Big West softball has co-leaders at the top of the standings at the midway point of the season as Cal State Fullerton and #22/22 Cal Poly each sport 10-2 records for the top spot. Third place Long Beach State is within striking distance of the leaders at 8-4, promising a tight race down the stretch for the championship and automatic NCAA bid.

First place and third place collide this weekend as Cal State Fullerton puts its seven game winning streak on the line with a road series against longtime rival Long Beach State. The two most storied programs in the league and two of the biggest names on the west coast are synonymous with success. One of these two has made the NCAA Tournament every year since 1986 and since 2000, one of these two teams has won the Big West title in eight out of the nine seasons. A year ago, CSF won a typically tight series between the two teams and leads the all-time series 68-43.

The other program to win a Big West crown in the last nine years, #22/22 Cal Poly, continues its road show this weekend in northern California as the Mustangs take on UC Davis. This is a strength vs. strength matchup as the Mustang offense enters the week leading the Big West and ranking 32nd in the NCAA in batting average (.297), while UC Davis leads the conference and ranks 14th in the nation in ERA (1.48). The battle might be won on the flip side of this as the Aggies have to contend with a Cal Poly staff that has a 1.78 ERA. A year ago, UCD fell in two out of three to the Mustangs on the road.

One of the biggest surprises in the league heads to Northridge this weekend as UC Riverside hits the road to take on Cal State Northridge. The Highlanders are 6-6 in Big West play, the latest in the season the program has been over .500 and surpassing the previous high for league wins set on two occasions. Meanwhile, the Matadors have lost eight of nine after a 3-0 conference start, but a return to Matador Diamond, where the club is 8-5 on the year, could prove to be the start of a turnaround for the club. History is certainly on the CSUN side as the club has won 10 straight games against UC Riverside, with the last loss coming on May 7, 2005.

Pacific will look to win its first series of the Big West season at home this weekend as it takes on UC Santa Barbara. The series begins a stretch of six of nine to close out the season at home for the Tigers which has never won less than six games during conference play. The series will have an early start Saturday as the doubleheader between the clubs starts at 11am due to Pacific hosting the Big West Women’s Water Polo Championships.

There is also a non-conference doubleheader on the docket as UC Davis hosts Oregon State Thursday afternoon.