CSUN softball player Kaylee Escutia is Matador of the Week after her standout performances in the homestand against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors.

Escutia led the Matadors to two consecutive victories in the series after they dropped the first match. In game two, she scored two runs and three RBIs to lead the Matadors to an 8-5 win, while in the final game, she contributed two hits and two RBIs to the Matadors’ 11-1 thrashing of the Rainbow Warriors.

“Winning against Hawaii is a big accomplishment. We wanted to be competitive with them, and we showed we were ready to compete,” Escutia said.

Escutia also contributed one run and two RBIs in the two victories against Long Beach State, but struggled in the series against Cal State Fullerton, going 1-for-8 through the three games. She bounced back and went 4-for-7 in the most recent pair of games against UC Davis, posting two runs across the matches.

So far, the Matadors have kept pace with the other schools in the Big West Conference. CSUN currently stands at 8-7 in the conference while posting an overall record of 17-19.

Currently a sophomore at CSUN, Escutia has been a standout player for the Matadors since she arrived. She was named to the All-Big West Freshman team and earned an honorable mention to the Big West All-Conference team in her first year. She credits the team’s individual coaching for helping raise her batting average from .288 in her first year to .337 this year.

“The coaches are very involved with each player,” Escutia said. “They see potential in our talents and teach us not to be complacent.”

Escutia got involved with softball from a very young age. She was a standout player at Royal High School, where she was named to the Division I CIF Southern Section team and earned Coastal Canyon League MVP honors.

“I have been playing softball for most of my life,” Escutia stated. “I played other sports too but my parents quickly realized I was very talented at softball, and it’s where I have made most of my friends.”

All of Escutia’s accomplishments helped her earn interest from CSUN. The school’s proximity to her hometown and its environment grabbed Escutia’s attention.

“I chose CSUN because I wanted to be closer to my home of Simi Valley,” Escutia said. “The coaches were very kind and supportive.”

The Matadors lost many seniors to graduation last year, but Escuatia believes their large class of freshmen has helped the team become more united, citing their motto as a reason for their recent success.

“We gained a big class of freshmen this year, and it has helped with team chemistry,” Escutia said. “Our motto of ‘Team, One, You’ has become one of our pillars of success, and has allowed the team to uphold this standard.”

In the future, Escutia intends to help the Matadors become one of the best programs, not just in the Big West but in the nation as a whole. She also wants to go into a graduate program connected to her psychology major with a specific focus on sports.

“I want to help better the program as a whole and leave a winning culture at CSUN,” Escutia explained. “And I do want to go into a graduate program and just find a job that makes me happy.”

The Matadors will resume their campaign against the San Diego Toreros on Wednesday, April 19 at the Matador Diamond.