May 1, 2003
SAN DIEGO -
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Play Ball!
The San Diego State softball team (34-15, 10-1 MWC) closes out the 2003 regular-season campaign on the road this week.
The Aztecs square off against Colorado State on Friday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader before taking on the New Mexico Lobos on Sunday for a pair of games, also beginning at 1 p.m.
SDSU returns home for postseason action when it hosts the 2003 Mountain West Conference Tournament, May 8-10, at SDSU Field.
View From the Top
San Diego State currently sits atop the Mountain West Conference standings at 10-1.
With four regular-season games left to play, the Aztecs are four games ahead of second-place Brigham Young and lead Colorado State by 4.5 games.
San Diego State has already clinched a share of the regular-season title.
The Aztecs need to win just one more game to claim the regular-season title outright.
In MWC games, the Aztecs rank first in team ERA (1.01) and fielding percentage (.975), third in batting average (.286).
On the Radar
For the first time this year, the San Diego State softball team is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll.
The Aztecs' Winning Ways
With the team's 3-0 victory over Utah in the first game of the Mountain West Conference doubleheader at SDSU Field on April 19, the Aztecs made history, setting a new record for most consecutive wins in a season with 12.
The previous record was set over a decade ago when the 1991 squad posted 11 straight victories.
The Aztecs went on to extend the streak to 13 straight wins before losing at UNLV, 3-0, last Saturday.
SDSU bounced back with a 5-0 victory in the second game of the doubleheader as it looks to piece together another winning streak.
The Aztecs are 9-1 in their last 10 games and 16-4 in their last 20 contests.
Team Notes/Milestones
SDSU put together a program-best 13-game winning streak from March 26-April 26.
The Aztec pitching staff broke a team record for single-season strikeouts in the second game against Centenary College on April 13 with 271 (record previously set in 2001 with 266). The SDSU hurlers have combined for a total of 301 strikeouts this year.
San Diego State is 22-4 at SDSU Field.
SDSU has finished above .500 overall and in conference play each year since joining the MWC in 2000.
The Aztecs have won 17 games by way of shutout, second most in Aztec history.
The pitching rotation of Robyn Reid, Bonnie Rice and Lori Thompson set the record for most shutouts (22) in 1985.
San Diego State has never allowed its opponent to stage a seventh-inning comeback, as the Aztecs are 25-0 this year when leading in the sixth.
The Aztecs' 15 losses so far this year put them on pace for the least defeats in program history (min. 30 games in a season).
The 1991 team had 20 losses (26-20-1).
Youth Movement
The Aztec roster lists only one senior.
Eight freshmen and three transfers wear the Aztec uniform this year.
All nine starters are underclassmen.
A Clean Sweep
For the first time since joining the MWC three years ago, San Diego State swept all five league opponents in its home series with each team this year.
Despite splitting the doubleheader at UNLV last weekend, SDSU maintains its streak of never being swept in a series by a conference opponent since dropping a pair of decisions at Colorado State on April 15, 2001.
San Diego State has only been swept in a series once this year, dropping a pair of decisions at Fresno State on March 23.
Time is On Their Side
After a season-long 12-day break from action that lasted from March 30-April 12, San Diego State returned to the diamond and picked up right where it left off, winning four games in a row that first weekend back.
SDSU posted a pair of extra-inning victories against UNLV on April 12 and also pushed its second game versus Utah on April 19 to extra frames before earning the 1-0 win.
The Aztecs are 8-3 in extra-inning contests this season.
Last Time Out
For the first time since May 11, 2002, the San Diego State softball team lost to a Mountain West Conference opponent, as the Aztecs fell in game one of their doubleheader at UNLV, 3-0.
SDSU rebounded in the second game by posting a 5-0 victory after seeing an end to its 13-game winning streak. The Aztecs now own a 34-15 overall record and still lead the league with a 10-1 mark in conference contests.
Aztec freshman pitcher Celena Velasquez (13-4) pitched a one-hitter and struck out eight Rebels in leading SDSU to a 5-0 shutout of UNLV in the second game of the doubleheader. Velasquez has won her last eight starts and has a 1.62 ERA.
Now Batting...
San Diego State faces Colorado State (29-12, 8-6 MWC) at Fort Collins, Colo., on Friday before traveling to Albuquerque for a pair of games against New Mexico (21-32-1, 4-10 MWC) on Sunday.
On Deck
Following the games against the Rams and Lobos, the Aztecs return home to play host to the Mountain West Conference tournament, May 8-10.
Because San Diego State will finish either first or tied for first in the regular-season standings, it will receive a first-round bye. SDSU's first game in the tourney will be on Thursday, May 8, at 4:30 p.m.
