Spring break may mean time off for most college students, but the Big West softball teams have a packed schedule ahead as the countdown to conference play stands at two weeks.
NOTEWORTHY
HARRISON TIES SINGLE GAME RBI MARK
Cal State Fullerton's Trina Harrison had a game for the record books against Louisiana-Lafayette in the Titans' final game of the Judi Garman Classic last weekened. The sophomore slugger went 4-for-4 on her way to a conference record-tying seven RBI effort. Harrison tied four others in Big West history with her RBI output and was the first player to accomplish the feat since former Cal State Northridge great Jan Mosier did it on March 9, 2006.
HIGHLANDERS ENJOYING HOME SUCCESS
UC Riverside is having a solid season to this point with a 14-14 record and much of that is due to the Highlanders' success at home. Of the 17 games the club has played at Amy S. Harrison Field to this point in 2010, UCR has won 12 of them including a historic win over UCLA. The team has only had 26 wins at home in the past three seasons combined, 10 of which came last season. The Highlanders are within striking distance of their DI high for wins with a lot of games left to be played. That record is 13 set in 2006.
STREAKING CLUBS
After a rough beginning to the 2010 season, several teams are in the midst of hot streaks with conference play just two weekends away. League-leading Cal Poly headlines the turnaround with six wins in its last 10 games, while second place Long Beach State has won 10 of 12 after starting out 6-11.
UC Riverside has also been hot with eight wins in its past nine outings, with the lone loss coming in extra innings. Pacific has also added to its bounceback season with four wins in its last six outings.
No one may be hotter than Cal State Northridge though as the Matadors have shaken off a 1-9 start to win 13 of their next 20 games.
PACIFIC PILES UP THE KNOCKS
Pacific has had an offensive turnaround this season as the club had recorded 158 hits in its 23 games, an average of 6.9 per outing. The Tigers also own three of the top five batting averages in the Big West as Lindsey Pierce leads the conference with a .422 average, Megan Om is second at .394 and Nikki Armagost is fifth at .344.
CSUN SCORES...A LOT
A year ago, Cal State Northridge struggled with putting runs on the board, scoring just 179 in 50 games. Thus far in 2010, the Matadors have proven themselves to be an offensive machine. The club has scored a league-high 115 times in its 30 games. The team has only been shutout on two occasions and has scored six or more runs in eight outings. The team has also benefited from a power surge this year as CSUN has hit 14 homers and 31 doubles after hitting just nine home runs and 43 two-base hits a year ago
THEY’RE USED TO TURNING IT AROUND
A pair of 2009 first team All-Big West selections have struggled to this point of the season, but they have both shown the ability to turn things around once the lights of conference play get lit up. Entering the week, Cal State Fullerton’s Ari Cerventes is 2-11 with a 6.13 ERA in 77.2 innings, while fellow stud starter Kristin Cobb is 2-6 with a 7.51 ERA in 41.0 innings. In Big West play a year ago, Cerventes won 11 games, posted a 1.68 ERA and struck out 47 batters in 96.0 innings. Meanwhile, Cobb won eight games, put up a 1.74 ERA and struck out 61 in 72.1 innings on her way to Big West Co-Freshman Pitcher of the Year honors.
NOTHING PETTY ABOUT HER
Long Beach State sophomore pitcher Taylor Petty is following up her 2009 first team All-Big West mention with a strong 2010 campaign. Petty has emerged as the ace of the staff with a 6-7 record, 2.33 ERA in 90.0 innings coming into the week. She has also picked up nine complete games in 13 starts, one shutout, 76 strikeouts and is allowing opponents to hit just .242. Petty has helped the 49er staff overcome injuries to Brooke Turner and a difficult early-season schedule.
WE’RE STILL IN SEASON RIGHT?
A trio of teams are heading back to the diamond after some time off so it might be a little weird to them to actually face someone other than themselves. Pacific will have a full week off before it hits the field Wednesday against California, UC Davis won’t have played for eight days before its Wednesday clash against Stanford and UC Riverside was off for eight days before its doubleheader against Cal State Bakersfield Monday.
SO...SEE YA IN TWO WEEKS?
Cal State Fullerton and Oregon State and Oregon State had a game on March 7. Nothing weird about that except that the teams could not finish the contest due to weather and travel plans. So two weeks later, the Beavers and Titans were able to finish the game which resumed in the bottom of the fourth inning. OSU won the belated game by an 8-2 score.
THE UNSUNG HERO
Ashley Weber was the lone returning full-time position starter entering the season for Long Beach State, and the senior has done all the little things for Kim Sowder’s club. In the first NCAA rankings, Weber stands 37th in sacrifice hits per game (.27) and is the ninth-toughest player to strike out in the country at once every 38 at-bats. Weber has also committed just one error on the season and has yet to ground into a double play.
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 28 wins from 400 for her career.