University of Northern Colorado Athletics
Thursday, February 6
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
12 p.m. (1 p.m. CST)
University of Northern Colorado
vs
Florida State
Photo by: Jesus Ayala, UNC Athletics
Bears Start 2025 Season in Mexico
2/4/2025 8:24:00 AM | Softball
GREELEY, Colo. – Northern Colorado softball starts the 2025 season in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where the Bears will compete in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge. The three-day tournament sees UNC face highly competitive opponents #9 Florida State, Louisiana Tech, and #4 Oklahoma State.
GAME COVERAGE
A live stream will be available for the game on FloSoftball.com provided by FloSoftball. Fans can buy a yearly pass for $149.99 that grants access to all broadcasts on FloSoftball or a $20 monthly subscription. Live stats will also be provided for fans to stay up to date.
A LOOK AT THE BEARS
Head Coach Dedeann Pendleton-Helm returns to the helm of the program after leading the Bears to the Big Sky Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships. UNC fell in the Stillwater Regional after losing to Oklahoma State and Michigan.
The Bears return 16 student athletes from the 2024 team including eight starters and two starting pitchers.
UNC welcomed nine newcomers to the 2025 roster featuring catcher Kenzie Carter, infielders Krista Francia, Katie Walling, and Malaina Alifano, outfielder Kamana Powell, pitchers Grace Sackett and Tivoli Martinez, and utility players Anna Wilming and Annie Polaski.
SCOUTING #9 FLORIDA STATE
(Thursday | 12 p.m. MST)
Three Florida State softball players—Jaysoni Beachum, Michaela Edenfield, and Jahni Kerr—were named to the Preseason All-ACC team, tying Duke for the most selections. FSU, coming off a 46-16 season, was picked second in the ACC.
Beachum, the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, set FSU freshman records in batting, home runs, and RBIs. Edenfield hit a career-best .381, while Kerr, a two-time All-ACC pick, has hit .332 over the past two seasons. FSU returns key pitchers and adds transfers Julia Apsel (Hofstra) and Annabelle Widra (Auburn), along with the No. 5 recruiting class.
SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH
(Thursday | 3 p.m. MST / Saturday | 12 p.m.)
Louisiana Tech softball placed two players on the 2025 Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team, as center fielder Alexis Gilio and third baseman Claire Raley were selected. The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in CUSA, behind Liberty, WKU, and New Mexico State.
Gilio, a BYU transfer, earned First-Team All-CUSA honors in 2024, leading LA Tech with a .383 batting average and 64 hits—both ranking among the best in program history. Raley, a Utah State transfer, started all 54 games at third base, hitting .278 with four triples and 33 runs. Under fourth-year head coach Josh Taylor, LA Tech looks to build on last season's 32-22 record.
SCOUTING #4 OKLAHOMA STATE
(Friday | 6 p.m. MST)
Oklahoma State softball is ranked No. 4 in the NFCA/GoRout DI Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll, rounding out multiple top-five preseason rankings. The Cowgirls were also picked as the Big 12 preseason favorite for the first time in program history, receiving nine of 11 first-place votes. OSU finished the 2024 season with a 49-12 record, going 21-6 in Big 12 play and winning all but one of its league series.
Returning nearly two-thirds of last year's roster, OSU also brought in the nation's second-best transfer class. The Cowgirls lead the Big 12 with six preseason all-conference selections, including standout transfers RyLee Crandall (Baylor) and Ruby Meylan (Washington).
ABOUT THE PV COLLEGE CHALLENGE
The Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, hosted by Triple Crown Sports, returns for its ninth edition in 2025, featuring two sessions from Feb. 6-8 and Feb. 12-15. Held at Nancy Almaraz Stadium in the heart of Puerto Vallarta, the event offers top-tier college softball just minutes from the Pacific coastline.
This year's tournament includes returning programs like BYU, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, LA Tech, and Oklahoma State, alongside first-time participants such as Florida State, Illinois State, Indiana, Florida International, and Boise State.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
As the 2025 softball season approaches, Northern Colorado has been named the preseason favorite in the Big Sky Conference Coaches' Poll. The Bears, who made history last season by sweeping both the regular-season and tournament titles for the first time, earned three first-place votes and topped the poll with 23 points. Head coach Dedeann Pendleton-Helm's squad enters the new campaign with high expectations after a dominant 2024 run, and they will look to defend their title against a competitive field that includes Idaho State (21 points, two first-place votes) and Portland State (17 points, one first-place vote), both of whom made deep postseason runs last year.
Northern Colorado will also have the opportunity to host the 2025 Big Sky Softball Championship at Gloria Rodriguez Field from May 6-9, giving the Bears a home-field advantage as they aim for back-to-back titles. The team opens its season on Feb. 6 against Florida State in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, setting the stage for what promises to be another exciting year for UNC softball. Fans can follow the team's journey and all Big Sky action on social media using @BigSkyConf and the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.
UP NEXT
The Bears will travel to Las Cruces, N.M. on Feb. 14-15 to compete in the Troy Cox Classic, hosted by New Mexico State. UNC starts the tournament on Friday with games against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi at 9 a.m. and New Mexico State at 2 p.m. On Saturday, the Bears will play Nebraska at 2:15 p.m. before playing the Aggies again at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the softball team on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNC_BearsSB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsSB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsSB).
