Feb. 18, 2004
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Aztecs Welcome 11 Teams to Poway
* San Diego State hosts the 12-team Campbell/ Cartier Classic at the Sportsplex USA in Poway from Friday to Sunday.
* The Aztecs play Iowa State at 5:30 p.m. and Washington at 8 p.m. on Friday, Hawai'i at 3 p.m. and Auburn at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and wrap up their tournament play with a 9 a.m. game on Sunday against Loyola (Ill.).
* The Campbell/Cartier Classic is the second of four tournaments San Diego State will host this season. SDSU, which won last weekend's Aztec Invitational with a 4-1 record, will host the SDSU Tournament at SDSU Field March 5-7 and co-host the San Diego Tournament with the University of San Diego March 19-21.
The Campbell/Cartier Classic
* This is the 14th annual Campbell/Cartier Classic.
* Out of the 12 teams, three are ranked in the top 25 of the USA Today/NFCA / ESPN.com/USA softball polls: No. t4/5 Washington, No. 20/21 Oregon and No. 16/14 Fresno State.
* San Diego State finished second at last year's Campbell/Cartier Classic with a 4-1 record, trailing only Sacramento State's 5-0 mark.
* The international tiebreaker (runner placed at second to start the inning) will be used when a game is in extra innings and two hours have elapsed.
* For more information about the 2004 Campbell/Cartier Classic, see page 5.
Live Stats for Auburn Game
* Live stats will be available for San Diego State's game against Auburn at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. The web site is www.auburntigers.com/livestats/softball/xlive.htm.
Recapping the Aztec Invitational
* The San Diego State Aztecs started their home schedule with a bang, defeating a top-25 team twice (including scoring the most runs by an Aztec team in 210 games), twice topping a team that also received votes for the top 25 and was undefeated coming in, and only falling in a 1-0, extra-inning pitchers' dual.
* In the home opener against Mississippi State on Friday, four runs in the fifth inning was enough for the Aztecs to deal the Bulldogs (7-0 at the time) their first loss of the season. Right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) went 3-for-3 and center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) had two hits and ended the game when she nailed a Bulldog at third trying to advance two bases on a single.
* Against No. 21/24 Oklahoma State on Friday, pitcher Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) retired 17 batters in a row at one point and took a no-hitter into the seventh before allowing a one-out hit. She finished with a two-hitter and a 4-1 victory. Designated player Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) went 1-for-3.
* Pitcher Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.) pitched an outstanding game against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, only allowing an unearned run in the eighth inning and scattering three hits and allowing no walks, but the Aztecs fell to the Gauchos, 1-0.
* San Diego State outscored Oklahoma State once again in the fourth game of the weekend, smoking the ball and scoring in every inning of a five-inning, 11-2 victory. The 11 runs marks the most scored by an Aztec team since an 11-9 victory at UNLV on April 27, 2000, a span of 210 games. Catcher Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) hit the first Aztec home run of the season and the junior's first of her career.
* In the tournament finale, Velasquez was once again on top of her game, but not until she got out of a rocky first inning in which she allowed the first four Mississippi State batters to reach base and giving up a run. Velasquez responded by retiring the next 10 batters and would also retire the last 12 for an eight-inning, 2-1 Aztec win. Third baseman Bianca Cruz (Glendale, Ariz.) tied up the game in the second with a home run and left fielder Erin Mahoney (Westchester, Calif.) scored the winning run in the eighth when she scored from second on a sacrifice bunt.
Kovensky and Velasquez Honored
* Center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) was named co-Mountain West Conference player of the week after hitting .429 with a double, four RBI, four runs and three stolen bases at the Aztec Invitational. She had two hits versus Mississippi State on Friday and ended the game when she nailed a runner at third attempting to advance from first on a single. Against UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, she was the only Aztec who did not have trouble reaching base, doing so in all three plate appearances with a single, double and walk. Only first baseman Lacey Craft, with a bloop double, was also able to reach.
