March 8, 2004
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Aztecs Host Florida, Head to Fresno
* San Diego State hosts No. 23/21 Florida in a single game at 3 p.m. on Tuesday before heading to Fresno, Calif., for the Clovis Auto Row Softball Classic. The Aztecs face host and No. 15/17 Fresno State at 5 p.m. on Thursday and No. 25/19 Oregon State at 9 a.m. on Friday. On Saturday, North Texas plays SDSU at 1 p.m. and No. 1/1 UCLA and the Aztecs battle one last time at 7 p.m. A game with Long Beach State at 1 p.m. on Sunday wraps up SDSU's tournament play.
* San Diego State will play seven games in the next eight days, six of which are against teams either in the top 25 or also receiving votes (Long Beach State would be No. 32/26 if the rankings extended; the 49ers have gone 7-0 since those polls were released). After March 16, the Aztecs do not play a team that currently is in or receiving votes in either of the major softball polls.
Recapping the SDSU Tournament
* The Aztecs and pitcher Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.) gave No. 1/1 and undefeated UCLA all it could handle at the SDSU Tournament last Saturday, finally succumbing in 10 innings, 1-0. A school-record crowd of 701 watched the scintillating action. Earlier in the tournament, pitcher Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) threw two complete-game shutouts, 6-0 on Friday over Nevada and 3-0 on Sunday against Cal Poly. Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) tossed a three-hitter in Saturday's 2-1 victory over Syracuse.
* Janelli was almost perfect against Nevada in Friday's 6-0 win, taking a perfect game into the fifth and allowing two baserunners, both on singles. Center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) smashed her 10th career homer, a two-run shot in the top of the seventh, which moved her into sole possession of second place on the all-time SDSU career homer list. She went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) scored two runs and was 2-for-3 at the plate with her first career triple. Designated player Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) also homered, her second of the season and of the junior's career.
* The Aztecs faced No. 1/1 UCLA on Saturday in the first match-up between the teams to take place on the SDSU campus since Feb. 25, 1990. Richards threw a masterpiece, allowing one run, unearned in 9+ innings against the powerful UCLA offense, which entered the game averaging 5.9 runs a game and had scored at least three runs in every game played. She also kept the Bruins (currently 21-0) homerless for only the third time this season. The 1-0 UCLA victory was its first one-run decision of the season. A perfect jump by shortstop Bianca Cruz (Glendale, Ariz.) to snare a Bruin line drive in the sixth with two on kept the game scoreless.
* San Diego State rebounded Saturday afternoon to defeat Syracuse, 2-1, when Kovensky scored pinch hitter Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) in the bottom of the seventh with a double to center. Velasquez only allowed a second-inning run and three hits.
* Janelli wrapped up SDSU's play in the tournament on Sunday with another shutout, this one a three-hitter over Cal Poly, 3-0. First baseman Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) smashed a two-run homer, her first of 2004, as part of a three-run Aztec third.
Van Wyk Closing in on 250 Victories
* Head coach Kathy Van Wyk (248-194-1) is only two wins away from her 250th victory. Van Wyk is also six victories from breaking Linda Spradley's (1984-94) school-record 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, while the 2003 team was 1-2 in tourney action.
Janelli Lowers ERA, Earnes POW Honors
* Pitcher Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) threw two complete-game shutouts at the SDSU Tournament, topping Nevada on Friday, 6-0, and Cal Poly in Sunday's action, 3-0. She has tossed 18.1 consecutive scoreless innings, a season-high for the Aztecs, and has allowed only one earned run in her last 37.1 innings of work. For her excellent play at the tournament, she earned Mountain West Conference player of the week accolades.
* Prior to her amazing stretch of 37.1 innings with one earned run allowed (0.19 ERA for that span), Janelli's ERA stood at 3.09. It is currently 1.01.
Hartung's Hits Multiply at an Alarming Rate
* Infielder Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) is leading the Aztec squad with a .391 average after going 7-of-13 (.515) last weekend. The sophomore already has compiled 13.5 times as many hits as all of last season. She went 2-for-20 (.100) as a freshman.
Kovensky Walks Toward Records
* Center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) has jumped into the all-time SDSU leader board in the walks category with 58, good for third. Five more walks will break the school record of 62 held by Chrystal Friesen (1993-96).
* Kovensky's two-run blast to left-center in the seventh inning of Friday's 6-0 victory over Nevada gave the senior 10 for her career, moving her into sole possession of second place on the SDSU career list. She trails Erryn Gutjahr's 17, hit from 1996-99.
New Single-Game Doubles Record
* Five different Aztecs hit doubles in an 8-4 victory over Hawai'i on Feb. 21, breaking the previous record of four that was 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.), pitcher Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.) and second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) each contributed a double.