GAME COVERAGE
A live stream will be available for the game on FloSoftball.com provided by FloSoftball. Fans can buy a yearly pass for $149.99 that grants access to all broadcasts on FloSoftball or a $20 monthly subscription. Live stats will also be provided for fans to stay up to date.
A LOOK AT THE BEARS
Head Coach Dedeann Pendleton-Helm returns to the helm of the program after leading the Bears to the Big Sky Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championships. UNC fell in the Stillwater Regional after losing to Oklahoma State and Michigan.
The Bears return 16 student athletes from the 2024 team including eight starters and two starting pitchers.
UNC welcomed nine newcomers to the 2025 roster featuring catcher Kenzie Carter, infielders Krista Francia, Katie Walling, and Malaina Alifano, outfielder Kamana Powell, pitchers Grace Sackett and Tivoli Martinez, and utility players Anna Wilming and Annie Polaski.
SCOUTING #9 FLORIDA STATE
(Thursday | 12 p.m. MST)
Three Florida State softball players—Jaysoni Beachum, Michaela Edenfield, and Jahni Kerr—were named to the Preseason All-ACC team, tying Duke for the most selections. FSU, coming off a 46-16 season, was picked second in the ACC.
Beachum, the reigning ACC Freshman of the Year, set FSU freshman records in batting, home runs, and RBIs. Edenfield hit a career-best .381, while Kerr, a two-time All-ACC pick, has hit .332 over the past two seasons. FSU returns key pitchers and adds transfers Julia Apsel (Hofstra) and Annabelle Widra (Auburn), along with the No. 5 recruiting class.
SCOUTING LOUISIANA TECH
(Thursday | 3 p.m. MST / Saturday | 12 p.m.)
Louisiana Tech softball placed two players on the 2025 Conference USA Preseason All-Conference Team, as center fielder Alexis Gilio and third baseman Claire Raley were selected. The Bulldogs were picked to finish fourth in CUSA, behind Liberty, WKU, and New Mexico State.
Gilio, a BYU transfer, earned First-Team All-CUSA honors in 2024, leading LA Tech with a .383 batting average and 64 hits—both ranking among the best in program history. Raley, a Utah State transfer, started all 54 games at third base, hitting .278 with four triples and 33 runs. Under fourth-year head coach Josh Taylor, LA Tech looks to build on last season's 32-22 record.
SCOUTING #4 OKLAHOMA STATE
(Friday | 6 p.m. MST)
Oklahoma State softball is ranked No. 4 in the NFCA/GoRout DI Top 25 Preseason Coaches Poll, rounding out multiple top-five preseason rankings. The Cowgirls were also picked as the Big 12 preseason favorite for the first time in program history, receiving nine of 11 first-place votes. OSU finished the 2024 season with a 49-12 record, going 21-6 in Big 12 play and winning all but one of its league series.
Returning nearly two-thirds of last year's roster, OSU also brought in the nation's second-best transfer class. The Cowgirls lead the Big 12 with six preseason all-conference selections, including standout transfers RyLee Crandall (Baylor) and Ruby Meylan (Washington).
ABOUT THE PV COLLEGE CHALLENGE
The Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, hosted by Triple Crown Sports, returns for its ninth edition in 2025, featuring two sessions from Feb. 6-8 and Feb. 12-15. Held at Nancy Almaraz Stadium in the heart of Puerto Vallarta, the event offers top-tier college softball just minutes from the Pacific coastline.
This year's tournament includes returning programs like BYU, North Dakota State, Northern Colorado, LA Tech, and Oklahoma State, alongside first-time participants such as Florida State, Illinois State, Indiana, Florida International, and Boise State.
BIG SKY CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
As the 2025 softball season approaches, Northern Colorado has been named the preseason favorite in the Big Sky Conference Coaches' Poll. The Bears, who made history last season by sweeping both the regular-season and tournament titles for the first time, earned three first-place votes and topped the poll with 23 points. Head coach Dedeann Pendleton-Helm's squad enters the new campaign with high expectations after a dominant 2024 run, and they will look to defend their title against a competitive field that includes Idaho State (21 points, two first-place votes) and Portland State (17 points, one first-place vote), both of whom made deep postseason runs last year.
Northern Colorado will also have the opportunity to host the 2025 Big Sky Softball Championship at Gloria Rodriguez Field from May 6-9, giving the Bears a home-field advantage as they aim for back-to-back titles. The team opens its season on Feb. 6 against Florida State in the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, setting the stage for what promises to be another exciting year for UNC softball. Fans can follow the team's journey and all Big Sky action on social media using @BigSkyConf and the hashtag #ExperienceElevated.
UP NEXT
The Bears will travel to Las Cruces, N.M. on Feb. 14-15 to compete in the Troy Cox Classic, hosted by New Mexico State. UNC starts the tournament on Friday with games against Texas A&M - Corpus Christi at 9 a.m. and New Mexico State at 2 p.m. On Saturday, the Bears will play Nebraska at 2:15 p.m. before playing the Aggies again at 7 p.m.
FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of UNC Athletics, check out the official homepage at uncbears.com. Follow the softball team on X (formerly Twitter) (@UNC_BearsSB), Instagram (@UNC_BearsSB), and Facebook (/UNCBearsSB).
Players Mentioned
INF
/ Softball
C
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INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
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