FARGO, N.D. - North Dakota State softball continues its spring break trip, heading to the west coast and Southern California, as the Bison play Long Beach State, UC Riverside and California Baptist this week.
 
The Bison open up the trip in Long Beach, California, taking on Long Beach State on Tuesday, March 10. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m. CT.
 
NDSU will travel to the east side of Los Angeles to take on UC Riverside on Wednesday, March 11. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m. CT.
 
After a day off, the Bison will stay in Riverside and take on California Baptist in a three-game series Friday and Saturday. Friday's doubleheader is set for a 6:30 p.m. CT start. Saturday's single game is set for a 4 p.m. CT first pitch.
 
Game Coverage
NDSU's game against Long Beach State, along with all three games in the California Baptist series, will be streamed live on ESPN+. All five games will also include live statistics. All game coverage links are available on the softball schedule page on gobison.com.
 
NDSU in California
With seven Californians on the current roster and nearly an annual trip to the Golden State, the Bison are no strangers to California. Since the first trip in 2006, NDSU has made 20 trips to California, sometimes over two weeks. NDSU has played 121 games in California in program history, holding a 63-58 all-time record.
 
It will be a second trip to Long Beach, with the Bison going 3-1 at the LBSU Invitational in March of 2013. NDSU is 4-5 all time in Riverside, going 2-2 at the UCR Classic in 2018 and 2-3 at the Amy St. Harrison Classic in 2022.
 
Series History - Long Beach State
NDSU meets Long Beach State for the sixth time in series history on Tuesday. The Bison claimed the first two meetings in the series, including a 2-0 win in the first-ever meeting in 2007 and an 8-0 win in six innings in 2012.
 
However, the Beach has claimed the last three meetings, starting with a 5-4 win in the only meeting in Long Beach in 2013. LBSU then claimed a 2-1 win in eight innings and an 8-1 win on back-to-back days in February of 2016.
 
Series History - UC Riverside
The Bison face UC Riverside for the fifth times in series history on Wednesday, with the all-time series being held by UC Riverside 3-1. NDSU claimed the first-ever meeting with a 5-4 win in Fresno in 2012.
 
The other three meetings have all come at UC Riverside with the Highlanders winning 2-1 at the UCR Classic in 2018. The Bison then fell 3-2 in eight innings and 9-7 in a doubleheader at UC Riverside in the Amy S. Harrison Classic in March of 2022.
 
Series History - California Baptist
North Dakota State will meet Cal Baptist for the first series with the Lancers in program history. The Bison have won the only two meetings between the two schools.
 
NDSU claimed a 9-4 win in the first-ever meeting at CBU in March of 2022. In 2023, NDSU started the season with a 4-0 win over the Lancers at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge in Mexico.
 
Bison Streaks
Senior Bella Dean currently leads the Bison with a career best 10-game hit streak, which began with a home run against New Haven on February 27. Dean also has a career best 19-game reached base streak, which started on February 11 at Bethune-Cookman.
 
Juniors Star Cortez and Taylinn Warren also have career best reached base streaks enter the week of 17 and 12 games, respectively. Warren and freshman Morgan Zimmerman are also on career best hit streaks, sitting at seven each.
 
Doubling Down
Through 24 games this season, NDSU has 42 doubles, 38th most in the NCAA and second most in the Summit League. NDSU's 1.75 doubles per game is 45th in the NCAA. In all of 2025, the Bison had just 44 doubles. All 13 Bison to have a hit this season have at least one double, with Bella Dean leading with nine. Dean ranks 28th nationally and first in the Summit League with nine doubles this season.
 
Tough Outs
Bella Dean has just two strikeouts in 96 total plate appearances this season. Zoe King has just three strikeouts in 93 plate appearances. Dean ranks 35th in the NCAA in toughest to strikeout and first in the Summit League, while King ranks 95th among qualifying batters and third in the league.
 
Taylinn Warren has just one strikeout in 60 plate appearances, which does not meet the minimum to qualify for statistical averages.
 
Swiping Bags
At the halfway point of the season, NDSU leads the Summit League this season in stolen bases (30) and stolen bases per game (1.25). The Bison led the Summit League in stolen bases and stolen bases per game last season, swiping 43 bags and averaging .86 per contest.
 
Rounding the Bases
The Bison have 15 home runs this season at the halfway point. NDSU had just 13 home runs in the 2025 season. Bella Dean leads the Bison with five home runs this season, with Mya Boos (3) and Zoe King (2) also having multiple home runs. Four Bison have hit their first home runs this season, including Boos, Lileigh Nieto, Macy Fry and Morgan Zimmerman, who hit hers last weekend in Las Vegas.
 
Star is Shining Bright
Junior Star Cortez has started every game the last two seasons, earning all-league honors in 2025. Cortez has picked up right where she left off, leading NDSU at the plate, hitting .400 with 18 walks for a .516 obp and a .996 ops. Cortez has two triples, eight RBI and 21 runs scored, while also stealing seven bases in eight attempts.
 
Nieto Jumps on Opportunity
In limited at bats last season, Lileigh Nieto had just seven hits and three walks in 2025 as a freshman. Over the first half of the season, Nieto has 27 hits and nine walks, along with four stolen bases. Nieto is hitting .346 in her first season as an everyday starter in left field. She has recorded 13 RBI with 17 runs scored, and five extra-base hits.
 
Last Week
North Dakota State wrapped up invitational play last weekend at the UNLV Red & Black Classic, going 2-3 in Las Vegas. The Bison lost in extra innings to LMU on day one, along with a loss to host UNLV, 7-2. NDSU swept day two, run-ruling Utah Tech in five innings, 10-2, and coming from behind to avenge the loss to UNLV, winning 14-7. The Bison fell to Utah Tech 9-5 in the finale on Sunday.
 
Next Up
The Bison will continue their road swing to start the season, opening up Summit League play at defending tournament champion and co-regular season champion Omaha. The Summit League moved to a three-day, three-game series for the 2026 season, with the series at Omaha taking place March 20-22.