Feb. 2, 2009
SAN DIEGO - How does one team rebound from a fifth-place showing of six schools in league play? Easy. You win the conference for the fourth time in seven seasons, advance to another NCAA tournament and finish with the best record in school history against arguably the toughest schedule in the program's 32 years.
That's exactly what the San Diego State softball team did in 2008, finishing 44-17 (.721), including a 15-5 mark in Mountain West Conference play. The Aztecs set or tied 11 school records in their magical season before falling to 16th-seeded and host Fresno State, 2-0, in extra innings in the NCAA tournament.
Thirteenth-year head coach Kathy Van Wyk, however, was hoping for more. Much more.
"(2008) was an incredible season," Van Wyk said. "We accomplished huge things and earned a great deal of respect. In the end though, it was disappointing, because I really thought and hoped that we would go farther than we did."
This urge to get better is the reason why optimism is at an all-time high on Montezuma Mesa for SDSU softball.
"It's not good enough anymore to just qualify for (NCAA) Regionals," Van Wyk said. "We want to do better than that. We want to get to the Women's College World Series and ultimately win a national championship."
San Diego State returns eight starters, including senior All-American Erin Floros and five-tool player Brittany Knudsen, from last year's squad and a healthy Monica Alnes. Van Wyk will count on these leaders to bring along a young pitching staff and hopefully do something the Aztecs have never done; reach the NCAA tournament in back-to-back seasons.
"Pitching is going to make the difference for us," Van Wyk said. "We have the talent, but we have to gain that experience and maturity very quickly. The ability is there and it's up to us as a coaching staff to help them grow and see what they are capable of."
Pitchers
After losing arguably the greatest pitcher in program history in Christina Ross, two young pitchers will have a chance to take their turn and become the next big thing.
Sophomore Samantha Beasley returns with the most experience after going 8-2 with a 1.94 ERA in 75 2/3 innings. Beasley showed signs of brilliance in her first collegiate season a year ago with impressive performances against nationally ranked foes Northwestern, Georgia and Michigan, and a victory against Sacramento State in the NCAA Regional. The 2009 Beasley figures to be even better.
"I can't say enough about the growth of Sam Beasley in one year," Van Wyk said. "It's just been phenomenal. She has added new pitches, improved the pitches she already had and really come into her own. I think she understands that the weight of the staff is on her shoulders right now. She seems to relish that position and I'm expecting big things out of her."
Another hurler who Van Wyk will go to early and often is true freshman Bailey Micetich. The hard-throwing Woodland, Calif., native comes to the Mesa after putting up ridiculous numbers in her days at Pioneer High School.
"Bailey has tremendous talent and throws the ball hard," Van Wyk said. "A big key to her success is going to be her changeup, something we've worked very hard on in the fall and spring. I'm excited to see what she can do against the competition."
Sophomore Brooke Petty, who went 6-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 57 innings a year ago, will most likely utilize her redshirt season.
Catchers
One of the strengths this season could be behind the plate, led by Floros, a 2006 All-American and two-time all-league pick.
Floros will return to the backstop this season after playing most of 2008 at first base and missing the majority of 2007 with a torn ACL. With 13 marks in the school's career top-10 list, including a .991 fielding percentage, Floros will help anywhere she is on the field.
"Erin looks very strong and her knee is fully recovered," Van Wyk said. "She provides tremendous leadership and a calm effect on these young pitchers, which will be very important for us this year. We've talked a lot about Erin becoming more of a vocal leader because she has such a huge amount of respect from her teammates and she needs to be the driving force out there. I think she will embrace this challenge."
Redshirt junior Sydney Fleming and sophomore transfer Traci Wolf figure to give Floros some time off behind the plate.
Fleming played in seven games in 2008, batting .286 while posting a perfect fielding percentage in seven chances.
"Sydney is the kind of player every coach wants on their team," Van Wyk said. "She is one of the hardest workers and possesses tremendous heart, attitude and leadership. She is swinging the bat better and will get her opportunities."
Wolf, a junior academically, but sophomore athletically, comes to SDSU after spending one season in the junior college ranks at Antelope Valley College, where she led the team to a perfect 14-0 season in league play and 40-10 record overall. The Foothill Conference Player of the Year batted .434 (59-for-136) with a .481 on base percentage, while leading the Marauders in runs (48), triples (11), walks (17) and stolen bases (31).
