ARCATA, Calif— Cal Poly Humboldt's softball team will begin the 2022 season with a 16-game road trip starting this Wednesday, February 2 with a 10am starting non-conference doubleheader in Hayward, Calif., against Holy Names University. After Wednesday, Humboldt will travel to Colorado for six-games with three Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) opponents. The 'Jacks will face University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (Friday, February 4 at 1pm-MT), Regis University (Saturday, February 5 at 12pm-MT) and MSU-Denver (Sunday, February 6 at 11am-MT). 
 
The 'Jacks are coming off a shortened 2021 season due the pandemic.  They went 8-6 last season with all 14 games behind played on the road.  Returning All-American Izzy Starr is back for another season in the Green and Gold. She led the 'Jacks with her .468 batting average, six home runs and .957 slugging percentage. Starr also drive in 15 runs and scored 13 runs. 
 
Micaela Harris also returns for the 'Jacks. She tied for the team lead with 22 hits in 2021 while driving in 12 runs and scoring 14 times.  Harris was a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts.  Two other returners hit over .300 in 2021 in Vanessa Saltos  (.452) and JoAna Mullins (.379).  Saltos and Mullins led the 'Jacks two years ago with their .486 on-base percentages. 
 
Over in the circle, the 'Jacks return all six pitchers in Karen Di Dio, Emily McAdams, Gaige Garcia, Ava Hand, Megan Holt and Megan Escobar.  Di Dio went 4-0 in her first season in the Green and Gold with a team low 2.33 earned run average.  Hand struck out a team high 16 batters in 2021. 
 
Holy Names University
Humboldt will begin its road trip this Wednesday with a 10am doubleheader at the Chabot College Field in Hayward, Calif.  The "Jacks will face Holy Names University who went 7-17 last year.  The Hawks had a team batting average of .310 and return Lyndsey Widner who had a .441 batting average with three home runs while drive in 10 runs. Kelsey Volkner went 3-4 in the circle for the Hawks.
 
The Lumberjacks lead the all-time series with the Hawks 3-0 with their last win over Holy Names being on March 30, 2019, a 9-5 victory in Turlock, Calif.
 
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
After Wednesday's doubleheader, Humboldt will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo., to face the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs Mountain Lions out of the RMAC. The two teams will meet in a 1pm (MT) starting doubleheader on Friday.  The Mountain Lions went 17-25 last season including 16-21 in the RMAC.  UCCS hit .299 as a team in 2021.  They return Solano Martinez who hit .407 while driving in 29 runs and hitting 12 home runs in 2021.  Also, back for the Mountain Lions is Braelynne Crenshaw who went 6-9 with 74 strikeouts in the circle.
 
The Mountain Lions won the only game between the two teams, 4-1, on February 9, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 
Regis University
The 'Jacks will travel to Denver, Colo., for a noon (MT) starting doubleheader on Saturday with the Regis University Rangers. Regis, who hit .327 as a team,  went 21-27 including 16-14 in the RMAC in 2021.  They return Jessi Case who had a .500 batting average with eight home runs while driving in 26 runs in 2021.  Abby Covington posted a 2-3 record and a 4.02 earned run average for the Rangers.  This will be the first meeting between two teams.
 
MSU-Denver
Humboldt will finish off its week with a 11am (MT) starting doubleheader with the MSU-Denver Roadrunners this Sunday.  The Roadrunners went 29-11 last season with a 27-7 record in the RMAC.  They had a team batting average of .364.  They return Shelby Robb who had a .535 batting average while driving in 41 runs and hitting eight home runs.  Destinee Lopez posted a 2.37 earned average with a 12-4 record in the circle.  Before facing Humboldt on Sunday, the Roadrunners will host Fort Hays State in a doubleheader on Saturday. 
 
MSU-Denver leads the all-time series with the Lumberjacks 2-1. The two teams faced each other in 2020 in Denver in a three-game series. The 'Jacks won the opener 15-7, but lost the final two games 15-4 and 13-5.
 
The Roadrunners will be hosting the 2022 NCAA Division II National Softball Championships, May 26-30.
 
Live Stats/Video
You can view live stats for all eight games by going to https://humboldtathletics.com/sports/softball/schedule or go to https://humboldtathletics.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary.
 
For video, you can go to https://humboldtathletics.com/sidearmstats/softball/summary. Or
for Holy Names' games, go to https://portal.stretchinternet.com/hnu/.
For Regis:  https://rmacnetwork.com/regisrangers/.
For MSU-Denver: https://www.roadrunnersall-access.com/
 
There will be no video for the UCCS' doubleheader.  Remember, all these games will be broadcast be the host institution. 
 
Up Next
After this road trip, the 'Jacks will begin their California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) season with a four-game series with Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif., Feb. 18-19.  The series will a noon starting doubleheader on February 18 and conclude with a 10am starting doubleheader on February 19. 
 
Home Opener
Humboldt's home opener is set for March 4 with a noon starting CCAA doubleheader with Chico State.  The two teams will conclude their four-game series on March 5 with a 11am starting doubleheader.