Feb. 26, 2002
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On The Road Again
San Diego State will travel for the second straight week, this time to Cal State Fullerton for the 2002 Worth Softball Invitational, Mar. 1-3.
* The Aztecs will face three ranked teams in the tournament, including No. 7 California, No. 11 Oregon State and No. 12 Pacific.
* San Diego State leads the series with No. 12 Pacific (15-13), San Jose State (16-13) and Ohio State (3-2). Oregon State (7-6), Portland State (1-0) and California (7-1) lead the Aztecs in the respective meetings.
Compass Bank Recap
The Aztecs returned from Waco, Texas with a 3-2 record at the Compass Bank Invitational. State beat Oakland (8-1), Creighton (3-1) and Stephen F. Austin (3-1) and lost to Akron (2-0) and Baylor (5-1).
* Tiffany Goudy, Sarah Hershman and Janna Kovensky were all named to the Compass Bank Invitational All-Tournament Team.
* Sarah Hershman led the tournament with a .538 average at the plate.
* Janna Kovensky was 6-of-15 with one double, two RBI and one run.
* Pitcher Korin Gregory was 2-0 with a personal best game against Stephen F. Austin. She gave up two hits in seven innings of work. She is undefeated in the circle.
Stop, Thief!
Three Aztecs are sneaking their way into the record books for stolen bases.
* Senior Sarah Hershman needs six more steals to move her to third on the career stolen-bases list with 40.
*Sophomore Janna Kovensky has added six to her freshman total of nine. With an average of one base per game, Kovensky will find her way onto the career list by the end of the season.
* Kellie Nordhagen is three bases away from adding her name to the stolen bases record book. The category is one of only four that her name hasn't appeared in the top five.
Leading Off
Senior outfielder Kellie Nordhagen is right at home leading off in the order, she has a .306 (19-62) clip from the top spot.
Turbulence At The Top
State has had a hard time winning against the elite. The Aztecs are 0-4 against ranked teams this season and will face four more throughout the season.
* SDSU has faced now No.1 UCLA, No. 2 Stanford, No. 6 Washington and No. 12 Fresno State.
* State will play No. 7 California, No. 11 Oregon State and No. 12 Pacific this week.
A Deceiving DeSanta
Freshman Bre DeSanta's won-loss record may not be impressive at 1-4, but look at her competition.
* Two of her four starts were against top 25 teams, including UCLA and Fresno State.
* She leads the team with 35 strikeouts and has given up the fewest hits on the staff at 24. * Is the only Aztec to record a save in the 2002 season.
California Girls
Of 17 players on the San Diego State team, only three are not from California. Sophomores Joann Figueroa, Jeni Tornquist and freshman Bre DeSanta all hail from Arizona. Of the 14 girls from California, six are from the San Diego area.
Show Me The Green
After a cold freshman year at the University of Minnesota, sophomore Jessi Green, a San Diego native, has returned and made an instant impact in the circle. Green leads the Aztec staff with a 2.00 ERA. With four starts, Green has three wins with one complete game and one shutout.
Sophomore Standouts
Last year's phenom freshmen have matured into this year's superb sophs.
* Janna Kovensky has 13 hits and leads the team with two triples. She has scored seven runs and stole a team-high nine bases.
* Joann Figueroa returns at shortstop with a .204 batting average and is tied for second with three stolen bases.
* Kelcy Murphy is back at third base after hitting three bombs at the Campbell/Cartier Classic. She is second on the team with 10 RBI.
* Jeni Tornquist has a 2-3 record in the circle and leads the team with two complete games.
Game Notes
Friday, Mar. 1
Oregon State (11), 4 p.m.
* Oregon State is one of two teams from the Pac-10 that the Aztecs will face in the tournament and one of five the Aztecs will play this year.
* Oregon State holds a 7-6 lead over the Aztecs, including a 5-2 win in last year's NFCA Lead-Off Classic. The last win for SDSU was a 7-3 victory in the Aztec Classic on March 2, 1997.
California (7), 6 p.m.
* Cal holds a 7-1 lead over the Aztecs with State's lone win on March 22, 1983. SDSU won 2-0.
Saturday, Mar. 2
San Jose State, 2 p.m.
* The Aztecs and Spartans met earlier this year at the Cal State Northridge Tournament. The Aztecs won the matchup 3-0.
* San Diego State is 51-95 against teams in the WAC.
Portland State, 6 p.m.
* The Vikings and the Aztecs have met once before on March 4, 2000. Portland State won 2-0.
* Portland State is the second team from the WAC that the Aztecs will face in the tournament.
Sunday, Mar. 3
Ohio State, 11 a.m.
*San Diego State leads the series with the Buckeyes 3-2, including a 6-2 victory in last year's Cmapbell/Cartier Classic.
*The last win for Ohio State was a 6-1 victory in the 2000 Campbell/Cartier Classic.
Pacific (12), 5 p.m.
* Pacific and SDSU were scheduled to play on the final day of this year's Campbell/Cartier Classic, but the game was cancelled due to rain. * Pacific is one of three teams in the top 25 that the Aztecs will face this weekend.
Post-Game Services/Interviews Head coach Kathy Van Wyk and SDSU players will be available for interviews outside the San Diego State dugout following a 10-minute cooling off period. A member of the Aztec sports information staff will gather interview requests immediately following the game. Box scores will be provided and faxed upon request.
Weekly Interviews Members of the media who wish to interview head coach Kathy Van Wyk, and any interviews with the athletes should be arranged at least 24 hours in advance through Farra Levin (619-594-4348).
Mountain West Conference Media Information Marlon Edge, Communications Assistant, handles all information requests related to softball at the Mountain West Conference office. The MWC address is 15455 Gleneagle Drive, Suite 200, Colorado Springs, Colo. 80921. The MWC telephone number is (719) 488-4040. Edge's direct number and e-mail address is: (719) 488-4052, medge@themwc.com. The fax number is (719) 487-7240.