"Traci just came (to SDSU) in January and is still learning the system and it will be a bit of an adjustment period for her," Van Wyk said. "We'll try to get her some early innings to settle her down a bit. She is very athletic and runs well."
Infielders
After committing an uncharacteristic 98 errors in 2007, the Aztec infield shored up the defense with a terrific 2008 campaign. Led by highlight plays by shortstop Jen Wisneski and second baseman Lindsey Marquez, a fundamentally strong Christine Kulick and improving Dani Sidoti, the defense made just 61 miscues in five more games.
The infield instantly gets better, too, with the addition of Alnes, who redshirted last year with a back injury. Alnes, who excelled at first base in her freshman season before moving to shortstop in 2007, has the 10th-best fielding percentage in school history. Ranked among the career top-10 list in nine offensive categories will certainly help as well.
"Right now Monica is leading the way at first base," Van Wyk said. "We're real excited to get her back and get her going. She is looking good and starting to get back toward her old self in terms of swinging the bat. She's always been a great leader and she'll help Erin (Floros) in terms of leading the infield."
Sidoti, a redshirt senior, could also see time at first base after improving there throughout last year. An outfielder her first two seasons, Sidoti committed just four errors in 159 chances (.975) at her new position in 2008.
"Dani is doing a great job, especially since it really is such a new position for her," Van Wyk said. "She is swinging the bat very well, too, so we'll need to find a way to get her in the lineup. She's a fifth-year senior and you can't measure the amount that extra year gives in terms of maturity, experience and self-confidence."
Freshman Ashley Rose could also see time at first base after a good fall season.
"Ashley is really swinging a hot bat and she is another one that we may need to find a way to get her bat in the lineup," Van Wyk said. "Whether she plays third, first or DH's, we'll try to get her in there."
With all-conference pick Lindsey Marquez redshirting because of a shoulder injury, it appears second base will go to sophomore Taylor Sutton. Sutton played in 15 games in 2008 with eight starts to her credit. She was perfect in the field in 30 chances and had six hits in 25 at-bats.
"Taylor has great instincts and that is so important for second basemen," Van Wyk said. "She knows the position, it is probably the most difficult one on the field, and she does a great job of playing well against the slappers. Being just a sophomore, she has limited experience but will have to grow up real fast."
A wildcard who could challenge Sutton at second is freshman Felicia Reifschneider, who played at Morse High School along with current junior Stefanie Quichocho-Rosario.
"Felicia has the natural talent - she is fast, she is explosive, she can do a lot of things on the bases," Van Wyk said. "When she learns the position better and the instincts that come with it, she will become a very good second baseman."
Sophomore Jen Wisneski is most likely the one lock on the infield after her brilliant freshman campaign that saw her start 60 of the team's 61 games. She boasts a great range with a strong arm and appears to have found her offensive stroke in the fall season. The only concern, however, is an arm injury that came up in mid-January.
"Jen is struggling right now with some arm problems but she is going to suck it up through the season and try to make it best as she can," Van Wyk said. "She has really settled down and started to harness her abilities, which are amazing. She is probably the hardest worker on the field and there is no in between for her, it's all or nothing."
An x-factor at short could be sophomore Jessica Camello. Camello, who showed signs of brilliance at the plate, will give Wisneski some rest early on in the season.
"(Camello) is another one who has blossomed under (assistant) coach (Stacey) Nuveman's offensive help," Van Wyk said. "It is going to be interesting, because if all this potential comes out, it's going to put some pressure on (the coaching staff) to put the right lineup out there. She is starting to gain some confidence."
Van Wyk could go a lot of different ways at third base, from two-year starter Kulick to redshirt senior and power threat Taryin Casillas to first-year player Rose.
"There is a little bit of a logjam on third base and I'm not quite sure where to go," Van Wyk said. "Christine Kulick obviously has the leg up to start at third base. She has done really well for us and is a spark plug. She is quick and does a nice job defensively."
Last year, Kulick earned the start at the hot corner 43 times, while setting career bests in many offensive categories.
"It will probably come down to who is hitting at the moment," Van Wyk said. "And that is where both Taryin and Ashley will throw a wrench in the works. Both have played well defensively and both are swinging the bat very well."