Leaving Their Mark
Not only is the team making a name for itself this year as one of the most successful in the program's history, but individuals are leaving their marks in the Aztec record book as well.
Right-handed pitcher Bre DeSanta's 157 strikeouts this year have put her third on the all-time strikeout list, while she is currently second for most strikeouts in a single season behind Sandra Durazo (203).
DeSanta, a sophomore, is also currently fifth in career wins (35) and shutouts (13).
With her 25 runs scored so far this year, junior center fielder Janna Kovensky has moved up from fourth to third in career runs with 95.
Kovensky is also now tied for fourth in career stolen bases (39), up one spot from her ranking at the start of the season.
With four regular-season games remaining, junior first baseman Jacque Vaca leads this year's squad in RBI (29), just three shy from breaking into the top-five for RBI in a single season.
Junior second baseman Joann Figueroa needs 10 more runs for fifth career runs with 61.
Superior Staff
The Aztec pitching staff, consisting of sophomore Bre DeSanta and freshmen Celena Velasquez and Deanna Richards, have combined for conference-bests in ERA (1.55), wins (34) batters struck out (301) and opposing batting average (.206).
Individually, all three hurlers are among the top-10 in the conference in ERA, opposing batting average and innings pitched.
DeSanta (15-4), the 2002 MWC Pitcher of the Year, seems to be outdoing herself in the 2003 campaign, as she has pitched two no-hitters this year (vs. St. John's and Nevada) and set a new career record for strikeouts in a single game with 13 against Centenary College on April 13.
DeSanta's 13 strikeouts are a 2003 MWC high.
The sophomore has never lost to a MWC opponent, as she is 4-0 in league games this year. In 2002, she went a perfect 11-0 in conference contests.
A Scottsdale, Ariz., native, DeSanta leads the league in ERA (0.98), opposing batting average (.169), wins (15) and strikeouts (157).
Velasquez (13-4) has pitched nine games in which she has not walked a single batter, including the 3-0 win over then-No. 22 Oregon State.
In conference games, Velasquez has a league-best 0.72 ERA, .131 opposing batting average and has the most wins (6) in conference games. She is also tied for most strikeouts with 37.
The freshman is also ranked among the top-five in conference games for innings pitched (48.1, 3rd), strikeouts (29, 3rd) and fewest runs allowed (5, T5th).
Richards owns a 6-6 mark and started in the circle at UNLV last Saturday for the first time since her outing against Stanford on March 22.
She gave up just six hits to the Rebels and allowed only one earned run. She struck out five and did not walk a single batter.
Richards has earned wins over then-No. 4 Michigan and Kansas, which was receiving votes in the poll at the time of the game and was ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top-25 poll for three weeks this season.
And the Hits Keep Coming...
Junior second baseman Joann Figueroa is currently riding a career-long 12-game hitting streak, the second longest in the league this year.
Figueroa is listed in the top-10 in the conference for her 50 hits (4th).
The Phoenix, Ariz., native drove in the game-winning run on a two-out single in the Aztecs' 10-inning, 1-0 win over UNLV on April 12.
First-rate First Baseman
Junior first baseman Jacque Vaca drove in two runs in the Aztecs' 5-0 win at UNLV last Saturday.
Vaca knocked in a season-high three runs in the Aztecs' 5-2 win over BYU on April 17.
She continues to lead the team with a .336 batting average, 29 RBI, a .366 on-base percentage and eight doubles.
Vaca ranks among the top-10 in the league in hits (48, 7th), RBI (29, 5th), fielding percentage (.992, T7th) and putouts (338, 1st).
Consistent Kovensky
Junior center fielder Janna Kovensky ranks among the top-10 in the conference in hits (45, T9th), runs (25, T7th) and stolen bases (11, 3rd).
Kovensky is batting .306 and leads the team with a .442 slugging percentage, 65 total bases and three home runs.
Mighty Mahoney
Left fielder Erin Mahoney ranks among the league leaders in hits (45, T9th), runs (25, T7th) and stolen bases (9, T6th).
The sophomore is batting .315, hitting safely in nine of SDSU's last 10 games, and has 10 multiple-hit games this year.
Mahoney's numbers have improved in conference play, as she second only to BYU's Oli Keohohou in league batting average (.441) an is also listed in the top 10 for on-base percentage (.486, 5th).
SDSU in the MWC
The Aztecs currently rank first in the conference in stolen bases (42), sac bunts (68), batters struck out (288), ERA (1.59), wins (33) and opposing batting average (.208).
Because San Diego State won the 2002 MWC regular-season title, the Aztecs will host the 2003 conference tournament, May 8-10 at SDSU Field.
"It is an honor to have earned the opportunity to host this year's tournament," said head coach Kathy Van Wyk. "It will be an exciting chance to show the San Diego community how competitive our conference is."