Softball Star: Jillian Albayati Made NCAA History
The Cal State San Marcos senior became the first NCAA Division II player to appear in a softball and baseball game on the same day.
By Daniel Bernard ·
Jillian Albayati of Cal State San Marcos pitched an inning for the baseball team and played in a softball doubleheader on April 13, 2024. She was the first person in NCAA Division II history to appear in a softball and baseball game on the same day.
The softball team was playing Cal State Monterey Bay when a teammate hit a walk-off grand slam in the first game. Albayati left the field, changed into a baseball uniform, and went to the baseball bullpen. She warmed up in a few minutes.
Albayati threw 24 pitches against seven batters for the baseball team against Sonoma State. She allowed one run. The baseball team lost the game. Her softball teammates watched from the center-field fence.
"It was hectic, but it was awesome," Albayati said. She returned to the softball field and played the second game of the doubleheader, which the Cougars won.
Albayati has played baseball since she was 3 years old. She grew up in Anaheim and played Little League with her twin brother, Diego. She made the varsity team at Anaheim High School as a freshman.
She started playing travel softball one year before college. At CSUSM, she helped the team reach the NCAA Division II championship as a freshman in 2023. In her senior season, she set California Collegiate Athletic Association single-season records with a .517 batting average, 26 doubles, 80 RBIs, and a .914 slugging percentage. She was named CCAA Female Athlete of the Year and made two All-America teams.
Albayati played for the USA Baseball women's national team in the summers of 2022 through 2024. In 2024, she hit a three-run home run against Japan in the World Cup, ending Japan's 39-game winning streak. She started the gold-medal game, and the United States took the silver medal, its first in 10 years.
The Women's Professional Baseball League held its first draft in November 2025. Albayati was picked in the first round and plays for San Francisco. The league's six-week season began in August with teams in Boston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York.
Albayati graduates in December with a degree in business management. Her parents own Albayati Realty and Mortgage Group, and a mural on the side of the business marks her accomplishments. Her CSUSM teammates held a watch party on draft day.
"I just fell in love with the game," Albayati said, "and never stopped playing."
Source: CSUSM News
