CSUDH Softball Weekly Release
March 12, 2002

IDLE TOROS ENJOY BREAK THIS WEEK After winning seven of their last eight games, including four straight last week, the Toros will be idle this week. CSUDH is coming off of a sweep over Cal State Stanislaus last Friday, and a 2-0 set at the Sun West Tournament on Saturday.

HEAD COACH JIM MAIER Head coach Jim Maier is in 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.

LUTZ EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS With an outstanding performance at the Sun West Tournament on Saturday, senior third baseman RoAna Lutz has been named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Player of the Week for the week of March 18-24. Lutz helped to lead the Toros to a 4-0 record for the week, including a sweep of Cal State Stanislaus on Friday. On the weekend, she hit .364 ( 4 of 11) with a double, three homeruns and five RBI. In the Sun West Tournament, Lutz hit .667 (4 of 6). She had two of her three homeruns in the Toros 7-2 victory over Tufts University. Her two homeruns set a new CSUDH record for homeruns in game. This is the first time this season and third time in her career that Lutz has received this honor.

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 March 16. 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.

GOING...GOING... GONE Gone is the old CSUDH record for homeruns in a game set in the 2000 season by Norma Dorado. Ro Lutz now holds the new CSUDH record for homeruns in a game with two. Lutz belted out two homeruns in the Toros 7-2 win over Tufts University at the Sun West Tournament hosted by Chapman University. In two games that day, the senior 3B nailed three over the fence to move her season total to four.

TOROS POST MOST RUNS OF THE SEASON VS. LINFIELD With the 14-0 win over Linfield College on Saturday, the Toros tallied their most runs on the 2002 season. The last time that the Toros scored 14 runs in a game was during the 1993 season. The most runs that CSUDH has ever scored in a game was 19 in 1985 when the Toros defeated the University of Redlands.

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 March 15. 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 39 hits with runners on base and is hitting at an impressive .538 clip with her teammates on. With the bases loaded, Ro Lutz is getting it done, getting a hit 60% of the time. This leads to Lutz's team leading 20 RBI.

NERVES OF STEEL Senior SS Dani Stronks has nerves of steel. Stronks, who usually bats in the third position for the Toros, is the one that CSUDH wants up when there are two outs. Stronks gets a hit 40% of the time when facing two outs.

TOROS GETTING HITS CS Dominguez Hills is getting 7.06 hits per game. Ro Lutz is averaging one hit per game, while Sasha Shell is recording just a little over that at 1.24 hits per game. Dani Stronks is almost getting a hit per game at .96. The Toros opponents are tallying 5.58 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.

LONG KEEPS GOING THE DISTANCE Freshman Valerie Long is showing why she is the face of the future for the Toros. So far in her first season of collegiate softball, the pitcher is a perfect 4-0. She has pitched 33.2 innings, striking out 22 batters. She has allowed only six runs on the season, and posts the second lowest ERA of the Toros pitching staff at 1.25.

LOOK WHOSE AT THE TOP With a sweep of Cal State Stanislaus on Friday, the Toros moved into a tie for first place in the CCAA. Last season, they finished with a 16-16 record for a fifth place finish. So far this season, they boast an impressive 14-8 record in conference play.

Current CCAA Season Standings

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