Feb. 22, 2005
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SDSU Heads To Peach State For NFCA Leadoff Classic
The San Diego State softball team heads to Columbus, Ga., Feb. 25-27, for the 10th annual National Fastpitch Coaches Association Leadoff Classic. The Aztecs are scheduled to play three games in pool play against No. 5/6 Louisiana Lafayette, DePaul and North Carolina. After pool play concludes Saturday, SDSU will participate in bracket play which is separated into championship and consolation sets.
The Aztecs last went to the Classic in 2001, going 1-4 with a win over Massachusetts and losses to South Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon State and Arizona State.
SDSU will take on the Ragin' Cajuns Friday, at 5 p.m. ET, followed by its first game against the Tar Heels at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Aztecs are 0-2 all-time versus Louisiana Lafayette, with the last meeting coming in the 2003 NCAA regionals at Cal State Fullerton, where SDSU lost, 6-0.
On Saturday, the Aztecs will take on a familiar opponent in the Blue Demons, a team SDSU defeated 4-0, Feb. 12 at the Stanford Tournament. In three all-time meetings, SDSU owns a 1-2 record against DePaul.
Rain Swamps Campbell/Cartier Classic
The 15th annual Campbell/Cartier Classic withstood the heavy rains Thursday and Friday, but eventually the water forced the cancellation of the final two days of the tournament. SDSU went 1-1 at the event, with a 2-0 win over No. 24 Florida International and a 9-5 loss to No. 19 Oregon State. Due to an uneven number of games played by all teams, no tournament championship handed out.
In the first-ever game for SDSU at the new stadium, the Aztecs fell behind to the Beavers 6-2, before making a valiant push, pulling within 6-5, but OSU scored three runs in the top of the seventh to close out SDSU, 9-5.
Meagan Hartung and Bree Boyer each went 3-4 from the plate to pace the Aztecs, while starting pitcher Janelli absorbed the loss in the circle. Velasquez pitched four innings of relief for SDSU, but was unable to slow down the high powered OSU bats.
Against FIU, the pitching duo of Cori Janelli and Celena Velasquez combined for a two-hit shutout of the Golden Panthers. Janelli (5-2) pitched no-hit ball for four complete innings before allowing a single to open the top of the fifth. She struck out seven and gave up two hits before giving way to Velasquez with one out and a runner on in the top of the sixth. Velasquez faced six batters and struck out five to pick up her third save of the season, after posting five all of last year.
SDSU received all the offense they needed off the bat of freshman team RBI leader Megan McDonald, who knocked in Erin Mahoney and Taryin Casillas with a single in the bottom of the first, when the Aztecs picked up three of their four hits in the game.
Softball Continues Best Start In Program History The SDSU softball team is 10-2 this season, the best start in program history. Among the wins this season are a pair of victories over No. 22 Long Beach State, the first two-game sweep over a nationally ranked team since the Aztecs defeated No. 21 Oklahoma State, 11-2 and 4-1, at the 2004 Aztec Invitational, and a win over No. 24 Florida International.
Aztecs Among The MWC Leaders
SDSU has been a top team in the Mountain West statistics since the conference's inception, and this season is no different.
As a team, SDSU ranks in the top-two in batting average (second), hits (second), RBI (second), sacrifice bunts (first), sacrifice flies (first), ERA (second), opponent batting average (first), batters struck out (first), saves (first), walks allowed (first) and wins (first).
Aztec batters who show up in the top-10 include freshman Taryin Casillas (ninth in batting average, sixth in slugging percentage, eighth in runs scored, third in doubles and ninth in total bases), Meagan Hartung (fourth in runs scored and fifth in hits) and Erin Mahoney (10th in on base percentage, first in sacrifice bunts). Megan McDonald is fourth in RBI and tied for first in hit by pitches.
On the pitching side SDSU is even more dominant, with the duo of Celena Velasquez and Cori Janelli at second and third respectively in ERA and strikeouts. Velasquez leads the MWC in opponent batting average and saves. Janelli is sixth in OBA and second in innings pitched and wins.
