April 28, 2004
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SDSU Heads to Vegas
* San Diego State will play a night Mountain West Conference doubleheader at UNLV on Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m. The Aztecs currently lead the MWC standings with an 11-3 conference mark, one game ahead of Colorado State's 9-3 record (for complete standings, click here).
* On Saturday, depending on the outcomes of other MWC contests this weekend, SDSU could conceivably clinch not only a first-round bye at the 2004 MWC Tournament, but also the right to host the 2005 MWC Tournament in its new facility due to be completed in October of this year. The regular season champion hosts the following year's tournament, but since a team cannot host two consecutive years, that makes Colorado State, this year's host, ineligible.
Aztecs Keep Hold of First Place
* San Diego State swept New Mexico and split with Colorado State in MWC doubleheaders over the weekend.
* In Friday's game one versus New Mexico, SDSU trailed 4-2 with one out in the seventh and nobody on when right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) singled to center and junior first baseman Lacey Craft (Valley Center, Calif.) hit a clutch two-run shot over the left-center fence to tie the game, 4-4. After three more runs crossed the plate, the Aztecs completed their largest comeback of the season after trailing 4-1 entering the third. The two-run deficit entering the seventh was also SDSU's largest last-inning comeback. Boyer went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI.
* The Aztec offense kept their hot streak alive in game two with a 10-3 victory. Boyer went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) and center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) also contributed two hits each while pitcher Deanna Richards (Visalia, Calif.) had the first Aztec complete game since she threw one on April 2 against BYU, a 5-2 victory.
* San Diego State ended Colorado State's eight-game winning streak (all in MWC contests) in game one of Sunday's doubleheader, 2-1, with a pair of first-inning runs. Pitcher Cori Janelli (Visalia, Calif.) got into a little trouble early, allowing CSU to load the bases in the second with one out, but then retired 12 of the next 13 batters (including an RBI ground out that inning) before allowing a leadoff single in the sixth. Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) then came in and retired the next six batters to earn the save. Boyer and third baseman Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) each went 2-for-3.
* The Rams returned the favor in game two, ending SDSU's 10-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory to pull within one game of the Aztecs in the MWC standings. CSU left fielder Brittany Huerta hit her 13th home run of the season, a two-run shot, in the third inning. SDSU looked to immediately respond in the fourth when Kovensky beat out a bunt single. Murphy followed with a single to right, but Kovensky was thrown out trying to advance to third and then Murphy was thrown out attempting to move to second on the play, ending the rally. After failing to score in the sixth with the bases loaded and one out, the Aztecs once again rallied in the seventh. Catcher Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) led off the frame with a walk and left fielder Erin Mahoney (Westchester, Calif.) singled her to second with a one-out slap hit to left. Hartung then nailed the first pitch she saw to the right-center gap to score pinch runner Jamie Burton (Carlsbad, Calif.) and move Mahoney to third. The Aztecs however could not plate the tying run as Boyer, who went 7-for-14 over the weekend, struck out swinging and Kovensky, who entered the at-bat a perfect 3-for-3 in the game and hitting at a team-leading .370 clip, hit a soft liner that the CSU pitcher snared for the final out.
Velasquez Flourishes in Closer Role
* Pitcher Celena Velasquez (Tucson, Ariz.) has entered eight of the past 10 Aztec games in relief, including seven consecutive at one point, and has three wins, five saves and a 0.00 ERA in 20.2 innings dating to April 9.
* The five saves, all in MWC contests, shatters the previous MWC season record for saves in conference games of three, set by former Aztec Bre DeSanta in 2002 and tied by current Ram Megan Masser last season. Velasquez is only two away from tying the MWC season record for saves in all games at seven, set by Masser in 2003. Velasquez is tied for 10th this season among NCAA Division I pitchers with her five saves, three behind Houston's Jenny Johnson's eight.
* Velasquez earned MWC pitcher of the week honors for her impressive outings last weekend. In game one of Friday's doubleheader versus New Mexico, she entered with two Lobos on base with one out in the second inning and SDSU trailing, 4-1, and proceeded to strike out the next two batters to get out of the jam and then scattered four hits over the next five innings, earning the win when the Aztecs completed their impressive comeback with five seventh-inning runs. On Sunday in game one against Colorado State, Velasquez entered the sixth inning with a Ram on first and nobody out and SDSU holding a 2-1 lead and retired the next six batters for her fifth save.
