FULLERTON, Calif. -- Cal State Fullerton's 2015 team hosted more than 20 returning alumnae to campus to celebrate the nearly 36-year history of the program. A seven inning slow pitch game pitted two squads of alumnae against each other in a competitive match on Saturday afternoon.
For many of the former players it was the first time they experienced the Anderson Family Field environment and were able to visit with former teammates.
"This year's event could not have started out better as legendary head coach Judi Garman joined us to throw out the first pitch," current head softball coach Kelly Ford said. "All of us were lucky to be around Judi and feed off of her great ideas and experiences. The game itself was both fun and intense, with many of the alumnae never skipping a beat while continuing to make highlight reel type of plays."
Under Garman, the Titans advanced to post-season play in each of their first 17 seasons and made eight appearances in the national finals, winning the Women's College World Series and NCAA championship in 1986. In 1993, Garman was inducted into the National Softball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Prior to the game itself, several alumna gathered the current Fullerton squad for a "Titans connect" experience. The alumnae covered topics such as program expectations, competitive greatness within each other, and legacies, while incorporating plenty of stories and experiences along the way.
"There are many people for me to thank who helped pull this off, and Jenn Holt was an intricate part of creating this connection between our alumnae and student-athletes," said Ford. "The alumnae really showed their support for our student-athletes as they gave an education in life, a tradition that I want to continue many years."
Several alumnae returned to Anderson Family Field including a trio of All-Americans in Yasmin Mossadeghi, Kiki Munoz and Chenita Rodgers.
Mossadeghi was named a third team All-American in 2002, posting a .367 average with 13 home runs and 45 RBIs. She was also an All-Big West and All-West Region first team selection while being invited to the U.S. National Team Camp. Munoz earned second-team honors in 2008 after hitting .400 with seven round-trippers and collecting 31 RBIs. Rodgers was a career .365 hitter who led the team in batting average in both of her All-American seasons from 1986-87. In Cal State Fullerton's national title run in 1986, Rodgers hit .386.
