CSUDH Softball Weekly Release
March 18, 2002

THIS WEEK IN TOROS SOFTBALL
March 22 CS Stanislaus Carson, CA/Dolphin Park 1:00 p.m.
March 23 +Linfield (OR) Orange, CA/Softball Field 3:30 p.m.
March 23 +Tufts (MA) Orange, CA/Softball Field 5:30 p.m.
+ Sunwest Tournament, hosted by Chapman University

TOROS AT NEW HOME FIELD FOR CCAA MATCHUP The Cal State Dominguez Hills softball team will be playing its first game on their new home field this Friday as they host CS Stanislaus in a CCAA matchup. The Toros, who have been moved to an off-site location due to the relocation and renovation of Toro Diamond, will host the Warriors at Dolphin Park in Carson. First pitch in that doubleheader is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. On Saturday, the Toros will be participating in the Sunwest Tournament hosted by Chapman University. On Saturday they will battle with Linfield College at 3:30 p.m., followed by Tufts University at 5:30 p.m.

THIS WEEK'S OPPONENTS

• CS Dominguez Hills (18-11, 12-8 CCAA) vs. CS Stanislaus (12-16, 7-9 CCAA)
  CS Stanislaus: The Warriors split with UC Davis after being swept by Chico State this past weekend. They are led offensively by Josett Belarmino who is leading the squad with an .419 batting average. Jamie Harkins is leading the pitching staff with an 2.18 ERA.
  The Last Time We Met: The last time that these two squads faced off was on February 16, 2002, when they were split in action. The Toros took the first game of the series 7-5, but lost the second one 2-4.
  The Series: This is the 18th meeting between the two squads with the Warriors holding a one game advantage, 9-8.
  Maier vs. CSUS: Maier is 3-5 vs. the Warriors.
  Warrior Head Coach: Head coach Jan Schefkowitz is at the helm of the Warrior softball program.
• CS Dominguez Hills vs. Linfield College (OR)
  Linfield College: Linfield College has seen limited action this season and is posting a 2-3 record as of March 11. Jen Dieringer is leading the team with a .417 batting average.
  The Last Time We Met: The teams last faced off on March 28, 1997 when the Toros suffered a 4-7 loss.
  The Series: This is only the third meeting between the two squads with the series split at 1-1.
  Maier vs. LC: This is the first time that coach Maier will be facing Linfield College.
  Wildcat Head Coach: Head coach Jackson Vaughan is in his first season at Linfield College.
• CS Dominguez Hills vs. Tufts University (MA)
  Tufts University: Tufts University will be making the trip out west for the Sunwest Tournament. The Division III Jumbos were picked to finish 22nd in preseason polls.
  The Last Time We Met: This is the first meeting between the teams.
  The Series: This is the first meeting of the series
  Maier vs. TU: This is the first time that coach Maier will be facing Tufts University.
  Jumbo Head Coach: Kris Talon is the head coach at Tufts.

TOROS END DROUGHT/BREAK SCHOOL RECORD It took 27 games to get, but the Toros finally did it. They ended their quest for the first homerun of the season, when Toro Dani Stronks sent one out in the first inning of the Toros matchup with SFSU on Saturday. After rounding the bases, it was Ro Lutz's turn to knock it out of the park which she did for back to back homeruns. The day was topped off however, when Daisy Flores hit a grand slam over the left field fence in the fifth. The Toros broke the school record for homeruns in a game with three, breaking the previous record of two set in the 1988 season, when CSUDH took on UC Davis.

STRONKS KEEPS THE HITS COMING Senior Dani Stronks is leading the team in batting average. Stronks has 21 hits in 56 at bats for an .375 average. Stronks has seven RBI and got the first homerun of her career this weekend vs. SFSU. The shortstop took over the top spot on the team this weekend by leading the team from the plate. In the four game series up north, she was 7 of 14 for a .500 batting average.

FLORES IS MOVING ON UP Junior catcher Daisy flores is moving on up as she brings them in. After her grand slam in Saturday's series with SFSU, Flores has taken over the second spot for RBI on the squad. So far this season, Flores has tallied 11 RBI. Senior 3B Ro Lutz is leading the squad with 15 RBI.

SYNDER GETS TRIPLE WHEN THE TOROS NEED IT MOST Junior Renee Synder got her first triple of the season in the second game vs. Sonoma State on Friday. And to make things better, Synder's first triple drove in the game winning run. Synder put her best foot forward during top of the ninth with the score tied at 0, when the junior belted one into left center driving home the winning run.

WITH RUNNERS ON.... With runners on, the Toros want senior CF Sasha Shell up at the plate. The Toros leadoff has 18 hits in 34 at bats with runners on the bases. Shell is leading the Toros with 35 hits so far this season. With the bases loaded, Ro Lutz is getting it done, getting on base three of five times. The Toros number two batter, sophomore 2B Dani Proctor is the most successful Toro when it comes to advancing runners. Proctor is advancing runners 66% of the time.

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.

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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