Weekly Release (PDF)A LOOK AT THE WEEK
The Cal State Fullerton softball team (26-27 overall, 11-10 Big West Conference) enters the final week of the season with a four-game winning streak after sweeping Pacific this past weekend. This week the Titans will face off against Cal State Northridge at Anderson Family Field. The teams will meet in a doubleheader on Friday (May 3) at 4 & 6 p.m. and then will play one game on Saturday May 4 at 12 p.m. The Titans enter the weekend having won ten of their last 12 games. Saturday's contest will be senior day for five Fullerton players.
IN THE POLLS
Neither the Titans nor Matadors are ranked in either the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll or ESPN.com/USA Softball Coaches Poll.
RPI
The Titans currently rank 54th in the nation in Rating Percentage Index (RPI). RPI measures a team's wins and losses and its strength of schedule. Fullerton has played against five teams currently ranked in the top 10 and against eight teams in the top 25.
SENIOR SEND OFF
Prior to the start of the game on Saturday, Cal State Fullerton will honor seniors Ashley Carter, Katey Laban, Kirsten Lambertson, Tiffany Sheffler, and Courtney Snyder as they play their last game at Anderson Family Field.
BE A FOLLOWER
Fans can keep up with the latest in Titan athletics by following us on Facebook (CSUF Athletics), Twitter (@FullertonTitans) and Youtube (www.youtube.com/CSFAthletics). Also follow the softball Twitter (@CSUFsoftball).
I NEED STATS, STAT!
Live stats will be provided for all three games this week. To access live stats for the games, go to www.FullertonTitans.com and go to the softball schedule then click live stats.
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
Cal State Fullerton home softball contests will be broadcast live over the Internet at FullertonTitans.com. To access the links, click on the audio link on the schedule page.
CAN YOU SEE ME NOW? EVEN BETTER!
Cal State Fullerton Athletics now offers live streaming video for home softball contests over the Internet courtesy of the Big West TV. Fans can catch all the exclusive action from the comfort of their home computers. For more information, please visit www.BigWest.org/TV.
SCOUTING CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE
Cal State Northridge (24-29 overall, 10-11 Big West) come into the three-game series versus Cal State Fullerton winning their last four of five games, including a three-game sweep of UC Riverside last weekend. The Matadors currently are in tied for fifth place with UC Santa Barbara and are one game behind the Titans. CSUN is led by Tairia Flowers who is in her third season as the head coach. The Matadors are 4-13 this season on the road and a combined 11-19 away from Matador Diamond. Mikayla Thielges leads the team with a .326 batting average, eight home runs, and 28 RBI's. Korinne Randazzo is another offensive threat posting a .304 average, three home runs, and 17 RBI's, while also stealing 16 bases. CSUN is hitting .244 as a team this season and .264 in Big West Conference play. Shelly Tait (12-11, 2.77) leads the Matadors in the circle. The senior has tossed two shutouts and nine complete games in 121.1 innings of work. Mia Pagano (8-8, 3.52), Brianna Elder (2-4, 3.11), and Alexa Limon (1-1, 1.75) all have equally produced for the Northridge pitching staff this season.
SERIES HISTORIES
Cal State Fullerton leads the all-time series against Cal State Northridge, 62-35-1, having won two of the three meetings between the two programs. Last season Fullerton lost game one 5-2, but came back to win game two and three, 7-2 and 11-0, respectively in Northridge, Calif.The Titans are 35-16 at Anderson Family Field versus the Matadors and 31-19 in Big West play versus Northridge. Fullerton was swept by Pacific in back-to-back series in 1998 and 1999. CSUN has won two of the last three series between the two schools.
CONFERENCE CALL
Fullerton has an all-time record of 382-173-1 (.688) against Big West Conference opponents. The Titans are 11-10 this season in the Big West.
PLAYING SPOILER
The Titans have taken down four top 25 ranked opponents this season. The Titans defeated No. 15 Hawai'i 11-3 at Anderson Family Field, No. 10 UCLA 11-5 at Easton Stadium in Los Angeles, and defeated No. 7 Missouri 5-4 on Feb. 23, 2013 at Anderson Family Field. Fullerton also defeated No. 21 Virginia Tech 7-3 at the Judi Garman Classic on Mar. 16. The last time the Titans took down a top ten team was on March 15, 2009 when they defeated the University of Washington 3-2 at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif.
CSUN HITTING
The Matadors enter the weekend batting .244 as a team, which ranks 8th in the Big West. However the Matador's are tied for second with the most doubles (62), and sacrifice bunts (59). CSUN leads the Big West in hit by pitches (53) compared to Fullerton who only has 21.
CSUN's PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cal State Northridge sophomore Adrienne Martinez was named the Big West Player of the Week last week. Martinez batted .400 with two home runs and seven RBI's. In the series finale versus UC Riverside Martinez had six RBI's, which tied a CSUN single game high.
CSUN IN THE CIRCLE
The Matadors and Titans have almost identical pitching numbers with both teams possessing a 3.12 team ERA. CSUN has allowed 365 hits compared to Fullerton's 366, 186 runs allowed to 188 allowed by the Titans and earned runs: CSUN 155, CSF 158.
FIELDING: CSUN VS. CSF
Cal State Fullerton has been one of the best defensive teams in the country ranking 18th in the nation in fielding percentage (.972). This weekend they will compete against a Cal State Northridge team that ranks 166th in the nation in fielding percentage (.956). The Matadors have committed 69 errors through 53 games, while the Titans have committed 42 errors in 53 games.