* Velasqeuz once again has turned up the heat in MWC action. Last season, she compiled a 2.26 ERA in non-conference games, but had a MWC-record low ERA of 0.81 ERA in conference contests to earn MWC pitcher and freshman of the year honors. So far in 2004, Velasquez has a 1.61 ERA in non-conference games and a stellar 0.25 ERA in MWC action.
* With a 12-4 record (.750 winning percentage), Velasquez has the best record on the staff to go along with the team's only five saves.
* Velasquez has not let the light air of high-altitude cities affect her pitching, allowing only one earned run in 14.2 innings (0.48 ERA) in cities with elevations of 4,300 feet or greater.
Pitching Staff Ranked 23rd in NCAA
* San Diego State's team ERA of 1.43 ranks 23rd among 265 NCAA Division I teams and is on pace to break the MWC record of 1.62, set last year by SDSU.
* Celena Velasquez's (Tucson, Ariz.) ERA of 1.28 and Cori Janelli's (Visalia, Calif.) 1.33 ERA would rank the pair at numbers three and four in the MWC record book. Deanna Richards' (Visalia, Calif.) 1.64 ERA would place her seventh.
Homers Coming at Record Pace
* After hitting three homers last weekend, San Diego State now has 15 on the season, just five short of setting a new team record. The 1999 squad hit 19.
* All three blasts last weekend were by first-timers. With SDSU trailing in Friday's game one versus New Mexico, 1-0, in the second, sophomore right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) lined an 0-2 pitch over the left field fence, a couple feet to the right of the foul pole. Junior first baseman Lacey Craft (Valley Center, Calif.) tied the game with one out in the seventh by hitting a clutch two-run shot to left-center, her first Aztec homer. Craft, in her second season at SDSU, hit a home run as a freshman at Palomar College. In game two, junior pinch hitter Brittany Green (San Clemente, Calif.) blasted a three-run homer that easily sailed over the left field fence.
* Three other Aztecs have hit their first career home runs this season. Sophomore shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) hit one in SDSU's 5-2 victory over BYU on April 2, senior second baseman Joann Figueroa (Phoenix, Ariz.) hit her first round-tripper against Iowa State on Feb. 20, while junior catcher Danielle Touhey (Fresno, Calif.) went from zero to two with shots against Oklahoma State on Feb. 14 and Nevada on March 5.
Offense Impressive in Albuquerque
* San Diego State twice tied its team high for runs scored in an inning on Friday, scoring five in the seventh inning of game one against New Mexico and five more in game two's fourth inning. The 10 runs scored in game two's 10-3 victory marked the second time this season SDSU has scored in double figures (the Aztecs topped Oklahoma State on Feb. 14 in five innings, 11-2) and the most runs scored by SDSU in a MWC game since a 10-2 victory at BYU on April 19, 2002, a span of 35 MWC games.
Kovensky Breaks Another Record
* Center fielder Janna Kovensky (San Diego, Calif.) broke the SDSU career record for runs scored when she crossed home plate on a fielder's choice in the first inning of game two of Friday's doubleheader against New Mexico. After scoring in Sunday's game one victory over Colorado State, 2-1, Kovensky now has scored 128 runs, surpassing Kellie Nordhagen's (1999-02) 126.
* Kovensky has played in more games than any San Diego State softball player in history. Her 240 total games surpasses Sarah Hershman's (1999-02) 235.
* Kovensky moved into sole possession of second place on the hits chart with three on Friday. A single to right field in the fourth inning of game two moved her past Hershman's 212. Kovensky's 219 career hits now only trails Nordhagen's 254.
* Having already broken the career walks record with 66, Kovensky is ranked in the top five of 11 all-time SDSU offensive categories.
* Kovensky is leading the team with a .367 batting average, .480 slugging percentage, 31 runs, 54 hits (tied with third baseman Meagan Hartung) and two triples (tied with Hartung). She is a perfect 15-of-15 on stolen base attempts. Her .422 batting average in MWC action also leads the squad.
