ARCATA, Calif. – At this time last year Humboldt State softball was coming off a four-run NCAA West Regional victory over Cal Baptist, and the Green and Gold aim to repeat the result when they meet the Lancers Thursday at noon in Chico, Calif.
 
The Lumberjacks are coming off an impressive California Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament run powered by its talented senior core. Pitcher Madison Williams broke almost every tournament pitching record with five starts in three days. Kalyn Paque drove in seven runs and anchored the infield with stellar defense at third, while Sydney Roberts' clutch hitting provided a walk-off bomb to send HSU into championship Sunday.
 
Monday morning the NCAA announced the Green and Gold were making their fifth consecutive trip to the West Region Tournament as the No. 2 seed. HSU was unable to host the tournament due to campus commencement scheduled for Saturday afternoon. The Jacks have won seven West Region titles, including four in the last 17 years.
 
HSU will meet Cal Baptist for the fifth straight season. The Lancers lost to the North Coast team in last year's NCAA West Regional played at the HSU Softball Field.
 
Cal Baptist is 36-11 and captured a PacWest Tournament title on April 22. The Lancers are led by freshmen Caitlyn Lloyd and Ciara Stapp. Lloyd is Cal Baptist's top hitter and run scorer with 32 extra-base hits and 51 RBI this season to go with a .428 batting average. Stapp was in the circle for the championship game victory over Dixie State, and she leads the team with a 14-4 record and a 1.41 ERA in 18 starts.
 
The Jacks have a 5-4 advantage in the all-time series with the Lancers.