Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – McKenna Beach with former teammate Kira Morris during their playing days together at Eureka High.

By Ray Hamill — A former H-DNL star will make a welcome return to the North Coast this weekend, as Stanislaus State travels to the area to play a four-game series against the Cal Poly Humboldt softball team.

Eureka’s McKenna Beach, who played two seasons for the Lumberjacks before transferring to Stanislaus, has started every game this season for her new team.

The 2022 Eureka graduate was a two-sport Big 5 MVP, starring for the Loggers in basketball and softball, and also was the 2022 Humboldt Sports Big 5 Girls Athlete of the Year.

And Beach, who plays catcher and infield, appears to be heating up as she gets set for her homecoming.

She had multiple hits in a pair of games against San Francisco State last weekend, going 6-for-14 over the four game series, including hitting a home run and a double.

Beach is now averaging .206 at the plate and has hit five home runs and six doubles with her new team this spring.

The local standout started 93 games in her two years playing for the Jacks and averaged .250 at the plate last spring.

During her time at Eureka High, she was a rare Big 5 MVP in both basketball and softball as a senior and a league champion in both sports, and she also won Dick Niclai and Charlie Lakin tournament championship medals.

The Warriors, however, have struggled this season and are bottom of the CCAA standings with a record of 8-24 (13-31 overall).

The Jacks, meanwhile, remain in the chase for a spot in this year’s CCAA tournament although they need help after dropping four games at Cal State San Bernardino last weekend.

They are 14-18 in the CCAA and 25-22 overall heading into the final weekend of the regular season, and they sit seventh in the standings, two games behind San Bernardino (16-16 in conference) in the race for the sixth and final tournament spot.

The Coyotes close out conference play this weekend at San Francisco State, which sits third in the conference standings and has already clinched a tournament berth.

This weekend’s series between the Jacks and Warriors will take place at the CPH softball field, with two games on Saturday at 1 and 3 p.m., and two more on Sunday at noon and 2 p.m.

Stanislaus State Athletics

McKenna Beach was the 2022 Humboldt Sports Big 5 Girls Athlete of the Year.