April 13, 2004
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Aztecs Host UNLV on Friday Afternoon
* The San Diego State softball team continues its six-game Mountain West Conference home stand at 1 p.m. on Friday with a doubleheader versus UNLV. The Rebels (21-25, 4-4 MWC) are in a four-way tie for second place, two games behind the Aztecs (25-18, 6-2 MWC).
Aztecs Move into First Place in MWC
* Following doubleheader sweeps last weekend versus Colorado State and New Mexico, San Diego State now holds a two-game advantage over the rest of the MWC.
* The Aztecs rallied late in game one against Colorado State, the defending MWC Tournament champions, with single tallies in the sixth and eighth for a 2-1 victory. Right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) drove in the tying run with a two-out single in the sixth, which scored center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.), who led off the frame with a single. Kovensky sparked SDSU's game-winning rally with a lead-off double to right field. Third baseman Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) subsequently drove her in with a double to center.
* San Diego State jumped on the board early in game two with a pair of runs in the first when second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) singled in left fielder Erin Mahoney (Westchester, Calif.) and Murphy scored on a wild pitch. The Aztecs added to their lead with a tally in the second when Kovensky was hit with the bases loaded. Colorado State came back in the fifth to score two unearned runs on an errant throw, but could get no closer as SDSU won, 3-2.
* Murphy drove in all three runs of Sunday's game one victory over New Mexico, 3-2. She homered in the second and drove in two with a single in the third. New Mexico came back in the fourth to score two runs off an Aztec error, but the Aztecs held on for the 3-2 win.
* The Aztec bats came alive in game two versus New Mexico and SDSU won, 8-2. San Diego State pulled away with three runs in the third and four more in the fourth. Figueroa, Mahoney, Kovensky and Murphy all contributed RBI singles in the victory.
Kovensky Now Runs into Record Book
* Center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) moved into a first-place tie in the SDSU record book for career runs after scoring five last week. The final run scored was the 126th of her career, tying her with Kellie Nordhagen (1999-02). She scored off an RBI single from third baseman Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) in the fourth inning of game two.
* Kovensky also looks to break the school record for games played in Friday's doubleheader. She is currently at 234, one behind Sarah Hershman's (1999-02) 235.
* Having already broken the career walks record with 64, Kovensky is ranked in the top five of 11 all-time SDSU offensive categories.
* Kovensky is hitting at a .349 clip, second on the team, and leads the squad with 29 runs scored. She is a perfect 12-of-12 on stolen base attempts.
Murphy and Kovensky Interlinked
* 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 also went to school together since sixth grade in addition to attending the same pre-school.
* Last weekend, the two were intertwined numerous times. In the bottom of the eighth inning of Friday's game one versus Colorado State, Kovensky and Murphy hit back-to-back doubles, winning the game, 2-1. For that game, Kovensky was 2-for-4 with two runs and Murphy hit two doubles. Murphy drove in Kovensky in Sunday's game one against New Mexico to allow Kovensky to tie the school record for runs in a career at 126. Murphy homered in the game, tying her for second on the all-time career home run list at SDSU with Kovenksy.
* For the season, the two are 2-3 on the team in batting average: Kovensky is second with a .349 average and Murphy is batting .308. Murphy leads the Aztecs with her four homers.
Velasquez Wins, Saves, Saves, Wins
* Pitcher Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) came into all four weekend games from the bullpen and earned two wins and two saves (the first two of her career) while not allowing a run in 11.2 innings. She entered game one against Colorado State with the score tied at 1-1 in the sixth and earned the victory when SDSU scored the winning tally in the eighth for the 2-1 victory. In game two, she came on in the fifth immediately following a two-run rally by Colorado State which cut the Aztec lead to 3-2. With a runner on second and one out, Velasquez got out of the inning unscathed and earned the save with two more scoreless innings. Velasquez came on in the sixth inning of game one against New Mexico with SDSU holding a precarious 3-2 lead. After inheriting a runner on first with nobody out, she threw three more scoreless innings to earn her second consecutive save. She entered game two against the Lobos with SDSU holding a 4-2 lead with two outs in the fourth and earned the victory by facing the minimum in 3.1 innings, only allowing a single by a Lobo who was quickly eliminated on a ground-out double play.
