Following the conclusion of San Francisco State University’s 2026 softball season after their four-game series against the California State University, Monterey Bay Otters, the Gators got together in their routine postgame huddle. 

However, this time was different. Tears ran down faces, eyes turned pink and words were accompanied by choked pauses. The emotions that senior infielder Marissa Jordan felt said it all. 

“Bittersweet, it really feels bitter, but I am really proud of all the things that these past four teams that I’ve been on have accomplished,” Jordan said. “It’s been a really fun ride and I’m glad SF State was my home for the past four years and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

Gators softball ended their season with a 3-1 series loss versus the visiting Otters. As a result of Friday’s losses, Monterey Bay clinched the fifth and final spot for the CCAA tournament that will be held in Hayward at California State University, East Bay. 

The 10-16 Gators walked into Friday needing at least three wins to have a chance at a postseason berth, partially due to two canceled contests versus California State University, Stanislaus Warriors. They came close in two losses on Friday. On Saturday, the Gators split their last doubleheader with a confident third game victory and a shortened loss in the finale. The day concluded with somber emotions all around. 

G1: Gators 4, Otters 5 

The Otters cracked the bat first with two runs to open the series, one each from two of their leading runners. Monterey Bay junior designated player Leah Madden and senior infielder Kieley Ganaden scored following defensive errors from the Gators.

SFSU flipped the score two innings later with two runs in each of two consecutive innings to lead 4-2, all scored by freshmen: Malia Morreira, leading runner Olivia Mares, Deziree Gomez and Taylor Wilson. 

The Otters responded in the next inning with a second run by Ganaden and one by junior outfielder Abreanna Alba to even the scoreboard at four all. The extra ninth inning saw Madden run home, her second of the game for the tiebreaker and the Gators’ Ashley Rocha tagged out on third base after a challenge by Monterey Bay. 

“I have almost been in a slum, just not really hitting like I usually would like to hit almost this whole conference,” Mares said. “I started off pretty rocky, made a lot of adjustments and I think I’ve grown a lot. I think next season, working on it a lot during the summer. I can definitely improve and showcase more of my abilities.”

G2: Gators 4, Otters 6

The Gators swung to score first in the series’ second contest as Rocha ran home after a hit by senior Shaunessy Cardwell to left field. The score remained 1-0 until the Otters had bases loaded in the third inning and Alba’s double brought three teammates home to snatch a two-run lead entering the middle of the 3rd. Madden, Ganaden and senior infielder Gracie Strycula were the culprits of Monterey’s three-run turnaround. 

Both sides exchanged three runs each through the last three innings as the Otters clinched their second win of the series, 6-4. The Otters’ Ganaden scored two more runs and Madden scored another amidst Monterey Bay’s last three. For the Gators, Mares scored her second run of the day, as well as a run each for Cardwell and Ariana Mallari. The Otters led the series 2-0 after Friday’s doubleheader and closed the door on postseason hopes for the young SFSU team. 

“Us maintaining good energy is one thing that we needed to do and I think we did that for the most part,” Cardwell said. “As we played in game two, the bats came out and the hitting came through. So it’s trusting it, trusting it, and knowing that we are a good team and we have good athletes.”

G3: Gators 9, Otters 7

Saturday was senior day for SFSU and the team honored the four graduating Gators: Cardwell, Rocha, infielder Marissa Jordan and catcher Taylor Rapp. In addition to the colorfully decorated bleachers and balloons, and seniors’ parents throwing the first pitches, banners of them were hung up high for everyone to see at SFSU Softball Field. Messages like “LOVE U” for each player and “Senior Day SF ‘26” decorated the sidewalks by the field.

Kharime Caratachea took the mound for the home team in the third game. The Otters would collect four runs in the opening inning, including a three-run homer by senior infielder Faith Soriano, but as the series demonstrated up to this point, it didn’t go unresponded. 

SFSU began their rally as Cardwell hit a two-run homer to left field, as she and Rocha collected the first two points of many for their group. Jordan would cut the Gators’ deficit to one with the third run of the game, 4-3. 