* Pitcher Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) earned pitcher of the week honors for her performance at last weekend's Aztec Invitational. She picked up a pair of complete-game victories, the first a two-hitter over Oklahoma State, 4-1, in which she was two outs away from her first career no-hitter and the second a dominating eight-inning performance against Mississippi State when she survived a rocky first inning by retiring 10 batters in a row along with retiring the last 12 Bulldogs of the game, winning 2-1.
Boyer Records First Multiple-Hit Game
* Right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) had her first career multiple-hit game when she went 3-for-3 in the home opener against Mississippi State. The sophomore had gone 5-of-39 (.128) as a freshman, but just last weekend was 5-of-12 (.417) and is currently fourth on the team in batting average (.304), going 7-for-23.
Hartung Hits
* Third baseman Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) already has five times as many hits as last season. After going 2-for-20 as a freshman in 2002 (.100 batting average), she has gone 10-for-31 (.323) and is third on the team in batting average.
A Historic Win
* When the Aztecs outscored Oklahoma State 11-2 in a five-inning mercy-rule game on Saturday, it marked not only the most runs scored by SDSU since an 11-9 victory at UNLV on April 27, 2000, a span of 210 games, but it was also the first San Diego State has even reached double figures in over a year. The last such occurance was May 10, 2002, in a 10-4 road victory over BYU at the Mountain West Conference Tournament, a span of 73 games.
* The 11 runs allowed by Oklahoma State is only the second time they have done so since the 2001 season, a span of 122 games.
* San Diego State scored in every inning in that victory over the Cowgirls, something that has not occurred in inning-by-inning records dating to the first game of the 2001 season.
Murphy and Kovensky, Still Teammates
* Seniors Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) and Janna Kovensky (Rancho Bernardo, Calif.) have played softball together since the summer before their sixth-grade years. The two have also went to school together since sixth grade in addition to pre-school.
* Ironically, the two had the exact same offensive performance at last weekend's Aztec Invitational: 6-for-14 (.429).
* For the season, the two are 1-2 on the squad in batting average: Murphy leading the squad with a .435 average (10-for-23) with Kovensky not far behind, hitting .387 (12-for-31).
Van Wyk Nears 250 Victories
* Head coach Kathy Van Wyk (241-189-1) is only nine wins away from her 250th victory. Van Wyk is also 13 victories from breaking Linda Spradley's (1984-94) school-record of 253 wins (she went 253-372-4). From 1995-96, the two shared head coaching duties and compiled a 48-69 mark.
* Under Van Wyk's leadership, the Aztecs have advanced to their lone NCAA Tournament appearances, in 2001 and 2003. The 2001 squad went 3-2 before falling to UCLA in the regional championship, while the 2003 team was 1-2 in tourney action.
Aztecs Selected First in Preseason Poll
* The San Diego State softball team has been picked to finish first in the 2004 Mountain West Conference preseason coaches' poll. The Aztecs' 23 points and four first-place votes outpaced runner-up Colorado State's 21 points and two first-place votes. Following in the poll are BYU (18 points), Utah (13), UNLV (9) and New Mexico (6).
Full of Middle Classmen
* San Diego State's 2004 roster is full of sophomores and juniors. Thirteen of 17 Aztec players are sophomores (six) and juniors (seven), while the team sports only one freshman (Amanda Beasley) and three seniors (Joann Figueroa, Kelcy Murphy and Janna Kovensky).
Local Connection
* Seven of SDSU's 17 players hail from San Diego county, including Amanda Beasley (Spring Valley), Jamie Burton (Carlsbad), Bridgette Caron (Fallbrook), Lacey Craft (Valley Center), Meagan Hartung (San Diego), Janna Kovensky (San Diego) and Kelcy Murphy (San Diego). Fourteen players list California cities as their hometowns, while three call Arizona home.
SDSU Keeps Getting Better and Better
* San Diego State's winning percentage has risen an impressive five consecutive seasons with last season's .650 winning percentage (39-21 record) in overall games and .800 winning percentage (12-3) in Mountain West Conference action breaking team records.
