CSUDH Softball Weekly Release
March 12, 2002

THIS WEEK IN TOROS SOFTBALL
March 15 Sonoma State Rohnert Park, CA/Softball Field 1:00 p.m.
March 16 San Francisco St. San Francisco, CA/Softball Field 12:00 p.m.

TOROS TO HEAD NORTH FOR CCAA GAMES The Cal State Dominguez Hills softball team will head north this weekend to pick up CCAA games versus Sonoma State and San Francisco State. The Toros will first face the Cossacks of SSU on Friday in a doubleheader with an 1:00 p.m. start time. They will then head in to San Francisco for a matchup with the Gators. First pitch in that doubleheader is slated for 12:00 p.m.

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS

• CS Dominguez Hills (15-10, 9-7 CCAA) vs. Sonoma State (8-14, 6-8)
  Sonoma State: The Cossacks split with UC San Diego last weekend. They are led on the season by Lindsay Frey who is recording an .357 batting average.
  The Last Time We Met: These squads last met on February 9, 2002, when they spilt in the CCAA doubleheader. The Toros took the first game 10-5, but were shutout in the second 0-7.
  The Series: This is the 27th meeting between the two squads with the Toros holding a slight 14-12 advantage.
  Maier vs. SSU: Maier is 4-3 vs. the Cossacks.
  Cossack Head Coach: Head coach Chris Elze has been at the helm of the Cossack softball program for one season.
• CS Dominguez Hills vs. San Francisco State
  San Francisco State: The Gators are coming in off two wins over New York Trade Tech. Natalie Batista is leading the Gator offense with a .312 batting average.
  The Last Time We Met: The teams last faced off on February 8, 2002, when the teams split in action.
  The Series: This is the 32nd meeting between the two squads, with CSUDH holding an 19-12 edge over SFSU.
  Maier vs. SFSU: Coach Maier posts a 4-3 record over the Gators.
  Gator Head Coach: Head coach Kristi Langsford is in her second season at SFSU.

SPAULDING HAS FIELD DAY VERSUS EAGLES Junior Noreen Spaulding had a field day in the Toros win over Concordia University on Friday. In the 10 inning, 1-0 win over the Eagles, Spaulding had 17 putouts, the most that any Toro has collected in a single game all season. So far, Spaudling has seen action in 21 of 25 games tallying 87 putouts, the second most on the squad.

SHELL IS LEADING THE TEAM IN HITS Senior Sasha Shell is leading the team in hits. Shell has 31 hits on the season, including three doubles and two triples. She is also leading the team in total bases with 38 and runs with 14. LUTZ GETS MORE RBI Saturday was a big day for senior RoAna Lutz. The third baseman had three RBI in the Toros 6-1 win over CSUB. She nailed a triple into deep center in the bottom of the seventh to bring home three. Lutz is leading the Toros with 12 RBI on the season, she is the only Toro to record double-figure RBI so far this season.

FLORES KEEPS THE DOUBLE COMING Junior Daisy Flores is keeping the doubles coming. The Toros top catcher has recorded a team-leading five doubles on the season. Her last double came in the Toros 6-1 win over CCAA opponent CS Bakersfield on Saturday.

SMITH IS STRIKING THEM OUT Patrina Smith is sending opposing batters down swinging. Smith is 8-2 on the season and has struck out 31 batters in 76.1 innings. She has made 13 appearances in the circle and has come in to relieve four times. She is striking out 2.8 batters per game.

TOROS GETTING HITS CS Dominguez Hills is getting 6.28 hits per game. RoAna lutz is averaging one hit per game, while Sasha Shell is recording just a little over that at 1.24 hits per game. The Toros opponents are tallying 5.88 hits per game.

WATCH OUT LEFTIES Left-handed pitchers need to watch out. Sasha Shell is posting a .500 batting average against left-handed pitchers. She has notched eight hits off of left-handed hurlers.

TOROS INFIELD LETS NOTHING BY The Toros defense is doing its job. The CSUDH infield has recorded 295 assists on the season. The Toros are one of the top fielding teams in the conference. RoAna Lutz is leading leading the team with 69, while sophomore 2B Danielle Proctor is not far behind with 63.

LONG DOES IT AGAIN Freshman Valerie Long threw for the second win of her collegiate career on Friday in the opening game with Concordia University. Long blanked the Eagles 2-0. On the season, Long has pitched 23.2 innings and has allowed only 18 hits.

A LOOK AT THE TOROS 2002 ROSTER With 11 players returning to this year's squad, including five starters, the 2002 Toros look to continue on last year's success for this season. The roster features three all-CCAA selections in 3B RoAna Lutz, outfielder Sasha Shell and pitcher Patrina Smith. Five seniors return for their final year of collegiate softball, with nine juniors, two sophomores, and two freshmen making up the remainder of the Toros 2002 roster.

HEAD COACH JIM MAIER Head coach Jim Maier enters his second season at the helm of the Toros softball program. Last year, in his first year as head coach, Maier led the squad to an 36-27 record, tying a CSUDH record for the most wins (36) in a season. In the tough CCAA conference, Maier guided the squad to a 16-16 ledger, good enough for a fifth place finish. Last season, Maier had three players, shortstop RoAna Lutz, outfielder Sasha Shell and pitcher Patrina Smith earn all-conference accolades. Maier picked up his first win as a collegiate coach when the Toros defeated Cal State Bakersfield 3-1 in the 2001 season opener.

Current CCAA Season Standings

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