The Hits and Runs Keep Coming
* San Diego State compiled 13 hits in its 8-4 victory over Hawai'i on Feb. 21, 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.
* The Aztecs scored in every inning of an 11-2, five-inning victory over No. 21/24 Oklahoma State. The last time an Aztec squad scored 11 runs in a game occurred on April 27, 2000, in an 11-9 victory at UNLV, a span of 210 games.
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 2-3 on the team in batting average: Kovensky is second with a .386 average (27-of-70) and Murphy is batting .315 (17-of-54).
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) overall 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.
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 is due to 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 Florida
* The Gators opened Southeastern Conference play last weekend, taking two-of-three from Kentucky. Florida is 19-3 and will be playing only its second road game of the season on Tuesday against SDSU.
* No. 23/21 Florida went 41-25 last season and advanced to the NCAA Regionals for the third time in four seasons.
* Jenny Gladding (.364 batting average) and Mylin Prieto (.359) lead the Gator offense while Amanda Moore (0.33 ERA) and Stacey Stevens (0.81) pace the pitchers.
* The Aztecs and Gators have never met on the softball field.
Scouting Fresno State
* No. 15/17 Fresno State is 13-5 after splitting a doubleheader with No. 18/t14 Pacific on Saturday, winning 1-0 and falling 4-1. The Bulldogs host two doubleheaders before facing the Aztecs on Thursday: against Campbell on Monday and Virginia on Tuesday.
* Fresno State went 36-22 last season, advanced to the NCAAs and is the only program to participate in all 22 NCAA Tournaments, reaching the Women's College World Series 12 of those seasons.
* The Bulldogs averaged an NCAA-best 1,835 fans last season and have led the country in attendance eight consecutive seasons and 11 of the 13 seasons the NCAA has kept official records. The Aztecs played in front of 3,530 spectators on May 2, 1997, the 11th-largest crowd in FSU history, with the Bulldogs and Aztecs splitting a doubleheader. FSU took the first game 2-1 and the Aztecs came back in the nightcap for a 3-0 victory.
* Fresno State holds a 49-5 all-time series lead. The Bulldogs have shut out the Aztecs five consecutive times and have won 14 straight dating back to that 3-0 Aztec win in 1997.
Scouting Oregon State
* No. 25/19 Oregon State is off to a 19-7 start. The Beavers are led by pitchers Monica Hoffman (0.50 ERA) and Brianne McGowan (0.66).
* Despite finishing in last place in the powerful Pac-10 Conference last season, the Beavers not only were selected to the NCAA Tournament (as was every other Pac-10 team), but advanced to the regional final against Oklahoma.
* The Aztecs are 10-7 against Oregon State all-time, winning three straight, including a doubleheader sweep on March 26, 2003, 3-0 and 2-1. The Beavers last defeat of SDSU came at the NFCA Leadoff Classic, 5-2, on Feb. 24, 2001.
Scouting North Texas
* The Mean Green (7-25) are playing their first season of softball since the 1988 season. Mandy Hacker leads the squad with a .313 average.
* There have been no meetings between the Aztecs and the Mean Green.
Scouting UCLA
* The Bruins won the SDSU Tournament last weekend with a 5-0 record and are 21-0 on the season.
* UCLA holds a 26-game winning streak, its longest since starting the 2001 season with a 35-0 record. The current streak is tied for 20th longest in NCAA history. If UCLA is victorious their first three tournament games this weekend prior to meeting the Aztecs on Saturday, the 29-game streak would tie for 15th best.
* Stephanie Ramos leads the Bruins with a .468 average. Keira Goerl (0.25 ERA) and Lisa Dodd (0.26 ERA) lead the pitchers.
* The Aztecs fell to UCLA in 10 innings on Saturday, 1-0. At the Long Beach State Tournament on Feb. 8, UCLA took a 6-2 decision from SDSU when the Aztecs uncharacteristically committed eight errors and allowed five unearned runs in their 6-2 setback to the Bruins. UCLA holds a 49-2 advantage all-time over the Aztecs and have won 45 consecutive. The last Aztec win occurred by a 2-1 count on April 29, 1977.
Scouting Long Beach State
* The 49ers are fresh off a championship at the Kipa Aloha Malihini Tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii. They went 7-0 at the tournament to improve their record to 17-4, which is LBSU's best start since the 1988 squad started 18-3. In last Tuesday's polls, Long Beach State received votes in both, and if the polls were extended, would be ranked No. 32/26.
* Jamie Farnworth leads all 49er batters with her .389 average. Marcel Torres' 0.77 ERA paces the pitching staff, which has an overall ERA of 1.18.
* On Feb. 7, Long Beach State topped the Aztecs at the Long Beach State Tournament, 4-1. The 49ers hold a 42-17 lead all-time against San Diego State. The last Aztec victory came by a 3-2 count on March 9, 2003.