* Velasqeuz once again looks to be getting hot just as MWC play begins. Last season, she compiled a 2.26 ERA in non-conference games, but had a stellar conference season with a 0.81 ERA and earned MWC pitcher and freshman of the year honors. So far in 2004, Velasquez has a 1.61 ERA in non-conference games and a 0.38 ERA in MWC action.
* With an 11-4 record (.733 winning percentage), Velasquez has the best record of the pitching staff to go along with the only two saves on the team.
Sensational Sophomore Paces Offense
* Shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) has paced the Aztec offense this season, batting .374 (49-of-131) and actually has 24.5 times as many hits as she had as a freshman last season, when she went 2-for-20 (.100). Hartung also leads the 2004 Aztecs in at-bats (131), hits (49), doubles (8), triples (2 - tied with Kovensky), total bases (64), slugging percentage (.489), walks (21) and hit by pitches (4).
JoJo Off to Hot MWC Start
* Second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) has the highest MWC batting average for the squad at .423 (11-for-26) and has hit three doubles. The senior is ranked in the top five of three SDSU career offensive categories.
Cruz Roars Out of Doldrums
* Third baseman Bianca Cruz (Glendale, Ariz.) snapped a 0-for-44 stretch with a single to left in the sixth inning of game two of Friday's doubleheader versus Colorado State. She then lined a single into the left-center gap in Sunday's game two against New Mexico and finished the weekend with an impressive 2-for-4 performance.
Offense Comes Alive
* When San Diego State defeated New Mexico, 8-2, in game two of Sunday's doubleheader, it marked the most runs scored by an Aztec team in a MWC game since a 9-2 home victory over Colorado State on April 26, 2002, a span of 29 MWC games.
MWC Home Winning Streak Extended
* The Aztecs have won 13 consecutive MWC home games, which far surpasses the previous school record for consecutive home conference victories of seven, set in 2002. San Diego State has sponsored softball since 1977 and has been a member of a conference since 1980 and actually recorded their first four-game home conference winning streak in 1995. The record was extended to five in 1996 and six in a span from 1998-99. The current streak began with the 2003 campaign as the Aztecs went 9-0 in MWC home games.
Let's Play More Softball!
* San Diego State played in three consecutive extra-inning games, including both games of a doubleheader at Utah on April 3 and the first game against Colorado State on April 9, for the first time since March 3-9, 2001.
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).
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.
Van Wyk - 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. Her record is currently 261-202-1. 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 and advanced to the regional championship versus UCLA, while the 2003 team was 1-2 in tourney action.
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 (.374 batting average), Janna Kovensky (.349) and Kelcy Murphy (.308). 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.
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 UNLV
* The Rebels are 21-25, 4-4 in MWC play and will face off with UC Riverside on Thursday prior to heading south to America's Finest City. UNLV is looking to improve on its past, which includes three last-place finishes in the four years of MWC softball. Its best MWC season came in 2002 with a third-place finish at 8-8 and a 30-34 overall record.
* The offense is led by outfielder Bridget Byrne's .432 batting average. Pitcher Jacque Kerrigan has thrown 201.1 of the team's 300.2 innings and has a team-leading 1.81 ERA. The junior's 451 career strikeouts is third in school history and her 185 strikeouts this season is just 40 short of setting a new UNLV record.
* San Diego State holds a 27-26 lead over UNLV in the all-time series. The squads split a doubleheader at UNLV on April 26, 2003, and SDSU swept the home doubleheader on April 12, 2003. San Diego State has won 18 of the past 25 meetings and eight of the past 10 held at San Diego State.