Colorado State University Athletics
Sunday, March 1
Fort Collins, CO
11:00 AM
Colorado State
8-10
7
vs
5
Creighton
6-14
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Creighton
0
0
1
1
0
3
0
5
9
0
Colorado State
0
1
1
4
1
0
X
7
10
1
Rams Sweep Opening Weekend
3/1/2026 5:39:00 PM | Softball
Team has now won five in succession
Take advantage of what you can when the opportunity arises.
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Such as playing at home for the first time in a season. Getting called upon in situations, some familiar, some not so much. Getting regular at-bats when they had been far and few in between.
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In a four-game set at Ram Field this weekend, Colorado State coach Jen Fisher's softball team lived off opportune moments in winning all four games of the Colorado Classic, the last two coming Sunday against Creighton (7-5) and Northern Colorado (5-4), moving to 9-10 on the campaign with a five-game win streak.
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Madi Eslinger, a redshirt freshman catcher, entered the weekend with 16 plate appearances and exited with a whole bunch of firsts in her career after going 2-for-4 with her inaugural RBI on Saturday.
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She doubled in both games of Sunday's twin bill – her first extra-base hits – then launched her first home run to tie the finale with UNC at 4-all in the bottom of the fifth. By the end of the day she had gone 5-for-7 with three extra-base hits and five RBI.
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Consider the moment seized for the hometown kid who played at Loveland High School.
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"I've had more of a pinch-hitting role at the start of the season, and I was like, whatever opportunities I'm given, I'm taking advantage of," Eslinger said. "My thing is attack early in the count and get barrels, and that's just what I've been trying to do.
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"I think the No. 1 is just my teammates in dugout; they're super loud every time I get up. I know they have my back, and I had a good week of practice. I was like, I'm ready today. I'm coming in, I'm going to hit the ball and do my job."
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Colorado State had 20 hits in the doubleheader, 10 in each game. Eight of those knocks came from a trio whose primary position is catcher – Eslinger, Abby Edwards and Bradie Poteet-Herrera. Only one of them can play behind the dish in a game, and another can be the designated player.
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The depth at the spot is a good thing for Fisher, though it does get hard to find them all time, and it's not like none of them are contributing. Poteet-Herrea caught the second game and doubled herself, also back-picking off a runner at second.
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"I think it is, but you saw we can do some creative things and Abby's also a heck of a third baseman; she played a lot of third last year," Fisher said. "I think in this tournament, four- or five-game weekends, I think we try to kind of save the legs just a little bit in them. Bradie, when you're young and you're a freshman, you don't really need your legs saved, I guess, but more kind of saving the arm for Bradie. And Abby's really got a lot of great experience, and she provides really a steadiness. So she's been working with Reagan (Wick) quite a bit and that's just been, for whatever reason, they've really been clicking.
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"So, yeah, we've got a lot of options there and I think they're all … I'll tell you what, it's refreshing to have the type of attitude that is we're all important, we're all ready to roll. We'll take a pinch-hit with the bases loaded and, who cares what the outcome is, we'll take it. I'll take whatever situation you wanna put me in."
Â
Wick, the ace of the staff, is a bit like that herself. She knows her primary role is to start games in the circle and try to finish them. In her eight starts, she's finished six, including the no-hitter she spun to open the season.
Â
Sunday's start against Creighton was one she didn't finish, going strong for five frames, but allowing four earned runs. What she did have was a lead, and Giselle Bentley and Andrea Jaskowiak each pitched and inning to clean up the win, Jaskowiak earning the save.
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In the nightcap, Wick took on the role of reliever and ended up picking up her sixth win of the season, her third of the weekend.
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Not that it didn't come with some excitement. Lauren Stucky turned on a pitch in the bottom of the sixth, one which carried the fence near the right-field corner, completing a comeback for the hosts, who trailed 3-0 after the Bears' first at-bats.
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Wick made it interesting in the seventh, falling behind batters and eventually facing the bases loaded with two out, where she generated a ground ball to end the game.