Casillas returns to the Aztecs in 2009 looking to regain her form from her freshman and sophomore seasons of 2005 and 2006, respectively. In her career, Casillas is ranked eighth in doubles (22) and tied for ninth in home runs (7).
"Taryin is probably back to about 75 percent of her old self," Van Wyk said. "Within the next month she'll be close to 100 percent, so I'm excited to see what she can do."
Rose might also see time at third, but much will depend on who is playing the best.
"Ashley will benefit from a year of learning from these two," Van Wyk said. "She'll get some playing time swinging the bat, but maybe not as much defensively."
Outfielders
Two of the three starting outfielders from last season return in Tonye McCorkle and Knudsen and each probably have locked down starting spots.
McCorkle, who played with Syracuse from 2006-07, made a huge impact last season by batting .310 with a 35 RBI, 37 runs and 12 stolen bases. The thought is that she will continue to swing the hot bat heading into her final season.
"We need (Tonye's) bat in the lineup," Van Wyk said. "She is probably our best pure-hitter and with that she adds great speed on the basepaths."
Moving back to center will be Knudsen. Knudsen has done it all in her two seasons at SDSU and is already ranked among the career top-10 in 10 categories. Last year, Knudsen led the squad in runs (39), doubles (10), total bases (80), slugging percentage (.432) and walks (27). She has also earned the acclaim of coach Van Wyk.
"Brittany is probably the best pure outfielder that I have ever had in my 25 years of coaching," Van Wyk said. "Technique wise she is just so solid, her throws are on the money and she is always in the right position. She has really grabbed on to what (assistant coach) Stacey (Nuveman) has been doing offensively and I'm excited to see her blossom a little bit more this year."
With two positions locked up, the big question remains who is going to replace three-year starter Tamani Wells?
"Right field is probably the only real open position right now," Van Wyk said. "It could be Traci (Wolf), Katy (Erickson), Dani (Sidoti) or even (Stefanie) Quichocho-Rosario."
Erickson is coming off a solid fall that has been dampened by an arm injury early in spring camp. Last season she was mainly used as a pinch-runner, but did have two hits in her six at-bats.
"She had a great fall hitting and playing defense," Van Wyk said. "The question marks are her arm, which has been hurting, and her ability to handle the pressure."
Quichocho-Rosario, who reached on an infield single in her only plate appearance a year ago, has impressed the coaching staff with a strong fall. Already a threat to score with her speed, Quichocho-Rosario batted over .600 in eight games in the fall, the highest mark on the team.
"It might be that Stefanie earns a spot for what she has done offensively," Van Wyk said. "It would be nice to get her on four times a game instead of just once. She's working hard to improve her defensive skills. She is definitely going to get her opportunities because she has earned it."
Freshmen Roshana Lavery and Nicole Trimbo will most likely redshirt.
Schedule
Van Wyk has once again put together a top-notch schedule that will challenge the Aztecs throughout the season.
San Diego State will play 51 regular season games (weather permitting), highlighted by two games each against 2008 Women's College World Series opponents UCLA and Louisiana-Lafayette. The Aztecs will once again play host to three tournaments, including the 19th annual Campbell/Cartier Classic.
Of its 35 opponents, nine will be against teams who made the 2008 NCAA tournament over a span of 15 games. In addition, SDSU will play five top-25 RPI teams from a year ago.
"We've got some very good teams in the mix," Van Wyk said. "Looking at last year's RPI, about 50 percent of our games are against teams between 50 and 100, and another 25 percent are top 50, which is good."
The Aztecs also play Stanford twice, as well as Pac-10 foes Oregon and Washington, and Big 12 schools Missouri, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. SDSU will also meet Big West programs Cal Poly (twice), UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State, UC Davis, Cal State Northridge and Cal State Fullerton (twice).
"It's going to be tough," Van Wyk said. "More than anything we don't fly under the radar now, teams take us serious."
SDSU begins its MWC slate April 4 at UNLV. The Aztecs will play each of the five teams in the conference three times to round out regular season play.
"It's all a question mark at this point in the season and we are all anxious to get out there the first few weeks and see what the other teams are doing," Van Wyk said. "(MWC play) is going to be a dogfight, like it is every year."