Newcomers Delight
SDSU newcomers are producing big numbers for the Aztecs this season. With the mix of talented veterans and new players SDSU has a chance to be really special. This past week, the freshmen accounted for six of SDSU's 15 hits, three of seven runs, and four of six RBI, while committing only one error in 10 combined starts. Freshman Megan McDonald knocked in the only two SDSU runs with a two-RBI single in the first inning of the Aztecs 2-0 victory over No. 24 Florida International. McDonald also leads SDSU in RBI with 11 and is tied for the team lead in homeruns with two. Freshman Taryin Casillas continues to pace SDSU with a .393 batting average, five doubles and a .786 slugging percentage. She is tied for the lead in homeruns (two) and is second on the team in RBI (eight), and runs scored (eight).
Newcomers are either first or second in 11 different categories, including batting average, runs, hits, doubles, triples, homeruns, RBI, slugging percentage, walks, on-base percentage and total bases. Kristen Carranza appears in eight of those categories and McDonald in three.
Pitching Staff Among The Best In Nation
Two-time Mountain West Pitcher of the Year Celena Velasquez and senior Cori Janelli are back to lead an excellent Aztec pitching staff. Velasquez, a junior, already has a 4-0 record with three saves and an 1.04 ERA. She leads the team in appearances (nine), strikeouts (52), and opponent batting average (.179), in 33.2 innings of work. Janelli has posted an 1.16 overall ERA this season, including a 5-2 record with 43 strikeouts, five walks and six earned runs in a team-high 36.1 innings pitched. Sophomore Katie Cochran is also in the mix with a 1-0 record and a 3.18 ERA. She has 10 strikeouts in 11.0 innings, including two starts.
M(eagan) & M(egan)
Junior shortstop Meagan Hartung and freshman designated player/infielder Megan McDonald are providing a punch for SDSU this season. Hartung led the 2004 Aztecs in batting average (.364), on base percentage (.462), runs (37), hits (64), doubles (13) and triples (two). Her outstanding season showed up in numerous places on the SDSU single-season charts, including top-five finishes in batting average (3rd), runs (t-3rd), hits (5th), doubles (4th), walks (t-1st), and on-base percentage (t-1st). Her career batting average is already tied for third and on base percentage is second best in Aztec history. She has .317 average this season, with a pair of doubles, a homerun, three RBI and a team-leading 10 runs scored.
McDonald is batting .231 with a double, two homeruns, three runs scored and a team-high 11 RBI. She is versatile on defense as well, playing catcher and first base to go with her designated player duties.
Aztecs Tough At Home
Last season the Aztecs were 22-9 at home, including two-game sweeps of No. 21 Oklahoma State and Mississippi State, plus conference opponents Colorado State, New Mexico, and UNLV. SDSU was also 7-3 in San Diego during MWC play. The last two seasons combined, the Aztecs were 46-15, a .754 winning percentage, the most home wins by any team in the MWC.
So far this season the Aztecs are 6-1 at home allowing only 15 runs in seven games (nine of which came against Oregon State), while SDSU is averaging 5.7, including 16 extra base hits. Over the past three seasons the Aztecs are 52-16, a .764 winning percentage.
Van Wyk Is Winningest Coach In SDSU History
Kathy Van Wyk is the winningest coach in SDSU history with a 281-209-1 record. She broke Linda Spradley's (1984-94) win total of 253 on March 21, 2004, when the Aztecs 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, SDSU has advanced to its only two 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.
Coaches Select San Diego State To Win 2005 Mountain West Softball Championship
For the third straight season, the San Diego State Aztecs have been selected to win the Mountain West Conference softball title in a vote by the league coaches. SDSU, BYU and Colorado State each received two first-place votes.
San Diego State, winners of two of the last three regular-season championships (2002, 2003), collected 22 points to capture the top spot in the poll. Mountain West Conference 2004 regular season champion Colorado State and BYU tallied 20 points apiece to place second in the poll, followed by 2004 MWC tournament champion Utah (12 points), New Mexico and UNLV (eight points each).
The Aztecs, coming off a 37-23 overall record (14-6 MWC) and a second-place finish in the 2004 MWC championship, return 10 letterwinners this season, including 2004 Pitcher of the Year Celena Velasquez. This season's edition of SDSU softball also returns Velasquez, all-MWC shortstop Megan Hartung, senior pitcher Cori Janelli, senior catcher Danielle Touhey, senior first baseman Lacey Craft, senior outfielder Erin Mahoney and one of the strongest softball recruiting classes to step foot on Montezuma Mesa.