March 29, 2004
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Aztecs Commence MWC Play, Head to Utah
* San Diego State begins Mountain West Conference play this weekend, playing doubleheaders at BYU at 4 p.m. MST on Friday and at noon MST on Saturday at Utah. The Aztecs finished their non-conference slate (except for a May 4 game versus Louisiana Tech) with a San Diego Classic championship and respectable 21-16 record against top-notch competition, including 13 games against ranked teams and six against teams ranked in the top five.
* MWC play will see SDSU play each softball-sponsoring school in home-and-home doubleheaders for a total of 20 games. San Diego State's conference home-opening doubleheader takes place at 1 p.m. April 9 versus Colorado State, the defending MWC tournament champion and this year's tournament host. The Rams were also selected second, just behind the Aztecs, in the 2004 preseason coaches' poll.
Van Wyk becomes winningest SDSU coach
* Kathy Van Wyk won her 253rd game on March 21 when San Diego State topped Buffalo, 6-0, to become the winningest coach in San Diego State softball history. Following a 2-0 victory over UC Riverside later in the day, Van Wyk saw her record move to 255-200-1. Linda Spradley went 253-372-4 from 1984-94 and the two served as co-head coaches from 1995-96, compiling 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.
Kovensky Walks into Record Book
* When center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) walked with two outs in the first inning of SDSU's March 21 victory over UC Riverside, 2-0, it gave her 63 on her career, breaking Chrystal Friesen's (1993-96) previous school record of 62. Kovensky walked 22 times as freshman, 13 in 2002, 10 in 2003 and, following an additional walk later in the game, 19 this season. The school record for walks in a season is 28, set by Anna Marie Risquez in 1998.
* Kovensky is also expected to shortly move into first place in the SDSU record books in runs and stolen bases. The senior has 120 runs, trailing only Kellie Nordhagen's (1999-02) 126, and has swiped 50 bases, which trails Kelley Santa Cruz (1996-98), who stole 59 bases. Kovensky is ranked in the top five of 11 all-time SDSU offensive categories.
Rally Falls Short Against No. 7/9 Sooners
* SDSU's rally in the bottom of the seventh against No. 7/9 Oklahoma on March 16 fell three runs short as the Sooners prevailed, 4-1. Singles by center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) and third baseman Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) led off the seventh, but the OU pitcher retired the next three Aztecs to put an abrupt stop to SDSU's comeback effort. Hartung went 2-for-3 and pitchers Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) and Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) did not allow an earned run.
Aztecs Win the San Diego Classic
* The San Diego State Aztecs dominated the San Diego Classic, winning the 10-team tournament that was co-hosted with the University of San Diego. The Aztecs were the only undefeated team at the tournament (5-0), batted .365 as a team (after entering the tournament with a .227 season average) and compiled a 0.00 ERA.
* Pitcher Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) earned a five-inning, complete-game shutout in a 8-0 win over Southern Utah on March 19. Shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three runs. The squad compiled 13 hits against the Thunderbirds, tying a season high in the 8-4 victory over Hawai'i on Feb. 21. First baseman Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) homered over the left field fence in the first, scoring Hartung, and finished with three RBI.
* Left fielder Erin Mahoney (Westchester, Calif.) and Hartung had two hits each in SDSU's 7-3 victory over Indiana on March 19. Hartung once again scored three runs, tying her performance earlier in the day for most runs scored in a game by an Aztec this season. Pitcher Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.) allowed no earned runs in her seven innings of work.
* The Aztecs had little trouble with Dartmouth on March 20, prevailing in five innings, 8-0. Pitcher Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) tossed her fifth whitewashing of the season. The Aztecs put the game away with two runs in the first and five in the third. A single tally in the fifth ended the game via the eight-run mercy rule. Janelli and Murphy each went 2-for-3 with three RBI, while center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) was 2-for-2.
* San Diego State immediately grabbed control of March 21's 6-0 victory over Buffalo with four first-inning runs on five consecutive singles. SDSU added single runs in the fourth and fifth. Right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) went 3-for-3 with a double and RBI. Second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Murphy each went 2-for-4. Figueroa doubled and stole home as part of a double steal for SDSU's final run in the fifth. Hartung added a fourth-inning triple and run. Velasquez threw her second consecutive shutout (and second of the season).
* SDSU's closest game of the weekend saw the Aztecs outscore UC Riverside on March 21, 2-0. Richards had the best Aztec pitching performance of the season, tossing a one-hit shutout against the Highlanders. The lone UCR base hit was a soft blooper over Richards that got to Figueroa too late for her to make a play at first. Boyer scored SDSU's first run in the fifth as she walked, made her way to third on an obstruction call on the Highlander shortstop and scored on right fielder Bridgette Caron's (Fallbrook, Calif.) single down the left field line. Murphy singled and came around to score in the sixth.