* In fact, SDSU's last three seasons are the three best in school history in terms of overall wins and winning percentage. Prior to 1999, the school had only two winning seasons in the program's first 23 years.
What a Schedule
* SDSU is challenging the top teams in 2004 with seven games against teams ranked in the top five of the preseason national polls, USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball. SDSU faces No. 1/1 UCLA, No. t4/4 Oklahoma and No. t4/5 Washington, three teams that participated in the 2003 Women's College World Series, with UCLA garnering its ninth NCAA championship. In total, the Aztecs play 22 games against teams that qualified for the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
* The home schedule is highlighted by games against Washington (8 p.m. on Feb. 20 in Poway), UCLA (1 p.m. on March 6) and Oklahoma (3 p.m. on March 16).
Final Season at SDSU Field
* The 2004 season will be the final one that SDSU Field will be the primary field for the San Diego State softball team as a new stadium will be completed by October 2004. The facility will seat 1,000 with room to add 1,000 more seats. A tree-lined concourse will grace the path between the new stadium and Tony Gwynn Stadium.
* San Diego Padre owners, John and Becky Moores, donated approximately $6.5 million for the combined softball/tennis facility.
Scouting Iowa State
* The Cyclones went 1-4 at their season-opening Florida International Tournament while being outscored 18-1. A win in the final game over Florida International, 1-0, ended a stretch of 38 consecutive scoreless innings dating back to last season (including 30 to start the 2004 campaign).
* Last season's seventh-place finish in the Big 12 was the school's best in Big 12 history (6-12 Big 12, 19-28).
* In records dating to 1980, the Aztecs hold a 4-3 lead over the Cyclones. The Aztecs pulled out a 5-1 win on Feb. 22, 2003, at UCSB's Softball by the Beach Invitational and has won two straight meetings. The last ISU win was at the 1999 Campbell/Cartier Classic, 2-1 (Feb. 19).
Scouting Washington
* The No. t4/5 Huskies are off to a fast 10-1 start with their only loss coming to No. 1/1 UCLA by a 5-3 score at the same Long Beach State Invitational. At the same tournament, the Huskies and Aztecs met twice with Washington defeating the Aztecs in five innings, 8-0, in the first meeting. The second meeting would go much differently as the teams battled through 11 innings with San Diego State taking one- and two-run leads during extra innings just to see the Huskies tie it up with equal scores. Finally, in the bottom of the 11th, Washington scored the winning tally and prevailed, 7-6.
* The powerful Husky offense consists of three batters hitting better than .400 (Dominique Lastrapes at .442, Rita Roach at .412 and Amanda Oleson at .406).
* Last season, the Huskies went 47-16-1 and advanced to the Women's College World Series, tying for fifth.
* The Aztecs are looking for their first win against the Huskies, having gone 0-10 all-time against Washington.
Scouting Hawai'i
* The Rainbow Wahine are 5-6 and coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance. Last season, Hawai'i finished 40-20 and third at the NCAA regionals.
* Hawai'i holds a 28-11 lead over the Aztecs in records dating to 1980 and has won the last three meetings, including the squads' last face-off on Feb. 9, 2002, at the Aztec Invitational, 4-0. San Diego State last won during their final Western Athletic Conference match-up, 2-0, on April 16, 1999.
Scouting Auburn
* The Tigers are off to a hot 12-2 start and won their Tiger Invitational last weekend with a 5-0 record.
* Two Tiger pitchers have ERAs below 0.50: Holly Currie at 0.33 and Kristen Keyes at 0.42.
* Auburn went 26-31 last season.
* San Diego State and Auburn have never met on the softball field.
Scouting Loyola (Ill.)
* The Ramblers' first game of the Campbell/Cartier Classic at 10 a.m. on Friday versus No. 16/14 Fresno State is also their first contest of the 2004 campaign. Loyola is coming off a 33-23 record, a school record for victories, and its third consecutive regular-season Horizon League crown.
* SDSU and Loyola will meet on Sunday for the first time.