CSUDH Softball Weekly Release
April 17, 2002

THIS WEEK IN TOROS SOFTBALL
April 19 *CS San Bernardino Coyote Field/San Bernardino, CA 1:30
April 20 *UC San Diego Softball Field/San Diego, CA 12:00

TOROS LOOK TO KEEP UP MOMENTUM THIS WEEKEND After going 3-1 in play last week, including a sweep of Chico State and a split with nationally-ranked UC Davis, the Toros hope to keep that momentum going into this weekend's conference play. CSUDH will first take on the Coyotes of CS San Bernardino on Friday at 1:30 pm in San Bernardino. Both the Toros and Coyotes are fighting for the top spots in the CCAA, that could equal postseason play. The Toros will then head south to take on UC San Diego. The Tritons are fourth in the CCAA and are looking to move up in the standings. First pitch is slated for 12:00 at the UCSD softball fields in San Diego.

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.

CS DOMINGUEZ HILLS VS. CS SAN BERNARDINO This is the 64th meeting between the two squads. CSUSB holds an 39-24 advantage over CSUDH. The last time that these two teams met was on March 2, 2002, when the two teams split the doubleheader. The Toros took a 3-0 win in the first game, but the Coyotes evened the score with a 1-0 victory in the second.

SCOUTING THE COYOTES The Coyotes are currently 27-21-2 overall and 14-8 in CCAA action. CSUSB is in third place in the latest CCAA standings. They are three games behind leader UC Davis and a game back of CSUDH. On the season, Kristen Garcia is leading the team from the plate with a .395 batting average. Dawn Onishi is 11-7 from the circle, with a 1.24 ERA. The Coyotes have an impressive 61 doubles so far this year.

CS DOMINGUEZ HILLS VS. UC SAN DIEGO Saturday will mark the 24th meeting of the two teams. UCSD is dominating the series 17-6. But the last time that these teams met was on March 1, 2002, when the Toros swept the doubleheader. They won the first game 2-1, and posted a 3-0 win in the second.

SCOUTING THE TRITONS UCSD is 13-11 in conference play and 24-19 in overall action. The Tritons are fourth in CCAA standings right now five games back of UC Davis. Amy Mettee is leading the Triton offense, hitting at an .380 clip. Kristina Anderson has 30 RBI on the season. In the circle, Christi Martinelli is dominating with a 13-7 record and an 1.51 ERA. She has struckout 161 batters so far this season.

LONG STAYS PERFECT Valerie Long has done it again. Actually, she has done it six times this season. The freshman hurler won a 1-0 decision against top-ranked UC Davis for her sixth win of the season. And, most impressive, she has not lost a game all season. Long went nine innings against the Aggies, striking out seven, walking three and giving up five hits. So far this season, Long has made 12 appearance, starting seven games. She has thrown 55 innings, allowed 41 hits, a team-low 11 runs and struck out 35 batters. Also, in three of her six games, Long posted the shutout. Long is also staying strong in CCAA stats. She posts the third lowest ERA in the conference at 1.02, is recording the fifth most strikeouts at 4.45 per game, and she has given up no triples or homeruns on the season.

STRONKS IS BATTING HER WAY TO THE TOP Not only is senior Dani Stronks posting the second best batting average on the squad at .350, she is also one of the most consistent batters in the CCAA. Stronks is currently ninth in batting average, placing her among the top ten in the conference. Stronks has seen action in 36 games and has had 100 at bats. She has recorded 35 hits, 12 runs, 15 RBI and a homerun.

SHELL IS ONE OF THE BEST, BREAKS CSUDH RECORD IN DOING SO Sasha Shell is one of the best hitters in the conference. As of the latest statistics, Shell is fifth in the CCAA in batting average at .371. Shell is also fourth in the CCAA in hits with 1.23 per game. Shell has four of the team's eight triples on the season. So far this year, the CF has 52 hits, which is 15 more than any other Toro. On her career, she has 188 hits, breaking the CSUDH record of 169 career hits, that was set in the 1987-90 seasons.

TOROS ARE SHUTTING THEM OUT The Toros have been involved in 19 games that have ended in shutouts. CSUDÐ has won 14 of those and lost five, for a .737 winning percentage. Val Long has thrown for three shutouts, while senior hurler Patrina Smith has shutout teams five times.

SHE STOLE, SHE STOLE, SHE STOLE SECOND BASE Sasha Shell cannot be stopped when it comes to stealing bases. The senior centerfielder has swiped 21 bases on the season in 25 attempts. In fact, Shell has stolen 39% of the Toros 52 swiped bases on the season. She has only been picked off in four of her 25 attempts. Shell looks to break the CSUDH record of 25 that she set last year.

IN THE GAME.... With the regular season coming to an end, only two Toros have seen action in all of their 43 games this season. Sasha Shell and RoAna Lutz are the only two Toros to play in all in all 43 games this season. In her two years as a Toro, Lutz has played in 106 games in a Toros jersey. In four years at CSUDH, Shell has played in 205 games. The CSUDH record for most games in a career is 229, set in the 1987-90 seasons.

TOROS HAVE THREE PITCHERS IN THE TOP TEN From the look of things, it would appear that the Toros have one of the top pitching staffs in the CCAA. The team is 27-16 on the season, with a 1.60 ERA, the third lowest in the conference. The Toros hurlers have also allowed the second fewest runs in the CCAA at 94, only behind CCAA leader UC Davis who has allowed only 63 runs on the season so far. Individually, three Toros, Tracy Barrientos, Val Long and Patrina Smith, are among the top ten pitchers in the league.Long posts the third lowest ERA and has allowed the fewest hits and fewest runs in 55 innings. Barrientos is 7-3 on the season and is posting a 1.53 ERA allowing 54 hits and 20 runs, while Smith is 12-8 , with a 1.63 ERA, allowing 109 hits and 40 runs in 141.2 innings pitched.

TOROS TAKE SECOND ALL ALONE With a 3-1 performance last week,including a split over top-ranked UC Davis, the Toros are now is second place all alone. They are two games back of the Aggies, and hold a narrow one game lead over CS San Bernardino, who they face in action this week. The last time the teams met this season, the Coyotes and Toros both took a game of the doubleheader. On Saturday, CSUDH will be dealing with UC San Diego, who is five games back of the leader and three of the Toros. In the first meeting of the two teams, the Toros swept the Tritons 2-1, 3-0.

Current CCAA Season Standings

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