Nobody Has Scored an Earned Run Since ...
* The San Diego State pitching staff has gone 43.2 innings without allowing an earned run, including the last 19.1 innings completely spotless. The last earned run scored against SDSU pitching came in the second inning of Long Beach State's 1-0 victory over the Aztecs on March 14.
* Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) threw two shutouts last week and has the longest current scoreless-innings streak for SDSU at 19.2. She leads SDSU with a 9-4 mark (.692 winning percentage).
* Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) has thrown 14.2 consecutive scoreless innings and strung together a scoreless streak of 25.2 innings earlier in the season. Currently, she has allowed only three earned runs in her last 59.1 innings (0.35 ERA during that span) and has five of SDSU's eight complete-game shutouts. Prior to the impressive stretch, Janelli's ERA stood at 3.09. It is now 0.89, best on the team.
* Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.) has thrown the best game by an Aztec this season, a one-hit shutout over UC Riverside on March 21, 2-0. She has not allowed an earned run in her last 19.1 innings.
Boyer Leads Offensive Breakthrough
* Right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) led a San Diego State offensive breakthrough at the San Diego Classic, hitting .636 (7-for-11) with three runs. Her best games of the weekend came against Southern Utah (2-for-3) and Buffalo (3-for-3, one RBI). She saw a seven-game hitting streak snapped with a 0-for-1 outing against UC Riverside which saw her reach base twice on walks and score a run. Six other Aztecs hit above .300 for the tournament, including infielder Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) (.467), left fielder Erin Mahoney (Westchester, Calif.) (.429), center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) (.385), shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) (.375), second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) (.333) and right fielder Bridgette Caron (Fallbrook, Calif.) (.308).
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).
Hartung's Hits Multiply at Astounding Rate
* Shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) has paced the Aztec offense this season, batting .368 (39-of-106) and actually has 19.5 times as many hits as she had last season as a freshman, when she went 2-for-20 (.100). Hartung's six doubles also leads the team.
Staying in San Diego a Success
* The only three Aztec players to list San Diego as their hometowns are also the top three hitters on the team: shortstop Meagan Hartung (.368 batting average), Janna Kovensky (.343) and Kelcy Murphy (.289). Hartung went to Granite Hills High School in El Cajon, while Kovensky and Murphy both attended Rancho Bernardo High School.
* 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), Hartung, Kovensky and Murphy. Fourteen players list California cities as their hometowns, while three call Arizona home.
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.
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 .337 average and Murphy is batting .250.
Full of Middle Classmen
* San Diego State's 2004 roster is full of middle classmen. 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).
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 four seasons are the four best in school history in terms of overall wins and winning percentage. Prior to 2000, the school had only two winning seasons in the program's first 23 years and has now earned winning records in each of the past four seasons.
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 BYU
* The Cougars are 16-9 entering an away doubleheader with new-Division I team Utah Valley State on Tuesday. BYU went 2-2 at last weekend's Stanford Classic, defeating UC Riverside, 9-5, and Hawai'i, 5-2, while falling to Illinois, 4-3, and No. 13/12 Stanford, 7-5.
* Shortstop Jodi Norton (.362 batting average, four home runs), infielder Kate Walker (.357, five homers) and catcher Paige Paramore (.314, four round-trippers) lead the Cougar offense. Niki Anderson leads the pitchers with a 9-3 mark and 1.85 ERA.
* San Diego State holds an 11-4 all-time advantage over BYU, 9-2 in Mountain West Conference play dating to 2000 and 2-2 during the MWC Tournament. Most recently, the teams split during the final day of the 2003 MWC Tournament at SDSU Field on May 10, with SDSU prevailing 3-1 to advance to the tournament championship game following a 2-1 Cougar win to force the "if" game.
Scouting Utah
* The Utes are 7-19 entering Tuesday's home game with Utah State. Utah is led offensively by Glennis Donnelly's .476 batting average. Samantha Schroeder's 2.21 ERA paces the pitching staff.
* Utah leads the all-time series with the Aztecs, 35-18. The Aztecs won both meetings last season, 3-0 and 1-0 on April 19 at SDSU Field. The last time the Utes prevailed occurred on March 29, 2002, by a 4-2 count. The teams are 6-6 all-time in Mountain West Conference play and 1-1 in MWC Tournament action.
* It has been three seasons since SDSU played on the Utah campus with the last two scheduled doubleheaders being cancelled due to poor weather conditions. The Aztecs won those two match-ups on April 28, 2001, by 6-2 and 5-0 scores.