Feb. 24, 2004
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Aztecs Hit the Road for Five Games
* The San Diego State softball team hits the road for six games this week, playing at San Diego at 5 p.m. on Wednesday before finishing with a pair of noon doubleheaders: at Cal Poly on Saturday and at UC Santa Barbara on Sunday.
* So far this season, the Aztecs have played only three road games (with nine home and four neutral matches). SDSU swept NAIA member Point Loma Nazarene on Feb. 3, 4-1 and 2-1, and won at Long Beach State, 4-1, on Feb. 7 during the Long Beach State Invitational.
* The Wednesday game between the University of San Diego and San Diego State will be the lone 2004 meeting between the two San Diego-based NCAA Division I programs. The Aztecs play four games this weekend against Big West foes and, in total, will play nine against that conference this season.
Friday's Game with Matadors Cancelled
* The game between San Diego State and Cal State Northridge, originally scheduled for 1 p.m. on Friday at Matador Diamond, has been cancelled. Construction of a new backstop will not be completed in time for Friday's originally scheduled game. The game will not be rescheduled.
Recapping the Campbell/Cartier Classic
* The Aztecs went 2-2 at the 14th annual Campbell/Cartier Classic, held at the Sportsplex USA in Poway, Calif., last weekend. Cal State Northridge won the tournament title with a 4-0 record. The Matadors had also won the 1999 title. Rain and unplayable fields cancelled the final 10 tournament games, including SDSU's regulary-scheduled game on Sunday against Loyola (Ill.).
* San Diego State's Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) threw a shutout over Iowa State in SDSU's tournament opener and then came back to allow one unearned run in a 1-0 loss to Auburn. In between, No. t4/5 Washington topped SDSU, 7-0, and the Aztecs defeated Hawai'i, 8-4.
* Second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) homered against Iowa State for the senior's first career home run. Janelli threw a two-hitter in the 4-0 win over the Cyclones. Center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) went 2-for-3 to lead the Aztecs' hitting attack.
* The Aztecs ran into a magnificant pitching performance against No. t4/5 Washington, finally earning their first hit with a lead-off seventh-inning single by third baseman Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.). Pitcher Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) ran into her first trouble of the season, allowing five runs, all earned, in five innings of work against the potent Husky offense. Previously this season, the 2003 Mountain West Conference pitcher and freshman of the year had not allowed more than one earned run in an appearance.
* San Diego State compiled a team-record five doubles and a season-best 13 hits in defeating Hawai'i, 8-4. The five doubles broke the previous school record of four and the 13 hits were the most by SDSU since a 14-hit, 10-4 victory at BYU on May 10, 2002. That game was part of the MWC Tournament.
* Janelli threw a four-hitter versus Auburn in SDSU's final Campbell/Cartier game, but allowed an unearned run in the sixth as the Aztecs fell to the Tigers, 1-0.
* The Aztecs' final scheduled game of the tournament on Sunday against Loyola (Ill.) was cancelled due to unplayable fields.
New Single-Game Doubles Record
* Five different Aztecs hit doubles in Saturday's 8-4 victory over Hawai'i, breaking the previous record of four set in an 11-0 victory over San Diego at the Aztec Invitational on March 24, 2000.
* Right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) broke the record in the seventh with a double down the left field line. Third baseman Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) got the Aztec doubles parade going as the first batter of the game with one down the right field line. Catcher Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) and pitcher Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.) each doubled down the left field line in the fourth inning and second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) lined a two-bagger into left-center field in the sixth.
The Hits Keep Coming
* San Diego State compiled 13 hits in its 8-4 victory over Hawai'i on Saturday, the most by an SDSU squad since May 10, 2002, when the Aztecs had 14 hits in a 10-4 win at BYU at the Mountain West Conference Tournament.
* Four Aztecs had at least two hits and second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) led the squad with a 3-for-4 performance. With two hits were third baseman Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.), center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) and shortstop Bianca Cruz (Glendale, Ariz.). Four others added one hit each.
Janelli Lowers ERA Dramatically; Leads Team
* Pitcher Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) had a couple of outstanding performances at the Campbell/Cartier Classic, throwing a two-hit shutout versus Iowa State and a four-hitter against Auburn, a 1-0 loss in which the only run scored was unearned.
