CCAA Leading Toros Tabbed No. 2 Seed in Far West Region Softball Poll
CSUDH battles No. 12 San Francisco State on Friday in battle of conference’s top two teams
April 14, 2005

Carson, CA – Riding a six-game win streak in which they outscored their opponents 70-12, the 19th-ranked Cal State Dominguez Hills softball team (33-7, 18-4 CCAA) has been selected the No. 2 seed in the Far West Regional poll, it was announced this morning by the NCAA Championships Committee.

The Toros, who host the Far West’s 3rd seed and No. 12-ranked San Francisco State tomorrow in a battle of the CCAA’s top two teams, are led by senior Valerie Long (Stockton, CA/St. Mary’s HS) and junior Jackie Miller (Bremerton, WA/Central Kitsap HS/CS Stanislaus) in the circle, and by juniors Cindy Perry (Victorville, CA/Silverado HS) and Kate Groden (San Pedro, CA/San Pedro HS/SE Missouri Univ.) at the plate.

In the circle, fourth-year senior Long has continued where she left off last season, pacing the hurlers with a 15-3 record, four shutouts and a miniscule 1.14 ERA. In her final year in Cardinal Red & Gold, the Stockton native recently established the CSUDH career all-time records in wins and strikeouts in a 10-inning 3-2 win over Concordia (CA) on March 17, and the single-season strikeout mark against Seattle University on April 3. Long currently has 143 strikeouts in 118.0 innings pitched, including two outings in which she fanned a career-best 13 batters.

A junior transfer from Cal State Stanislaus, Miller has been the Toros’ game-two ace, having amassed a 12-3 record and 1.14 ERA. Miller has 13 complete games in 14 starts, and has limited the opposition to a meager .224 batting average against. The Bremerton, WA, native has fanned 71 batters in 98.0 innings pitched, and has allowed just one home run.

Perry, a 2004 third-team All-American, paces the Toros with a sizzling .413 average, tallying team-high totals with 59 hits and 34 stolen bases, along with 33 runs scored, good for second-highest total on the team. Groden has a team-best 39 RBI, 35 runs scored and 14 doubles, adding 48 hits and three HR for good measure. As a team, the Toros are outhitting their opponents .314 to .199, and have scored 176 more runs than the opposition (236 to 60).

The Toros host second-place San Francisco State in a twin bill tomorrow, with the outcome having a tremendous impact on the conference championship. On Saturday, CSUDH honors its five seniors in the final conference home contest of the year, before traveling to Cal State Bakersfield to participate in the Mountain Dew Classic at Bakersfield’s North Rosedale Park from April 22-24.

Humboldt State was chosen as the top seed in the Far West Region, riding a 32-game win streak. SFSU comes in as the No. 3 seed, followed by No. 4 Hawaii-Hilo, No. 5 Montana State-Billings, No. 6 Chico State, No. 7 Hawaii Pacific, No. 8 Cal State Bakersfield, No. 9 Seattle University and No. 10. Central Washington.

The top six teams in the Far West Region will qualify for the NCAA postseason, which begins on May 12 at a site to be determined.