of Athletics Communications & Digital Media

RIVERSIDE - Head Coach Mike Smith collected career win 1,000 on Sunday, leading his Lancers past the Roadrunners, 5-2, in the finale of the CBU Classic. Smith becomes just the 37th coach to put a comma in his win total across programs among all four-year institutions at the NCAA and NAIA levels.

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The charge towards history on Sunday began with an extra hill to climb as CSU Bakersfield led off the game with two runs in the top of the first. CBU nearly got it back in the bottom half of the frame, but a tight fair or foul call went the way of the roadrunners, and the Lancers were stranded on second and third instead of tying the game.

The Lancers wouldn't have to wait long to level the game, as a single from Matti Severns and a sacrifice fly from Priscilla Estrada would bring in Maya Avila and Merissa Borkowski in the bottom of the fourth.

A busy but scoreless third inning gave way to a fruitful fourth where Kayla Lyon knocked a two-run double and then scored herself on Kate Penberthy's eight RBI of the season to make it a 5-2 advantage in favor of CBU. After that, CBU leaned on reliever Presley Hosick to close the game, which she did. The sophomore threw 3.2 innings of relief on Sunday, striking out three while allowing just one hit to 13 batters faced and earning her third win of the year so far.

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The Lancers, now 7-4 after a successful home tournament weekend, will hope that the weather complies enough for their next scheduled game. With rain in the forecast, CBU is slated to take on Hawaii in a single-game tilt at Funk Stadium on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. The team's next series will happen on the road up north in Davis, California, as the Aggies of UC Davis will host CBU in a three-day, three-game series from February 23 to 25.

Smith's accomplishment with Sunday's victory is emphasized by a lifetime of the other highlights it takes to reach such a milestone. Smith, of course, was the head of the 2009 CBU Softball National Championship run, where Smith led his Lancers to a perfect run at the final site in Decatur, Alabama, and defeated St. Gregory's by a score of 3-2 in the championship game. Smith holds a .716 (1000-397) lifetime win percentage that began as an NAIA coach at Biola and CBU and culminated with winning records in 20 of his 23 full seasons. His Rolodex also includes the names of 31 All-Americans, four National Pitcher of the Year honorees, 14 Conference Player or Pitcher of the Year award winners, eight Coach of the Year awards, and two trips to the NCAA Division I Super Regionals as the leader of the Ole Miss Rebels.