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"Honestly, that was my redemption for the first game. I just wanted to come out and close the door," Wick said. "I loved that position and I wanted to have Annie's back just like she had my back in the first game.
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"It is fun getting to have your teammate's back and just getting to come in and just shove it like you're supposed to and just be like, yeah, I'm going to dominate you just like the other pitcher did. Just simmer down. I got the job done."
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What was fun for the CSU dugout was generating some offense. Coming into Sunday's pair, the Rams were only averaging 3.5 runs per game. The seven they scored against the Bluejays was the most in nine games, and the five in the final contest beat that average, too, getting four extra-base hits.
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Doing it at home coming off a tough road trip made it all the better.
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"It was amazing. Quite honestly, coming back from playing in Texas, which wasn't our greatest weekend, being able to come home and win four straight games, especially against UNC, was just a great win for us," Wick said. "It's really going to give us confidence in going into next weekend for another home tournament."
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There's a bit more of that going around now. Stucky has been hitting and continues to do so. Kyra Smith has been driving in runs (now 17) and continues to do so. But a few other Rams had some swings to get the feel brighter days are ahead, and that's never a bad thing.
Â
To Eslinger, it's just a matter of being ready when the time comes. Being ready is being prepared, which she felt she was.
Â
"It is difficult. I feel like the biggest difficulty is mentally, because I have to take advantage of my opportunities here. If I don't, then I might not get those," she said. "At practice we do a lot of pressure situations and execution, and so I kind of take that in, but when I'm up to bat, I just say, I'm hunting good vibes. I'm just calm, relaxed, loose, and just doing what I've been doing my whole life."
Â
She has the ball from her first home run as proof the approach works.
Â
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Such as playing at home for the first time in a season. Getting called upon in situations, some familiar, some not so much. Getting regular at-bats when they had been far and few in between.
Â
In a four-game set at Ram Field this weekend, Colorado State coach Jen Fisher's softball team lived off opportune moments in winning all four games of the Colorado Classic, the last two coming Sunday against Creighton (7-5) and Northern Colorado (5-4), moving to 9-10 on the campaign with a five-game win streak.
Â
Madi Eslinger, a redshirt freshman catcher, entered the weekend with 16 plate appearances and exited with a whole bunch of firsts in her career after going 2-for-4 with her inaugural RBI on Saturday.
Â
She doubled in both games of Sunday's twin bill – her first extra-base hits – then launched her first home run to tie the finale with UNC at 4-all in the bottom of the fifth. By the end of the day she had gone 5-for-7 with three extra-base hits and five RBI.
Â
Consider the moment seized for the hometown kid who played at Loveland High School.
Â
"I've had more of a pinch-hitting role at the start of the season, and I was like, whatever opportunities I'm given, I'm taking advantage of," Eslinger said. "My thing is attack early in the count and get barrels, and that's just what I've been trying to do.
Â
"I think the No. 1 is just my teammates in dugout; they're super loud every time I get up. I know they have my back, and I had a good week of practice. I was like, I'm ready today. I'm coming in, I'm going to hit the ball and do my job."
Â
Colorado State had 20 hits in the doubleheader, 10 in each game. Eight of those knocks came from a trio whose primary position is catcher – Eslinger, Abby Edwards and Bradie Poteet-Herrera. Only one of them can play behind the dish in a game, and another can be the designated player.
Â
The depth at the spot is a good thing for Fisher, though it does get hard to find them all time, and it's not like none of them are contributing. Poteet-Herrea caught the second game and doubled herself, also back-picking off a runner at second.
Â
"I think it is, but you saw we can do some creative things and Abby's also a heck of a third baseman; she played a lot of third last year," Fisher said. "I think in this tournament, four- or five-game weekends, I think we try to kind of save the legs just a little bit in them. Bradie, when you're young and you're a freshman, you don't really need your legs saved, I guess, but more kind of saving the arm for Bradie. And Abby's really got a lot of great experience, and she provides really a steadiness. So she's been working with Reagan (Wick) quite a bit and that's just been, for whatever reason, they've really been clicking.