* Janelli leapfrogged over the other two Aztec pitchers, Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) and Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.), for the lowest ERA on the team with two strong weekend performances. Coming into the weekend, Janelli had a 2.68 ERA, but her 13 innings of allowing no earned runs lowered that ERA to 1.47, besting Richards' 2.15 and Velasquez's 2.15.
* Prior to throwing an SDSU season-high 15 consecutive scoreless innings, Janelli had a 3.15 ERA. Following the impressive stretch, her season ERA was lowered to 1.48.
JoJo Goes Deep for First Time
* Senior second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) hit her first career home run in Friday's 4-0 victory over Iowa State. A trend of long-time Aztecs hitting first career home runs is continuing as junior catcher Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) hit her first homer in an 11-2 victory over No. 21/24 Oklahoma State on Feb. 14 at the Aztec Invitational.
Hartung Hits
* Third baseman Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) already has seven times as many hits as all of last season. After going 2-for-20 as a freshman in 2003 (.100 batting average), she has gone 14-for-42 (.333) this season and is second 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 Feb. 14, 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 the Cowgirls have done so since the 2001 season, a span of 122 games.
* San Diego State scored in every inning against 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 (San Diego, 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.
* For the season, the two are 1-3 on the team in batting average: Kovensky leads the squad with a .364 average (16-for-44) with Murphy batting .314 (11-of-35).
Van Wyk Nears 250 Victories
* Head coach Kathy Van Wyk (243-191-1) is only seven wins away from her 250th victory. Van Wyk is also 11 victories from breaking Linda Spradley's (1984-94) school-record of 253 wins (Spradley 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 national polls: USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball. SDSU has already battled No. t4/5 Washington three times and No. 1/1 UCLA once. Two more meetings with the defending national champion Bruins and one with No. t4/4 Oklahoma await. In total, the Aztecs play 22 games against teams that qualified for the 2003 NCAA Tournament.
* The remaining home schedule is highlighted by games with 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 San Diego
* The Aztecs and Toreros renew their in-city rivalry with a 5 p.m. game on Feb. 25 at the USD Softball Complex. San Diego is 4-7 with an 0-5 record against NCAA Division I competition.
* First baseman Jennifer Delpit leads San Diego with a .464 batting average, while Erin Harmonson's 2.74 ERA leads all Torero pitchers.
* In records dating to 1980, the Aztecs hold a 37-0 all-time series advantage over USD. SDSU won the last two meetings in a doubleheader at USD on April 17, 2002, 8-0 and 10-0.
Scouting Cal Poly
* The Mustangs are 6-8.
* Infielder Roni Sparrey's .391 batting average and .543 slugging percentage lead all Mustangs. The pitchers are led by Jennifer Graver's 1.65 ERA.
* San Diego State holds an 11-3 all-time advantage over Cal Poly. The Aztecs won the last meeting, 5-4, on March 8, 2002, at the Hedrick's Hallowell Classic in Fresno, Calif. SDSU has won four straight dating to a 5-3 Mustang home victory on Feb. 13, 1999, which is also the last meeting between the schools in San Luis Obispo, Calif.
* Cal Poly and San Diego State also face off at 1 p.m. on March 7 at the SDSU Tournament.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
* The Gauchos are 11-8, which includes a 3-2 mark at the Aztec Invitational hosted by San Diego State from Feb. 13-15. In the lone meeting thus far this season between the Gauchos and Aztecs, UCSB held on for a 1-0 win in eight innings on Feb. 14 behind the strong pitching of Jennifer Davis.
* Outfielder Davis Beck is hitting .421 (8-of-19), while Davis is leading all Gaucho pitchers with a 1.75 ERA.
* UCSB's head coach, Kristy Schroeder, is the sister of SDSU assistant coach Kelly Howard. Kristy played for UCLA from 1990-93, while Kelly was a Bruin from 1993-96.
* The Gauchos went 34-22 last season, the best record in school history.
* In records dating back to 1980, SDSU holds a 24-21 advantage over the Gauchos. UCSB has won the last two meetings by identical 1-0 counts. The last Aztec win happened on March 26, 2002, when current Aztec center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) ended a UCSB no-hit bit with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, helping the Aztecs defeat the Gauchos, 2-1.