SDSU Aztecs softball are winners of 10 of their last 11 games.

The most recent win came this past Tuesday against CBU.

For a quick recap, the Aztecs beat CBU 6-2 on the backs of a four-run sixth inning. Cali Decker continued her hot stretch, hitting a home run to deep right field to tie the game one apiece. The Aztecs then responded with a run in the second before the offense dried out for a bit until the sixth. The four-run sixth came on the backs of a Shannon Cunningham two-run double.

The Aztecs now face arguably a more formidable challenge than the Clearwater invitational with the Judi Garman Classic. SDSU opens the event on Friday with a pair of day games against Weber State and Notre Dame.

San Diego State has a night game against the Utah Utes on Saturday.

The Aztecs will wrap up the weekend with two more games on Sunday morning. In those games, they will battle the No. 12/10 Arizona Wildcats, followed by the tournament host, the Cal State Fullerton Titans. Since 2012, the Aztecs have a winning record vs four of the five teams they face this upcoming weekend, the lone losing record is against Arizona.

The Aztecs had an incredible weekend at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic this past week, going 4-1, with the lone loss being against 19th-ranked Oregon.

Decker and Hernandez were the two players responsible for the most part in the 4-1 weekend. Decker made the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic All-Tournament team leading the event in OBP with a .688. Hernandez won Mountain West Pitcher of the Week due to her performance. She went 2-0 with a save over the weekend, along with a staggering 0.00 ERA and a WHIP of 0.46.

A pair of complete game shutouts and a save earn @DeniseDesireeH1 the @MountainWest Pitcher of the Week award! #GoAztecs pic.twitter.com/TjQWeG6W94

— San Diego State Softball (@AztecSoftball) February 24, 2025

The Aztecs have been getting contributions from everyone in the lineup.

The lineup is deep offensively, and the pitching staff is deep with two veterans in Hernandez and Uribe, along with two rising stars on the Mesa in Cellura and Schaffel. If the Aztecs are going to go at minimum 3-2 in a loaded Judi Garman Classic, the offense needs to stay consistent at getting on base like the Aztecs have been.

The Aztecs are getting on base but, at times, do not seem to capitalize, especially with the bases loaded. The Aztecs have loaded the bases at least six to seven times this year but have not produced a run to show for it. Capitalizing on the mistakes of the other teams will be crucial this week. The circle has seemingly been the strength of this Aztecs roster, but one pitcher on the Aztecs roster needs to show why she was picked to be Preseason Mountain West Pitcher of the Year. That pitcher is Cece Cellura.

Cellura has struggled to start the year for the Aztecs; she has gotten some tough luck when it comes to giving up multiple bloop hits in an inning that result in runs. Cellura is going to have to bounce back in a big way this weekend in the Aztecs. Her teammates, coaches, and fans(including myself) have full confidence in Cellura bouncing back big.

Decker is the obvious player who needs to continue her hot streak of hitting the ball hard and driving in runs.

The other hitter who is extremely important, both in the box and on the base paths, is true freshman Quinn Waiki. Waiki has been simply fantastic on defense, and that could be an understatement of what she has been doing with the glove. Waiki currently is hitting .318 with a .367 OBP. Those are good numbers for a true freshman just getting her feet wet in college softball.

Waiki will need an OBP of .430 this week in Fullerton and do damage when given the opportunity in the box, as well as on the base paths. The whole lineup is important to have a successful week, but the bottom of the lineup contributes in a big way. It would be huge for the Aztecs to imitate what they did last weekend, and it all starts with Waiki.

The only game that can be watched at the moment is Sunday’s game vs. Cal State Fullerton at 11:45 AM PST on ESPN+.

Game times for the first four games before Cal State Fullerton.

Friday, February 28, 12:00 PM PT Weber State.

Friday, February 28, 2:30 PM PT Notre Dame.

March 1, Utah, 4:30 PM PT. March 2, 9:30 AM PT.

You will be able to track live stats for the four games before the Aztecs last game on Sunday.

Predictions for the Judi Garman Classic: The Aztecs fall games to Utah and Arizona, but they win both games Friday and get payback against Fullerton on Sunday. A 3-2 weekend for the Aztecs is still a good weekend, this team has the talent to go 5-0 this weekend, the squad proved it in Clearwater.

If they execute in all four phases this weekend, 5-0 is certainly attainable and not even close to impossible by any means.

Bryant Thursby

Assistant Coach at Heritage High School. A big time SDSU fanatic and Padres fan.