The CSUN softball team opens its 2016 season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, AZ hosted by Arizona State University. CSUN will face a host of talented squads at the event, including three Pac-12 powers. On Friday, Feb. 12, the Matadors open the season with contests against Creighton and Utah State. The next day, Saturday, Feb. 13, CSUN squares off with No. 21 California and Oregon State. The Matadors conclude their time in Arizona with a match-up against Stanford on Sunday, Feb. 14. All five of the Matadors’ games will be played at the Tempe Sports Complex and updates throughout the weekend will be posted to the CSUN Athletics official Twitter Account (@GoMatadors) as they become available.

The Matadors return most of their offense from a year ago, including more than 80 percent of their hits, runs and RBIs and more than 90 percent of their extra-base hits and stolen bases.

In the circle, CSUN will feature a series of new arms primed to stake their claim in Matador lore. Junior Daphne Pofek has tossed more than 120 innings in her CSUN career while junior Katie Chenault was an NFCA All-American last year at Allan Hancock College. Another junior, Rebecca Bell, returns after missing last year with injury while freshman Taylor Troost will also see plenty of action. The team also has a new pitching coach, Samantha Sheeley, who joined the squad after a successful stint at Wichita State.

In Arizona, the Matadors will face an early test against some of the region’s top squads. Creighton went 22-21 last year and were picked to finish fifth in the 2016 Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll. The Bluejays return Allie Reinhart, a junior who batted .396 batting average, 21 hits and 12 RBIs in Big East competition. Senior Blake Ringle finished second on the team with 10 home runs last year. Head coach Brent Vigness is in his 23rd season as the head coach of Creighton and CSUN leads the all-time series 2-0 with the last meeting between the two schools coming in 2001.

The Utah State Aggies went 19-36 overall and 11-13 in the Mountain West Conference in the 2015 season. The Aggies return several top players from a year ago, including junior Alleyah Armendariz who batted .344 with 12 home runs. Senior outfielder added a .413 batting average, 64 hits and seven stolen bases while senior Noelle Johnson sported both a .361 batting average and a 4.04 ERA. Steve Johnson is in his third season as the head coach of Utah State and CSUN leads the all-time series 32-20 and have won the last four meetings, including a 3-0 neutral-site win last season.

The No. 21 California Golden Bears finished 39-18 overall last season and 10-14 in Pac-12 play. Sophomore Jazmyn Jackson returns to the squad after batting .446 with 50 runs and 17 stolen bases as a rookie. Although Cal has lost three of its top five hitters from last season, the Golden Bears have added Tennessee transfers Annie Aldrete and Taylor Koenig. Diane Ninemire is in her 30th season as the head coach at Cal and the Golden Bears leads the all-time series 13-8.

The Oregon State Beavers went 26-26 overall and 6-18 in Pac-12 play last season. Senior Mikela Manewa is the team’s top returning hitter, having batted .338 with 14 extra-base hits, 34 runs and 37 RBIs. In the circle, senior Bev Miller went 15-13 with a 3.64 ERA and 122 K’s in the 2015 season. Laura Berg is in her fourth season as the head coach at Oregon State and CSUN leads the all-time series 19-7-1, including a pair of wins in 2014.

Stanford went 17-37 overall and 2-22 in Pac-12 play last season. Kayla Bonstorm returns to the squad after batting .439 with 43 runs, 13 home runs and 54 RBIs in 2015. In the circle, Haley Snyder and Kylie Sorenson return after combining for 35 starts and 62 appearances last season. Stanford leads the all-time series 11-8, although the Matadors defeated the Cardinal last year at the Kajikawa Classic.