Murphy Looks to Move Up RBI Chart
* Third baseman Kelcy Murphy (San Diego, Calif.) is only seven RBI short of setting a new SDSU career record for RBI. Her 96 RBI trails Sarah Herschman's (1999-02) 97 and Erryn Gutjahr's (1996-99) 102. Murphy leads the Aztecs with her four homers and 29 RBI.
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.
* For the season, the two are ranked in the top three on the team in batting average: Kovensky is first with a .367 average and Murphy is third at .301.
Boyer Blasts Away in Rockies
* Right fielder Bree Boyer (Huntington Beach, Calif.) had the best performance of an Aztec hitter last weekend, going 7-for-14 with a home run and garnering multiple hits in three games. Her .714 slugging percentage paced the offense. In game one of Friday's doubleheader against New Mexico, she hit her first career homer and sparked SDSU's largest comeback of the season. With one out in the seventh and the Aztecs trailing, 4-2, Boyer singled up the midde to bring up first baseman Lacey Craft, who then homered to left center, tying the game. SDSU would score three more runs to win, 7-4.
Sensational Sophomore Paces Offense
* Shortstop Meagan Hartung (San Diego, Calif.) has rebounded from a 2-for-20 freshman season with a flourish, leading the 2004 squad with a .469 on-base percentage, 10 doubles and 71 total bases. She is tied for the team lead in hits (54) and triples (two) and her .365 batting average is just behind center fielder Janna Kovensky's .367 clip.
* Hartung's team-leading 25 walks is just four shy of breaking the school record for walks in a season, currently held by Kelley Santa Cruz, who walked 28 times in 1998. Hartung is currently tied with Tracy Stowe's 1992 total of 25.
* With an on-base percentage of .469, Hartung is on pace to break SDSU's single-season school record of .462, held by Trish Mang in 1988.
Burton's First Career Hit a Double
* Catcher Jamie Burton (Carlsbad, Calif.) hit a double in the sixth inning of Friday's game one versus New Mexico for the sophomore's first career hit. She would score on a three-run homer by Brittany Green.
Streak Holds Steady at 15
* The Aztecs have won 15 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.
Van Wyk's NCAA Pitching Record Stands
* Aztec head coach Kathy Van Wyk holds the NCAA record for consecutive wins at 33, set in 1982 as a senior at Cal State Fullerton, but that record was in serious danger until Sunday. Alicia Hollowell, of the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats, started the 2004 campaign with a 32-0 record, but allowed a run to Oregon in the bottom of the eighth inning on Sunday to fall, 1-0, one short of Van Wyk's record, set in 1982 at Cal State Fullerton. Van Wyk's .972 winning percentage that season (35-1) is fourth all-time, 26 shutouts is tied for sixth most and her 0.18 ERA remains the eighth lowest in history and the fourth-lowest of non-UCLA hurlers.
Van Wyk Can Coach as Well
* Kathy Van Wyk is the winningest coach in San Diego State history with a 266-203-1 record. She broke Linda Spradley's (1984-94) win total of 253 on March 21 when SDSU topped Buffalo, 6-0. The two served as co-head coaches from 1995-96 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 and advanced to the regional championship against host UCLA, while the 2003 team was 1-2 in tourney action.
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 MWC 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.
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: center fielder Janna Kovensky (.367 batting average), shortstop Meagan Hartung (.365), and third baseman Kelcy Murphy (.301). 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).
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. 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 22-31, 4-10 in MWC play.
* The offense is led by outfielder Bridget Byrne's .393 batting average. Pitcher Jacque Kerrigan has thrown 211.1 of the team's 342.0 innings, has a team-leading 1.72 ERA, but hasn't seen action in the last five games. In her last appearance, she allowed one run, unearned, against San Diego State on April 16, a 1-0 Aztec win. The junior's 457 career strikeouts is third in school history and her 191 strikeouts this season are just 34 short of setting a new UNLV record.
* San Diego State holds a 29-26 lead over UNLV in the all-time series after sweeping a home doubleheader on April 16, 1-0 and 4-1. San Diego State has won 20 of the past 27 meetings.