Women’s Basketball
Seattle University Women’s Basketball fell to Washington State University, 55-69, at Beasley Coliseum Feb. 26. Seattle U found it difficult to keep pace early on, falling behind 21-9 at the end of the first quarter, and did not catch up even as they improved in the second half. Senior guard Ella Brubaker scored 17 points, had three rebounds and an assist. Graduate forward Andjela Bigovic scored 14 points on three of eight shooting and eight of eight at the line, while Redshirt Senior Tamia Stricklin finished with nine points, nine rebounds and two assists. Freshman guard Jana Vesic contributed five points, and Freshman guard Chloe Emanga scored seven points and pulled down nine rebounds. Seattle U went 4-16 from three point range and shot 34% as their comeback attempts were held back by turnovers and rebounding disadvantages in the paint.
Seattle U lost again against Pepperdine 67-81 Feb. 28 after putting up a strong fight back at the Redhawk Center for Senior Night. The Redhawks scored 23 points in the first quarter and out-rebounded Pepperdine 37-33, including eight offensive boards to Pepperdine’s seven, and outscored them in the paint 40-32. Brubaker again paced the team with a strong scoring night, while Stricklin continued to attack the glass. Seattle U shot 41.9% from the field, but Pepperdine’s shooting pulled away in the second half. After a difficult 5–24 (1–17 WCC) regular season, Seattle U heads to the WCC conference tournament to take on Washington State, March 5.
Men’s Basketball
Men’s Basketball defeated Pepperdine 87-80 on the road Feb. 25. Redshirt Sophomore forward Will Heimbrodt had a great scoring night for the Redhawks, scoring 24 points while dominating both ends of the court with four rebounds, five assists, four steals and five blocks. Sophomore center Austin Maurer also had a fantastic game, finishing with 16 points and seven rebounds. Senior guard Jojo Murphy contributed 12 points, and Senior forward Junseok Yeo scored 13 points. Seattle U secured the lead and denied Pepperdine’s late attempts to come back, thanks to a strong 51.6 overall shooting percentage and six three-pointers.
In a close game in Los Angeles, the Redhawks defeated Loyola Marymount 71–66. Leading the way with a team-high of 31 points, Senior guard Brayden Maldonado made six threes and made seven of 10 free throws. Maurer had nine points, and Heimbrodt added 11 points, three rebounds and three assists. Redshirt Senior guard John Christofilis scored eight points off the bench, and Murphy contributed five more points. Seattle U recovered an early disadvantage due to Maldonado’s shooting and aggressiveness, outscoring LMU 42–34 in the second half.
Baseball
In a competitive and high-scoring game, Seattle U defeated the University of Washington 14–11 due to a strong offensive performance by several Redhawk batters. Junior infielder Brandon Stinnett was three for six with a two-run home run in the second inning, and Junior utility Payton Knowles was four for six with two runs scored. Senior catcher Tyler Horner led the win with two hits, including a bases-clearing double in the fourth inning. Senior pitcher Blake Smith (1-0) earned the win by escaping a bases-loaded situation and working into the late innings to keep the Redhawks within striking distance. Sophomore pitcher Isaac Hallam took the no-decision on the mound, giving up three earned runs in three innings. With the final out to complete the comeback victory, Seattle U got their first win over Washington since 2024 and moved to 1-7 in their season.
Seattle U lost 1–11 to Holy Cross University in the Redhawks home opener Feb. 27. Knowles knocked in the only run on an RBI double in the sixth inning, but the Redhawk offense was limited to just four hits. Redshirt Senior pitcher Travis Farrell had a great day and struck out 10 batters, one of the highest single-game totals in program history. The following day, Feb. 28, Seattle U made a comeback, defeating the Crusaders 11–10 in 10 innings. Holy Cross recovered after Seattle took an early 5-1 lead and added a four-run sixth inning, which ended with a two-run single from Stinnett and an RBI single from Knowles. After Redshirt senior pitcher Ryan Stone (1-0) got out of a jam in the tenth inning, Knowles led off the inning with a single up the middle. Knowles proceeded to steal second, leaving a runner in scoring position for the Redhawks. Horner stepped into the box and drove a single to right field, scoring Knowles, walking it off for Seattle U.
Sunday, March 1, Seattle U lost 2–7 to Holy Cross. Knowles’ solo home run gave the Redhawks a 1-0 lead, and Hunter Komine’s RBI single made it 2-1 early on. However, Holy Cross responded with seven runs in a row to take the lead. Junior Right-handed pitcher Micah Hagler pitched six innings while giving up seven hits and one run, but the Crusaders recovered late and pulled away. In the loss, Seattle U only managed five hits. The Redhawks dropped their last game in the series 3-7, ending their first homestand 1-4. Seattle U takes on Jackson State University for the annual HBCU Seattle Series March 6-8, with the third game of the series taking place at T-Mobile Park.
Softball
Seattle U’s softball team had a split start to the Judy Garman Classic Feb. 27, losing to the University of California-Berkeley 4–3 after shutting out the Brigham Young University (BYU) Cougars 4–0. Graduate utility Jay Ross drove in two RBIs during an important three-run fourth inning against BYU, and Senior Catcher and Designated Player Ava Sin went two for three with an RBI and a run scored. Junior Right-handed Pitcher Berkley Vance pitched 7 innings with three strikeouts to finish a shutout, while Senior Third-baseman Taylor Fitch, Junior Shortstop Mikee Morris and Junior Catcher Karen Spadafora each contributed a single. With two singles each from Sin and Morris and an RBI single from Sophomore Abbie Fales, Seattle U came very close to recovering against Cal in the second game. Junior Left-handed Pitcher Avari Morris pitched 5 innings with five strikeouts after starting in the circle.
After defeating the East Texas A&M Lions 7-1 in the Judi Garman Classic Feb. 28, Seattle lost a close 16-10 game to the University of California-Los Angeles Bruins (UCLA). The Redhawks offense scored seven runs in the victory over East Texas A&M with big hits from Fitch, M. Morris, Spadafora, Fales and Senior Infielder Brooklyn Jones coming from all over the lineup. With strong pitching that held the Lions to just one run, Seattle U dominated the game. The Redhawks’ offense then exploded for 10 runs on 10 hits versus UCLA, with Senior Catcher and Infielder Audrey Borup leading the way with a grand slam and six RBIs. After Borup’s home run, Seattle U took a brief lead, but UCLA recovered late, including a grand slam in the fifth inning, to win.
Seattle U lost 4-0 to Cal State Fullerton March 1 to end the Judi Garman Classic. Fullerton scored early and relied on strong pitching to keep the Redhawks off the scoreboard. Although players like Sin, Fitch and Spadafora contributed offensively throughout the game, Seattle U was unable to turn opportunities into runs. After the early runs, Vance led the pitching effort in the circle by pitching many innings and preventing further scoring. Seattle’s defense fought through the later innings, putting the game within reach and finishing the tournament with a strong performance against Fullerton.
