By Mitchell Park (@park30news) — Spear Contributor | Seniors Reina Zermeno, Ahmiya Noriega and Shay McDowell pose for photos after their win over New Mexico. (Photo by Mitchell Park — Spear Contributor)
On a warm Sunday afternoon at the Spartan Softball Complex, San Jose State softball honored its senior players with a Spartan farewell as it closed out its final home series of the 2026 season.
SJSU hosted the University of New Mexico Lobos for its Senior Day game, honoring graduating Spartans Shay McDowell, Reina Zermeno and Ahmiya Noriega.
The Spartans topped off their seniors’ careers with a 4-1 win, taking the series 2-1, while honoring the three seniors with a pregame ceremony and postgame photos.
Zermeno leads the team in batting average, RBIs and home runs. For her parents, the celebration was “bittersweet.”
“It’s just been the fastest four years. We thought high school was fast, but college was even faster,” Avril, Reina’s mom, said.
Reina’s dad, Joel, knows how much being at SJSU has meant to their daughter.
“She loves the school, she loves the Bay Area,” Joel said. “She even talks about just being fortunate and lucky and blessed enough to be here, and play as much as she’s played.”
Before the game, Spartan Athletics staged a ceremony in the seniors’ honor. The program gave each senior flowers and a retired jersey with her number.
Nick Orozco, graduate assistant sports information director for SJSU who helped coordinate the event, said the event was an “extensive process,” compared to normal game setup.
“It’s a lot more pressure because we’re trying to send off the seniors in the right way,” Orozco said. “They spent a lot of time here, so I want to honor them properly and make sure they’re recognized properly.”
Bleachers were packed with at least 50 fans supporting both teams. Family members and friends traveled to adorn the seniors with flowers, homemade posters and other goodies.
“I would definitely say this weekend brought out a lot more fans, a lot more family,” Orozco said. “Looks like each senior had their own really big family that they brought in. So that’s really cool to see.”
Orozco attributed part of the team’s win to the crowd’s heightened energy.
“It feels like whatever they produce, it produces on the field as well,” Orozco said.
Not everyone in the crowd was as familiar with the seniors, however. Gordon Yang, a high school exchange student, was invited by friends. He said he never attended a softball game before and didn’t realize it was Senior Day.
“I think the overall energy here was pretty vibrant,” Yang said. “It’s pretty lovely, pretty sweet.”
The Spartans head to Idaho for the final series of their regular season. Regardless of what comes next for McDowell, Zermeno and Noriega, Sunday served as a reminder of what they meant to the program, and what it meant to them.
“I hope all of their future endeavors are good,” Orozco said. “And I hope we close out the season in Boise really well.”
