There’s no way to sugarcoat it: the Matadors had a disastrous start to their 2012 season under second-year head coach Tairia Flowers.

CSUN (0-5) dropped all five of its games at the Kajikawa Classic in Arizona last weekend. Three of its rivals were top-20 teams in the nation, but the Matadors were outscored 50-5 total.

There were a few bright spots for the Matadors: senior infielder Alyssa Ray hit .571 for the weekend and had three doubles, including a two-hit game against Western Michigan Saturday. Catcher Mikayla Thielges and utility player Korine Randazzo each had a home run for CSUN.

Things are bound to get better for the Matadors this weekend at the UNLV Louisville Slugger Desert Classic. CSUN will start off Friday with a double-header against Utah State and BYU. The Matadors will follow up with another double-header the next day, against LSU and Hawaii.

Northridge will round up the weekend with a game against Utah Sunday.

The game against Hawai’i Saturday will give the Matadors a chance to take a close look at a future Big West Conference rival. The Warriors will join the conference next year.