CSUDH Softball Weekly Release
May 20, 2002

HEAD COACH JIM MAIER Head coach Jim Maier finished his second season at the helm of the Toros softball program. This season, Maier led the team to an impressive 32-22 overall record and a 20-12 record in the tough CCAA, good enough for a second place finish. For the second year in a row, Maier guided his players to All-CCAA recognition. This year, he had two First-Team All-CCAA honorees in Sasha Shell and Patrina Smith. There were four Second Team All-CCAA selections and one Third Team Selection. 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. . Maier picked up his first win as a collegiate coach when the Toros defeated Cal State Bakersfield 3-1 in the 2001 season opener.Maier is now 68-49 overall.

SEVEN TOROS LAND ON CCAA TEAMS The 2002 All-California Collegiate Athletic Association teams have seven Cal State Dominguez Hills softball players on their lists, including two First-Team All-CCAA selections. Seniors Sasha Shell and Patrina Smith, were among 14 to notch First-Team honors. Shell, now a four-time all-conference selection, led the team in batting average, hits and stolen bases this season, as one of the conferences top outfielders. Smith, the Toros top hurler, posted a 15-10 record on her way to recording a 0.97 ERA in CCAA games. The second team saw four Toro selections. Senior RoAna Lutz, the Toros third baseman and a First-Team selection in 2001, cleaned up in the hitting department, leading the team in doubles, homeruns and RBI with 28, at third base. Senior Dani Stronks, who returned to the Toros squad this season after earning conference accolades in the 1999 season, tallied the third most hits this season. Juniors Daisy Flores and Courtney Woltz garnered All-CCAA selections for the first time in their careers. Flores was strong behind the plate for the Toros this season. The junior was perfect on the field as well as one of the top Toros on offense. Woltz posted an impressive .338 batting average in conference games. The outfielder was also consistent on defense, recording 46 putouts. Sophomore Dani Proctor was named Third Team All-CCAA. The second baseman hit at a .271 clip and was second on the squad in defense with 138 assists. Seven honorees is the most of any conference school, and the most in recent Toros softball history.

SHELL EARNS ALL-WEST REGION ACCOLADES It has been announced that senior outfielder Sasha Shell has been named to the Division II All-West Region Second Team as voted on by region coaches. Shell is the only Toro to receive such honor. Shell was one of the top players on the squad this season. She led the team with a .326 batting average and tallied 62 hits on the season, a career best for the outfielder. She was one of the most productive Toros, getting on base 41% of the time, with 77 total bases. Shell also had a team-leading five triples on the season, another career-high. Shell holds the CSUDH records for hits in a game and most stolen bases in a season. Shell, a four- year starter for the Toros, earned First Team All-CCAA accolades for her performance this season. It was a repeat honor for the senior, who received the same honor in 2001. This season, Shell was also named to the Best of the West All-Tournament Team, for her performance at the regional tournament.

SHELL ENDS CAREER WITH NAME IN THE RECORD BOOKS Sasha Shell is the only Toro to have played all four years. In four years, the center fielder has posted some pretty impressive numbers and set CSUDH records in doing so. In her career, she has seen action in 216 games and has started 214 of them. She has been been at bat 680 times with 198 hits for a career, good enough to shatter the old CSUDH record for career hits (169) set in the 1987-90 seasons. This season led the team with 60 hits. She has 10 doubles and eight triples, including five this season. She holds many CSUDH records including runs scored in a game (4) and most stolen bases in a season (25) and now hits in a career with 198.

LUTZ LEAVES A LEGACY RoAna Lutz will leave a legacy at CSUDH. In just two years with the Toros, Lutz holds six school records. This season, Lutz lead the squad with 12 doubles, four homeruns and 76 total bases. She broke the CSUDH school record for homeruns in a game when she nailed two bombs in the Toros win over Linfield College. On her career, Lutz has seen action in 117 games, starting all of those. She has scored 51 runs and tallied 112 hits. Lutz will leave her name in the CSUDH record books. She holds records in most at bats in a season (193), most hits in a season (64), most doubles in a season (15), and most RBI in a season with 34. This season, she tied the CSUDH record for doubles in a game with two and broke the CSUDH record for homeruns in a game as well.

IN THE GAME.... With the 2002 in the books, only two Toros saw action in all of their 54 games this season. Sasha Shell and RoAna Lutz are the only two Toros to play in all in all 54 games this season.

IT WILL ONLY GET BETTER NEXT YEAR Freshman Val Long was one of the Toros top hurlers this season. Long posted a team-low 1.44 ERA, which also turned out to be one of the lowest in the CCAA. The freshman had a 7-1 record in 14 appearances. She got the first win of her career when threw for the 1-0 win over Vanguard University on January 29, 2002. She sent 41 batters down swinging, including a season-best seven in the Toros nine-inning 1-0 win over UC Davis.

TOROS HAVE FOUR PITCHERS IN THE TOP TEN The 2002 Toros had one of the most solid pitching staffs in the CCAA. They had four hurlers, Tracy Barrientos, Val Long, Lisa Monreal,and Patrina Smith in the top ten in CCAA pitching stats. The four tallied 184 strikeouts, which was the fourth most in the conference. They also posted a combined 1.96 ERA, which was the second lowest only to conference champ UC Davis. The Aggies posted a 0.91 ERA. The Toros also allowed the second fewest homeruns and fewest doubles over the season.

SMITH SAYS SO-LONG After three seasons with the Toros, senior hurler Patrina Smith has wrapped up her career as one of the most consistent and powerful pitchers in recent Toros softball history. Smith has made 87 appearances in the circle. She posts a 39-33 overall record striking out 227. This season, she lead the squad with a 15-10 record and a 1.50 ERA. The senior earned First-Team All-CCAA accolades for her strong performance throughout her final season.

WOLTZ AND FLORES WRAP UP SUCCESSFUL JUNIOR SEASONS Daisy Flores and Courtney Woltz wrapped up their junior seasons with All-CCAA accolades. Flores, the starting catcher, hit at a .240 clip this season, playing in 49 of the Toros 54 games this season. The junior had 29 hits and eight doubles, the second most on the squad. She had numerous game winning hits, including a shot to the second baseman for a 1-0 nine-inning win over CCAA champ UC Davis. To cap things off, Flores had a grand-slam in the Toros 11-1 romp of San Francisco State. Woltz picked up her play towards the end of the season, becoming one of the Toros most consistent hitters, tallying a .286 average.The junior was also one of the top outfielders with 48 putouts.

PROCTOR TAKES CLAIM OF SECOND BASE Just a sophomore, Dani Proctor has proven that she can play second base. Proctor was one on of the top fielders and hitters this season, on her way to earning conference honors. The second baseman had 36 hits, including 21 sacrifices. There was a period from March 23 to April 13 where she had hits in seven consecutive games.

Current CCAA Season Standings

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