The Big West Conference will have two representatives in the 2008 NCAA Softball Tournament as league champion Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton were given slots in the 64-team field. The 49ers were also given one of the top 16 seeds in the tournament as the committee gave LBSU the #14 slot. The selection of two clubs extends the conference streak of multiple selections to the national tournament to 24 seasons, a run that matches the length of time the Big West has sponsored the sport.
The 49ers and Titans were each placed in one of the 16 four-team regionals that will be played on campus sites in a double elimination format. The regionals will take place from Friday, May 16 to Sunday, May 18, except for the Tuscaloosa and Chapel Hill Regionals which will run from Thursday, May 15 to Saturday, May 17. The winner of each regional advances to a best of three NCAA Super Regional the following weekend with the eight remaining clubs following that round advancing to Oklahoma City, Okla., for the 2008 Women’s College World Series.
#14 seed Long Beach State (39-15, 15-6 Big West) won the Big West regular season crown for the first time since 2005, and is making its return to the NCAA postseason party after a one-year hiatus. The 17-time NCAA postseason participant will travel to Iowa City, Iowa for its regional along with opening-game opponent Creighton (43-15, 21-3 Missouri Valley), Missouri (44-15, 11-6 Big XII) and host Iowa (40-18, 14-6 Big Ten). The regional is set to begin Friday, May 16 at Bob Pearl Softball Field. The 49ers did not play a game against any of the teams in its regional this season.Long Beach State had a tremendous regular season, posting seven wins in 13 games against ranked oppostion, including a 2-1 (8) win over #1 seed Florida, and appearing in either the USA Today/NFCA Poll or the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll since March 11.
The 49ers are led offensively by senior Jessica Beaver (.272 BA, 49 H, 14 2B, 6 HR, 42 RBI), junior Jennifer Griffin (.333 BA, 44 H, 16 2B, 21 RBI) and senior Brooke LeSage (.306 BA, 45 H, 24 RBI, 16 BB, 9 SB). Beaver is the all-time program leader in RBI, while Griffin provided instant impact after transferring in from 2007 College World Series runner-up Tennessee. Keep an eye on junior Danielle Linke (.282 BA, 40 H, 7 2B, 8 3B, 32 RBI) and senior Lacy Tyler (.299 BA, 49 H, 12 RBI, 13 BB) who have both provided LBSU with big hits at key times. The true reason for the 49ers’ return to the postseason has been the pitching staff, led by All-America candidate Brooke Turner. The true freshman, who won seven Big West Pitcher of the Week awards, is 26-4 with a 0.67 ERA in 32 appearances, all starts, and has posted 30 complete games and 17 shutouts. She has shown amazing control with just 39 walks in 210.0 innings to go along with 226 strikeouts. Supporting Turner is another fine young pitcher, the 2007 Big West Freshman of the Year Bridgette Pagano. The sophomore is 13-11 with a 2.44 ERA in 157.2 innings with 20 complete games. They are a big part of Long Beach State's 1.57 team ERA, among the best figures in the country.
Cal State Fullerton (27-26-1, 11-10 Big West) gained an at-large spot in the NCAA field, its ninth appearance in the last 10 national tournaments and 24th trip overall as a member of the Big West. CSF will pack its gear for a short trip the Los Angeles Regional hosted by UCLA (45-7, 17-4 Pac 10). Rounding out the regional are Nevada (42-16, 16-2 WAC) and Purdue (34-20, 9-9 Big Ten). The games are slated to begin Friday, May 16 at Easton Stadium with Cal State Fullerton playing the host Bruins and the Wolfpack taking on the Boilermakers. Cal State Fullerton is very familar with all thre teams in the Los Angeles Regional, as it played the trio during the course of the 2008 season. CSF fell to Nevada back on February 9 by a 5-4 score, but beat both UCLA and Purdue. The victory against the Bruins was a 1-0 (8) decision on March 12, while the win over the Boilermakers came during the Worth Invitational February 29 by a 5-0 count.
The Titans possess a solid offense that ranks second in the Big West in batting average (.268), home runs (33), RBI (188) and tops in doubles (78). Leading the offensive charge are seniors Kiki Munoz (.406 BA, 63 H, 7 HR, 29 RBI, 21 BB) and Katie Gollhardt (.301 BA, 53 H, 6 HR, 25 RBI) and junior Lauren Lupinetti (.289 BA, 12 2B, 7 HR, 33 RBI). Sophomore Sheila Holguin (.253 BA, 43 H, 25 R, 5 3B) has also been an offensive standout for CSF during the 2008 season. Pitching was a question entering the season, but the staff answered the call with a 2.67 ERA which ranks third in the Big West. Senior Jessica Doucette provided experience and leadership in the circle with a 13-12 record, a 2.21 ERA, 20 complete games in 25 starts and 29 appearances in all. She’s struck out 131 batters, walked 58, allowed just 32 extra-base hits and allowed opposing hitters to bat just .206 in 174.0 innings of work. While Doucette has been the steady senior, freshman pitcher Christine Hiner has supplied the depth with an outstanding rookie season. Hiner is 14-13 with a 2.58 ERA in 173.2 innings. She has appeared in 29 games, 26 starts, and has tallied 18 complete games, 115 strikeouts and walked just 50. As has been the case for many years under head coach Michelle Gromacki, Cal State Fullerton played one on of the tougher schedules in the country. CSF played 17 games against ranked foes, 14 of them coming in non-conference play, and had the 37th-toughest schedule in the country according to warrennolan.com.