Softball Weekend Offers Intriguing Matchups and ESPNU Showcase

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Alex Holmes and UC Davis are a game up in first place with six to go.

A televised doubleheader and the battle for first place are the storylines heading down the stretch as Big West softball nears the end of the regular season. Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton will showcase their skills Saturday morning on ESPNU, while UC Davis and Cal Poly tangle in a battle for the top spot in the standings with Cal State Northridge an interested third party.

BACK ON THE AIRWAVES
For the second consecutive season, a Big West softball doubleheader will be broadcast live on ESPNU. The twinbill between Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton Saturday beginning at 11:30 am (PT) at Anderson Family Field will be shown live from coast to coast. LBSU was involved in last season’s Big West appearance on ESPNU when it played at home against UC Santa Barbara. The Titans were also on ESPNU a year ago, but it was for the postseason as the channel broadcast the Tempe Regional of the NCAA Tournament.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Cal Poly’s Anna Cahn has been a stellar pitcher this year with 11 wins, a league-best 1.89 ERA and five shutouts, 14 complete games and 94 strikeouts against only 27 walks in 133.2 innings. Cahn has also had an outstanding season at the dish as she is batting a league-best .372 with three homers, 17 RBI and 10 doubles. She has also shown an outstanding eye with 41 walks against 11 strikeouts. Her keen eye not only leads the Big West but also is sixth in the NCAA in walks per game.

AGGIES HAVEN'T BEEN HERE BEFORE
A peek at the standings shows a name at the top that has never been there before. UC Davis is all alone in first place for the first time as a member of the Big West, sitting a game ahead of Cal State Northridge and Cal Poly with six games to go. The Aggies, who have won double-digit conference games for the firs time, already took their series against the Matadors and have a key three-game set against the Mustangs this weekend.

DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH
With her team struggling this season, it might be easy to overlook the season Cal State Fullerton's Torrie Anderson is having. She is hitting .286 with a league-high 10 homers, 25 RBI, 40 hits, seven doubles, 28 runs and a .550 slugging percentage. She also has been exceptional in the field with just one error in 71 chances, has stolen five bases in six chances and to top it off is one of only two Titans to play and start in all 47 games this year

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS THAT HURT!!!
The beanings have been frequent in the Big West this season as pitches have hit league batters on 227 occasions. No one has been plunked more than Jessica Gonzalez of UC Davis who has been hit 21 times, more than enough to yell out her favorite Ron Burgandy quotes. The total is 10 better than the second most in the league and Gonzalez ranks fifth in the NCAA in hit by pitch per game (.45).

PUMP UP THE POWER
If you’ve been to a Pacific game of late, you’ve seen a lot more balls leaving the yard than you did in the early portion of the season. Brian Kolze’s club has 12 home runs in 15 conference games after posting 12 homers in its 33 other games. The dozen homers is second in the Big West during league play and has helped the Tigers post a .396 slugging percentage against conference foes.

COBB SHOWING '09 FORM
UC Santa Barbara's Krista Cobb has struggled this season, but in her last six outings Cobb has shown the kind of form that made her the 2009 Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a first team All-Conference choice. In those six appearances, Cobb has allowed just 11 earned runs in 44.1 innings of work, good for a 1.74 ERA. Included in those 44.1 innings are four complete games, one of which came last Sunday against Long Beach State in which she went all 10 innings of a 1-0 Gaucho win.

LETS TALK PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Now that there are just two weekends left of the Big West softball regular season, now is a good time to start the discussion of Player of the Year candidates. Cal Poly's Anna Cahn and Cal State Fullerton's Torrie Anderson have already had their virtues touted in this column, but there are several other players who have had impressive 2010 seasons.
Cal State Northridge might have the most candidates as Jennifer Mosier (.369 BA, 30 R, 45 H, 5 HR, 16 SB), Tracy Allen (.299 BA, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 43 H) and Jaci Carlsen (.294 BA, 5 HR, 34 RBI, 20 R, 37 H, 14 BB, .525 SLG%) have all taken turns leading the Matadors to the top of the Big West.
UC Davis' Elizabeth Santana has been getting attention around the league for her strong play during her freshman season, batting .326 with 45 hits, 11 doubles and 24 runs scored.
UC Riverside’s comeback season has been powered by a veteran in Marissa Alvidrez (.325 BA, 22 RBI, 38 H) and young players such as Brittany Keeney (.290 BA, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 40 H, 24 R) and Ariel Shore (.271 BA, 35 H, 30 R, 22 SB).
Finally, Pacific has had a bounceback season spearheaded by freshman Megan Hom (.368 BA, 55 H, 10 SB, 29 R) as well as veterans Lindsey Pierce (.343 BA, 49 H, 23 R) and Karie Wilson (.291 BA, 5 HR, 21 RBI, 37 H, 20 R).

TRY AND HIT THIS CHEESE
Long Beach State is averaging just 3.2 runs per game this year, so its normally stout pitching has been put under more pressure this season. The 49er staff has responded with a 3.36 ERA, eight shutouts, a .254 opponent batting average and 266 strikeouts. The staff has been even better in conference play as LBSU has a 2.36 ERA, four shutouts, 88 strikeouts, allowed only 85 hits and a .222 opponent batting average.

CSF, UCSB NOT QUITE USED TO THIS
A pair of traditional Big West powers have struggled in 2010 as Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara are enduring seasons they never have before. The Titans will finish with 30+ losses for the first time since 2004 and one more defeat gives them the most the club has had as a member of the Big West. Meanwhile, the Gauchos’ seven-year run of winning seasons will come to a close this year and the team has recorded 30+ losses for the first time since 2002.

HISTORIC SEASON FOR UCR
Even though UC Riverside had a down weekend thanks to a series loss to UC Davis, the club is still going through a historic season. The Highlander victory two weeks ago against Pacific gave them their 22nd win of the year, tying the DI high the club established in 2006. The team also tied its Division I best with its seventh Big West win, a high that was established last season. In addition, the 14 conference wins between last season and this one are the best two year stretch for UCR as a member of the league.

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.

GROMACKI NEARS COACHING MILESTONE
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. Gromacki has a significant milestone on the horizon as the 11th-year coach is just 21 wins from 400 for her career. In addition, the Titans are inching closer to their 1,000th win as a member of the conference with 992 victories and counting.