ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST
Pacific’s success against ranked foes continued last weekend as the Tigers took down Brigham Young at the Diamond Devil Invitational in Tempe, Ariz. The win gave the club its third win in nine tries against ranked opposition, the most victories against a ranked foe in the Big West. The Tigers have improved leaps and bounds against ranked teams from last year when the team was just 1-6.
TITANS NOT USED TO THIS
Cal State Fullerton is used to having success as one of the big-name programs in the country, but the Titans have struggled mightily in 2010. The club’s 3-21 record is the worst start the team has endured as a member of the Big West, while its current 11-game losing streak is the longest in program history.
GARMAN CLASSIC ON THE AGENDA
Cal State Fullerton once again welcomes some of the nation’s best collegiate softball teams to Southern California to compete in one of the country’s most prestigious tournaments - the Judi Garman Classic.
The 2010 Judi Garman Classic presented by Coach USA, named after the former Titan Hall of Fame Head Softball Coach and widely regarded as the premiere mid-season collegiate tournament in the country, will be held at the dual diamond Titan Softball Complex on Wednesday, March 17, to Sunday, March 21.
This year’s field consists of New Mexico, Purdue, Louisville, Arizona, Michigan, Oklahoma, Utah, Louisiana-Lafayette, Virginia, Texas, Arizona State, Fresno State, San Jose State, UNLV, Washington, DePaul and the host Titans.
TURNER ROUNDING BACK TO FORM
Long Beach State junior Brooke Turner has had to battle injury in the early portion of the season, but her numbers the last two weeks have shown she might be over the ailments. Starting with LBSU’s matchup against Oregon on March 5, Turner is 3-2 with a 1.45 ERA in 29.0 innings. She has shown remarkable control with 37 strikeouts against only four walks and has fanned eight or more batters in three of her four starts over that span. Furthermore, Turner has allowed only four extra-base hits (3 2B, 1 3B) and 23 hits total during her recent streak. Not surprisingly, Turner has won the past two Pitcher of the Week honors.
UCR BREAKS OUT
A week after posting its biggest win in school history against UCLA, UC Riverside broke out offensively during the Amy S. Harrison Classic. The club scored six or more runs in three of the five games, including an 11-run outburst against Harvard. The game against the Crimson also marked the most runs the Highlanders have scored since an 11-run outing against UC Santa Barbara on March 28, 2009 and the first five-inning win due to the mercy rule for the team since March 13, 2009 against Longwood.
THE LEADING LADY
UC Santa Barbara might be struggling offensively with only 59 runs in 23 games, but their leadoff hitter Jessica Ziegler certainly has been setting the table for them. The senior is tied for sixth in the Big West in batting (333) and runs scored (13), tied for second in base hits (24) and ranks second in steals (9). Ziegler is such a big part of the UCSB offense that she has scored 22% of the runs, possesses 19% of the hits and has stolen 50% of the stolen bases. She is also one of two UCSB regulars to play and start in all 23 games to this point in the season.
SO THIS IS OUR HOME FIELD...
Pacific went on the road for the better part of a month, so you can forgive the team if it was a little more excited than usual to play at home against Iona Tuesday. The Tigers posted two shutout wins against the Gaels, and scored 17 runs on 18 hits. Pacific was spraying the ball all over the field as only two of those base hits went over the outfield fence, both courtesy of Megan Allen.
SHE CAHN STILL DO IT
Anna Cahn has been such a consistent force for Cal Poly that its easy to forget how dominant she actually is. Cahn is 5-3 in the circle this year, posting a league-best 1.36 ERA to go along with 41 strikeouts. Cahn’s ERA total is a full run lower than the second-best figure and she is allowing opponents to hit only .204 against her. Cahn is also doing her part to help the Cal Poly offense as she is hitting .325 with a homer, seven RBI, 13 hits and 13 walks in 16 outings
CSUN...SO HOT RIGHT NOW
Cal State Northridge struggled out of the gate with a 1-9 record in its first 10 games, but has gone 11-4 in its 15 games since. The offensive fire has been lit as the Matadors are hitting .294 with eight homers, 59 RBI, 73 runs scored and 11 steals in 14 attempts. In its first 10 games of the new season, the club managed only a .209 batting average, five homers, 25 RBI, 50 hits, 26 runs and five steals in 10 attempts. Part of that offensive surge has been the play of Jennifer Mosier who is hitting .425 with two homers, five RBI, 17 hits, nine runs and five steals in as many attempts. Her recent hot string has upped her overall average to .404, which is the top number in the Big West.
NEW (OLD) VOICE IN THE DUGOUT
Cal State Northridge has a new voice at the helm of the program as associate coach Roni Sparrey takes over. Sparrey is a veteran of Big West battles as she played and coached at Cal Poly before joining the CSUN coaching staff prior to the 2007 season. In her three seasons as an assistant with CSUN, the Matador defense has posted an average fielding percentage of .966 and has finished among the top fielding teams in the Big West Conference and Division I. Sparrey also helped the 2009 Matadors lead the Big West in stolen bases, finishing the year with 62 stolen bases. She has also overseen several Matadors receive All-Big West Conference honors, ranging from First Team awards to Conference Freshman of the Year honors.
ANOTHER SEASON, ANOTHER COACHING MILESTONE FOR GROMACKI
A year ago, Cal State Fullerton head coach Michelle Gromacki became just the fourth coach in league history to win 350+ overall games and 150+conference outings during Big West membership. This season, Gromacki might not only lead the Titans to its 1,000th win as a member of the conference, but the 11th-year coach is also just 30 wins from 400 for her career.