From there, the ball kept rolling for the Gators as they went on to score eight consecutive runs to make the tally 8-4, two runs from Anaissa Del Rio, Jordan’s second and two more from Rocha. 

At one point, Monterey Bay had two runners on bases and junior catcher Katarina Manuofetoa was at bat with a full count. That didn’t faze Caratachea. She locked in, snapped the pitch for the strike and let out a roaring “Let’s Go!” as she ran back to the dugout. 

Ganaden, Alba and Madden would score the final three runs of the game for the Otters, but it was too little, too late for Monterey Bay. The Gators would push the bar to nine runs. At the final out, Gananden had a 2-1 count before she hit a comebacker right into Caratachea’s glove. One more roar snapped out of the sophomore as the Gators got their big win on senior day. They defended their way to a 9-7 victory in front of attending loved ones. For the seniors, it was one more victory on their big day. 

“As a group, our seniors, we really were just like, ‘This is our last stepping on the field together,’ so we just wanted to go out with a bang and put everything out there,” Rocha said. “I was really happy I could make some more memories and finish strong in my last games.”

G4: Gators 0, Otters 9 

Mirroring Friday’s doubleheader, the Otters didn’t crack the board first in the series’ finale but the second inning saw first-year Grace Boyd score their first run. 

The Otters kept swinging the odds their way as they would extend the lead to 4-0 after two deep hits down left and right field to bring Alba, Soriano and Madden home. In addition to two runs from Madden, Andrea DeJesus, Holly White and Emma Campos scored to force the Gators to a make-or-break run rule scenario. The Gators would try to extend the game further, but the Otters struck them out of opportunities to close the game at five innings, 9-0. 

The outcome isn’t what the Gators hoped for, but head coach Alicia Reid thought the series put a motivating bow on their season. 

“At the end of the day, we wanted to do what was necessary to squeak into the conference tournament. It just didn’t work out for us in that favor,” Reid said. “That gives them a little chip on their shoulder for next year and for the summer – to get after it in the summer, improve to be at a better spot next year.”

That’s a wrap

The Gators saw the positives despite the way their spring concluded. With two canceled games and the fight for playoff contention to the final weekend, they were proud of what they displayed throughout the season. 

“We came in with a bunch of new faces. Over half our team is not only new to the university, but college ball in general,” Reid said. “We’ve got a lot of players who were young and raw, and so, to be going into the last weekend of conference play with the opportunity to play to get into the conference tournament, I think that says a lot about this group.” 

Among the new faces is graduating senior catcher Taylor Rapp, who started in 20 of 24 games this season for SFSU, as well as scored four runs and 10 RBIs. Coming in from Sonoma State University after their team was cut last year, she felt content to come compete and connect with her fellow Gators. 

“I’m so grateful that I had such a strong bond with the girls I met this year and had so much fun with them on the dirt every single day,” Rapp said. “Even though it wasn’t the most successful season for us, I had fun every day and that’s all that really matters in the grand scheme of things.”

With the growth and adjustment the team has made over the five months of competition, Shaunessy sees it as a learning experience the team must go through to reach their highest potential. 

“We have those periods of the rebuilding period, but I think that no era is really a bad era of our softball team,” Cardwell said. “It’s just these leaps and bounds of growth and they have to take place, and sometimes you gotta get punched in the mouth to learn a lesson, and with how many people we had starting who were underclassmen, it’s only gonna get better or uphill from here.”

An emotional Mares reflected on the impact the graduating teammates left for everyone throughout the season. 

“They’ve given a lot of words of encouragement. They’d just been a very big helping hand,” Mares said. “I really struggled with confidence in the beginning of the season, and they’ve just carried me. Without them, I don’t think I’d be where I am right here both physically and mentally. They’ve been leaders with how young we are. They’ve really been a huge help.”

Rocha, who transferred in from Chico after the Wildcats’ 2024 season, was worried where the ball game would take her, but she couldn’t feel more satisfied with the destinations. Now, this chapter is closing sooner than she thought it would. 

“It’s definitely a really sad time. I think I obviously knew this day would come, but definitely snuck up on me faster than I thought,” Rocha said. “These four years of college went by really fast. But every chapter has to come to an end, and I’m happy that mine closed this way.”