Â
"So, yeah, we've got a lot of options there and I think they're all … I'll tell you what, it's refreshing to have the type of attitude that is we're all important, we're all ready to roll. We'll take a pinch-hit with the bases loaded and, who cares what the outcome is, we'll take it. I'll take whatever situation you wanna put me in."
Â
Wick, the ace of the staff, is a bit like that herself. She knows her primary role is to start games in the circle and try to finish them. In her eight starts, she's finished six, including the no-hitter she spun to open the season.
Â
Sunday's start against Creighton was one she didn't finish, going strong for five frames, but allowing four earned runs. What she did have was a lead, and Giselle Bentley and Andrea Jaskowiak each pitched and inning to clean up the win, Jaskowiak earning the save.
Â
In the nightcap, Wick took on the role of reliever and ended up picking up her sixth win of the season, her third of the weekend.
Â
Not that it didn't come with some excitement. Lauren Stucky turned on a pitch in the bottom of the sixth, one which carried the fence near the right-field corner, completing a comeback for the hosts, who trailed 3-0 after the Bears' first at-bats.
Â
Wick made it interesting in the seventh, falling behind batters and eventually facing the bases loaded with two out, where she generated a ground ball to end the game.
Â
"Honestly, that was my redemption for the first game. I just wanted to come out and close the door," Wick said. "I loved that position and I wanted to have Annie's back just like she had my back in the first game.
Â
"It is fun getting to have your teammate's back and just getting to come in and just shove it like you're supposed to and just be like, yeah, I'm going to dominate you just like the other pitcher did. Just simmer down. I got the job done."
Â
What was fun for the CSU dugout was generating some offense. Coming into Sunday's pair, the Rams were only averaging 3.5 runs per game. The seven they scored against the Bluejays was the most in nine games, and the five in the final contest beat that average, too, getting four extra-base hits.
Â
Doing it at home coming off a tough road trip made it all the better.
Â
"It was amazing. Quite honestly, coming back from playing in Texas, which wasn't our greatest weekend, being able to come home and win four straight games, especially against UNC, was just a great win for us," Wick said. "It's really going to give us confidence in going into next weekend for another home tournament."
Â
There's a bit more of that going around now. Stucky has been hitting and continues to do so. Kyra Smith has been driving in runs (now 17) and continues to do so. But a few other Rams had some swings to get the feel brighter days are ahead, and that's never a bad thing.
Â
To Eslinger, it's just a matter of being ready when the time comes. Being ready is being prepared, which she felt she was.
Â
"It is difficult. I feel like the biggest difficulty is mentally, because I have to take advantage of my opportunities here. If I don't, then I might not get those," she said. "At practice we do a lot of pressure situations and execution, and so I kind of take that in, but when I'm up to bat, I just say, I'm hunting good vibes. I'm just calm, relaxed, loose, and just doing what I've been doing my whole life."
Â
She has the ball from her first home run as proof the approach works.
Â
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Wick, Reagan (5-4)
L: Gilman, Audrey (4-5)
S: Jaskowiak, Andrea (1)
Batting:
2B: Greenwood, Zoey 1
HR: Perez, Erika 1 ; Schultz, Kaelan 1
RBI: West, Lily 2 ; Perez, Erika 1 ; Schultz, Kaelan 1 ; Vandewater, Tara 1
SF: Vandewater, Tara 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Barnard, Avery 1 ; Perez, Erika 1 ; Pierson, Ashten 1 ; Schultz, Kaelan 1 ; Greenwood, Zoey 1
Batting:
2B: Edwards, Abby 1 ; Eslinger, Madi 1 ; Smith, Kyra 1
HR: Smith, Kyra 1
RBI: Edwards, Abby 1 ; Eslinger, Madi 2 ; Moody, Allyson 1 ; Smith, Kyra 3
Base Running:
RUNS: Moody, Allyson 1 ; Smith, Kyra 2 ; Smith, Jac 1 ; English, Kaylynn 2 ; Wilson, Jailey 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
2
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
3
Players Mentioned
P
/ SoftballC
/ SoftballC/INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF/RHP
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