TURLOCK, Calif. – Cal State East Bay softball will open league play on the road this Friday, Feb. 13, at Cal State Stanislaus. The Pioneers have five wins in six non-conference games experiencing success early on and finding out who will be key contributors to this year's squad.

Center fielder Lauren Vestal, catcher Ali Cerminara and shortstop Nikki Foster have started all six games at their respective positions and at the same spot in the batting order. Cerminara leads the Pioneers with her .444 batting average and nine runs batted in out of the cleanup spot. Vestal is hitting .333 and leads the team scoring six runs from the leadoff spot. Foster has reached base safely in 9-of-13 plate appearances on the year and played solid defense at the shortstop position.

Newcomers Sierra Clark and Tatiana Beilstein have fit it well early on combining for a 3-0 record, one save, and a 2.15 earned run average. In her most recent start, Clark tossed a complete game victory against Academy of Art (Feb. 5). Beilstein held NDNU to three runs (two earned) over seven innings to pick up her first win as a Pioneer.

Patience at the plate has been the theme early on for the Pioneer hitters. Cal State East Bay batters have walked 26 times and struck out only 12. The CSUEB pitching staff has only issued six walks while fanning 19 hitters.

Cal State Stanislaus (2-2) will make its home debut to open its league schedule on Friday. The Warriors split road doubleheaders at Notre Dame de Namur and Academy of Art.

Morgan Balestreri and Nicolette Vizcaino have combined for 15 of the team's 31 hits through four games this season. The pair enters the weekend batting .536, while the rest of the squad is batting just .184 (16-for-87).

Jessica Varady and Natalie Rendon have each started twice in the circle this season. Varady has appeared in all four games including a complete game shutout win over Academy of Art (Feb. 10) to her name. Rendon has surrendered eight runs in 8.1 innings in her two starts.

Cal State East Bay snapped a 7-game losing streak to Cal State Stanislaus by taking the Saturday games of last year's weekend series. However the Pioneers are just 2-9 against the Warriors in Turlock since the 2010 campaign.