NORTHRIDGE – Nationally ranked opponents await the CSUN softball team this week as the Matadors have six games on the docket.

The week gets underway with the home opener Wednesday afternoon when CSUN hosts No. 6/12 Auburn. First pitch is set for 2:30 p.m. Auburn enters this week with a 13-0 record. The Tigers jumped eight spots in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 to sixth on Tuesday. Auburn is up one spot in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll and is 12th.

Taylon Snow is hitting a team high .545 (18-33) through the first 13 games. Victoria Draper is hitting .500 (14-28) and has scored 14 runs. Justus Perry leads the team in home runs (3) and RBI’s (17). As a team the Tigers are hitting .342. Makayla Martin and Kaylee Carson have both won six games in the circle so far this season. Martin has not given up an earned run in 32 innings while Carson has a 0.55 ERA. CSUN defeated Auburn 3-2 on Feb. 20, 2004 during the San Diego State Classic in the only previous meeting between the two clubs.

The Matadors (4-6) will head to the Mary Nutter Cathedral City Classic this weekend in Palm Springs. CSUN opens the tournament against Arizona on Friday at 12:30 p.m. The Wildcats are 8-1 after sweeping four games during their own Hilderbrand Classic last weekend. Arizona is ranked 12th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll and 13th in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll.

Jessie Harper paces the team in hitting (.483), home runs (6), and RBI’s (14). As a team, the Wildcats are hitting .366 with a total of four players hitting at least .400 through nine games. Taylor McQuillin is 5-1 with a 1.69 ERA. She has struck out 49 in 29 innings of work. This is the 34th meeting between CSUN and Arizona with the Wildcats leading the all-time series 27-6.

Friday concludes at 8 p.m. against Brigham Young. The Cougars went 3-2 last week at the Marucci Desert Classic to improve to 4-6 overall. Libby Sugg is tops on the BYU squad in batting (.484), home runs (4), and RBI’s (12). Arissa Paulson is 3-2 with a 2.97 ERA. She has struck out 36 in 33.1 innings. This is the seventh meeting between CSUN and BYU with the Cougars leading the all-time series 5-1.

Saturday gets underway at 12 p.m. against California. Cal is 10-0 after defeating UC Riverside Monday afternoon by a 14-3 count. Bradi Fillmore is hitting a team leading .409. California features a pair of pitchers with ERA’s under one. Zoe Conley is 5-0 with a 0.47 ERA while Kamalani Dung is 4-0 with a 0.25 ERA.

The Bears are ranked 19th in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll and 19th in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll this week. This is the 23rd meeting between CSUN and California with the Bears leading the all-time series 14-8.

Saturday concludes against LIU Brooklyn at 2:30 p.m. The Blackbirds went 3-2 at the Citrus Blossom Invitational last weekend in Orlando, Fla. to improve to 3-7 on the year. Ryleigh Berema paces the team in hitting (.440), home runs (3), and RBI’s (10). Erynn Sobieski is 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA for LIUB. This is the second meeting between CSUN and LIU Brooklyn. The Blackbirds defeated the Matadors 5-2 during the 2014 Mary Nutter Classic in the only previous meeting between the two teams.

The tournament wraps up against Fresno State on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Bulldogs went 4-1 last weekend at their own Bulldog Classic and are now 7-3 on the year. Savannah McHellon is tops on the team in batting (.346), home runs (4), and RBI (9). Tiffany Kennedy-Cummings is 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA. This is the 61st meeting between CSUN and Fresno State with the Cougars leading the all-time series 40-20.

The Matadors went 3-2 at the Marucci Desert Classic last weekend. CSUN defeated Nevada (8-6), South Dakota (11-1), and Idaho State (5-2). The Matadors were defeated by FIU 7-3 in eight innings and 5-1 by New Mexico. Savannah Horvath hit .533 with two home runs and three runs batted in during the tournament. Taylor Troost pitched in all five games during the set and went 2-1 with a save. She struck out 17 in 16 innings of work.