Games #1 & 2
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Stanislaus State Warriors (0-0)
Monday, February 3, 2025 at 2 p.m. & 4 p.m.
Turlock, Calif. – Warrior Softball Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Games #3 & 4
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Sonoma State Seawolves (0-0)
Wednesday, February 5, 2025 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Santa Rosa, Calif. – Marv Mayes Softball Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Games #5 & 6
ART U Urban Knights (0-0) vs. Cal State East Bay Pioneers (0-0)
Friday, February 7, 2025 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Hayward, Calif. – Pioneer Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Driven by passion for the game, Academy of Art softball steps up to the plate for its 17th season next week. Head Coach Geena Garabedian and her staff enter their second year at the program's helm with a roster featuring plenty of collegiate experience and talent at every position.

Exclusively facing opponents from the California Collegiate Athletic Association in its first 11 games of the season, ART U starts with road doubleheaders against Stanislaus State (Feb. 3), Sonoma State (Feb. 5), and Cal State East Bay (Feb. 7). An earlier Tournament of Champions then sees the Knights match up with Cal Poly Humboldt and Chico State (both Feb. 14), Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal State San Bernardino (both Feb. 15), and SF State (Feb. 16) then host Simon Fraser (Feb. 19) ahead of a Pacific West Conference road-home series versus Dominican (Feb. 28 - Mar.1). After facing Biola for four in Southern California (Mar. 7-8), Academy of Art plays the bulk of its home schedule across a trio of three-game series hosting the PacWest's Hawaiian members in UH Hilo (Mar. 14-15), Hawaii Pacific (Mar. 17-18), and Chaminade (Mar. 24-25).

Non-conference play wraps up with ART U's 11-part homestand ending on Northwest Nazarene (Mar. 27) before another trip to the southern part of the state features pairings with Vanguard (Mar. 29-31) and Azusa Pacific (Apr. 2-3). The Knights are then in the Bay Area for one final stretch to finish the regular season, beginning with Menlo (Apr. 11-12), moving to Jessup (Apr. 18-19), and closing with Concordia (Apr. 25-26). In its third year, the PacWest Conference Championship Tournament follows on Apr. 30 - May 2 in Irvine. To view the 2024 schedule, click here!

Preparing to compete in their final collegiate seasons, graduate student outfielder Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki, senior utility Alexis Folks, and senior catcher/infielder Liberty Herrera represent a trio of team leaders. Both Grayhorse-Pupecki and Folks earned All-PacWest Third Team in 2024 after ranking among the conference leaders in different statistical categories. Grayhorse-Pupecki, who paces the program in career triples (14) by five and its two home runs from the top 10, finished second in PacWest in triples and homers with four apiece. Folks' debut campaign with ART U saw her hit .313 to rank top 15 in the conference in 2024.

The Academy of Art junior class is the largest of the four with infielder Audrey Allen, infielder/catcher Olivia Glover, utility Marissa "Roo" Menard joining pitchers Kamielle Powell and Sydney Harmon. In just two years, Allen has totaled 20 career doubles and comes off a season in which she ranked seventh in PacWest with nine doubles and shared team lead with 18 runs batted in. Powell paced the Knights in earned run average last year and has the most career starts and innings pitched of any active ART U pitcher.

Offense and defense are both covered by the three-part sophomore class of outfielders Lida Wos and Ari Mallari as well as pitcher/utility Kayla Vaughan. Wos' double-digit stolen bases led Academy of Art in 2024 and Vaughan ranked fifth in the conference with 95 strikeouts as well as seventh in innings pitched (118.0). Vaughan and Powell will seek to become the seventh and eighth Knights to register 100 strikeouts in a career this season.

Also new to the team are a pair of freshmen in outfielder/infielder Riannah Maulupe and Danielle Shinko. Maulupe, a four-year varsity product of Carson High School, carries an outstanding resume that includes two CIF-LA City Section Open Division Championships, an All-City Player of the Year selection, a 2024 Marine League title, Marine League First Team honors, and team Co-Player of the Year. Meanwhile, Shinko begins her collegiate career following three years on varsity at Westlake High School over which she was awarded Defensive Player of the Year.

As Academy of Art softball swings into a busy first week of action, the Urban Knights remain determined to make their 2025 campaign a memorable one.