BIG WEST MILESTONE APPROACHING
The Titans enter the weekend with an all-time Big West record of 499-246-2. Fullerton will look to record Big West win 500 in the final weekend versus Cal State Northridge.
YBARRA'S RELIEF
Desiree Ybarra hadn't recorded a win since April 14, but this past weekend versus Pacific the Riverside, Calif., native took the winning decision in all three games. The sophomore left-hander pitched nine innings allowing no runs and issuing eight walks.
ARAGON'S HOT BAT
After missing 28 games due to an injury, Gabby Aragon returned to the lineup going 3-for-19 in her first eight games back, but after a 2-for-3 four RBI performance versus Hawai'i on April 14 the Fullerton shortstop has batted .481 with 13 hits and seven RBI's. Aragon currently has a six game hitting streak entering this weekend.
HITTING STREAKS
Entering the three-game set versus CSUN, three Titans currently possess hitting streaks. Gabby Aragon holds a six-game hitting streak, Carissa Turang has a four-game streak, and Ariel Tsuchiyama has recorded a hit in the last four games. Tsuchiyama has reached base safely in her past six games also.
TRIPLES
Fullerton leads the Big West in triples this season with 12 and will square off against a CSUN team that has only two triples all season. The Matadors also have allowed the most triples this season in the Big West (14).
PLAY THEM ALL
Senior Ashley Carter, red shirt sophomore Eliza Crawford, and Melissa Sechrest have played and started in all 53 contests so far this season.
LABAN MOVING UP ON RECORDS
Senior Katey Laban recorded her second save of the season and fourth in her career moving her up to sixth all-time in career saves for a Cal State Fullerton pitcher.
PITCHING RECOVERY
In 51 games last season the Titans pitching staff finished with a 5.20 ERA. In 2013, the Titans pitching staff holds a 3.12 ERA, which is the best earned run average by a Fullerton softball team since 2009 (2.59).
PUSH FOR THE POSTSEASON
The Titans have won 10 of their past 12 games to make a push for the NCAA postseason. The postseason bracket will be released on Sunday May 12.
CRAWFORD ENJOYING BREAKOUT ROLE
After hitting only three home runs and recording 28 RBI's through her first two seasons as a Titan, red-shirt sophomore Eliza Crawford has batted .302 with eight home runs and 27 RBI's. Crawford leads the team in home runs and RBI's. The Lakewood, Calif. native has also managed ten multiple hit games this season and nine multiple RBI games this season.
GETTIN' ON THE BOARD FIRST
When the Titans score first in a game they are 19-4 compared to 7-23 when the opposing team scores first. In game two versus UC Davis the Titans went up 2-0 after the second inning, but eventually lost 3-2.
WE NEED HITS
The Titans are batting .250 this season and .285 in conference play, but when Cal State Fullerton out-hits the opponent they are 22-2 compared to 4-22 when the opponent out-hits them.
CONTROLLING THE LEAD
The Titans have been perfect so far this season when leading after five innings. Fullerton is 17-0 in games they have led after five innings and a whopping 20-0 after six innings. However, they are 4-18 when trailing after four innings.
CARTER STEALING BASES
Ashley Carter leads the team with 12 stolen bases this season. The Fontana, Calif. native swiped three bases versus UC Santa Barbara. The senior had only stolen 11 bases in her career.
BIG WEST STOLEN BASES
After 21 Big West Conference games, the Cal State Fullerton softball team leads the Big West in stolen bases with 28. The Titans have the third most stolen bases (62) in the Big West for the whole season.
SACRIFICE FLIES
Sophomore Desiree Ybarra leads the NCAA in sacrifice flies with seven and the Titans as a team are second in the Big West with 14.
SHOULDERING THE LOAD
In 44 appearances, 37 starts, as a freshman, Antunez is tied for first in the Big West in appearances (44), fourth in strikeouts (165), and second in innings pitched (186.1). Antunez is holding opponents to a .219 batting average this season, which ranks third in the Big West. Antunez enters the weekend with a record of 16-14 and 2.67 ERA.
TAKE CARE OF THE SOFTBALL
Cal State Fullerton is 15-12 when they commit no errors in a game and 11-15 when they do commit an error. Fullerton still ranks first in the Big West in fielding percentage (.972) compared to UC Santa Barbara (.967). The Titans rank 18th in the NCAA in fielding percentage.
YBARRA DOES IT ALL
Sophomore Desiree Ybarra was the Titan's ace last season, but this season she has contributed not only in the circle, but at the plate as well. Ybarra in the circle is 9-12 with one save. Ybarra's bat has been a big addition for the Titans. The primary number three hitter for the Titans has a .264 batting average, three home runs, and 22 RBI's.
WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER
11 different Titans have tallied game-winning hits this season, led by four from freshman Melissa Sechrest.
SOMEONE TURNED UP THE A.C
After blasting a triple to the center field fence in game two versus McNeese State on Feb. 11, 2013, Ashley Carter moved up to fourth on the all-time list in career triples with nine tieing Carey Hess, who played for the Titans from 1987-90.
FORD UPDATES 2013 SEASON: Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Kelly Ford sat down with the sports information staff to discuss the 2013 season thus far. Filmed by department videographer Matt Brown, fans can view the entire video via Youtube.com/CSFAthletics.
IRON WOMEN
Catcher Ariel Tsuchiyama has started all, but two games behind the backstop for the Titans this season, while helping the Titans with nine doubles and has 22 RBI's to go along with her .310 batting average. She missed all of 2012 due to an injury.
SAVES
Cal State Fullerton leads the league for most saves in the Big West with five. Senior Katey Laban and freshman Jasmine Antunez each have two apiece.
GETTING ON BASE
The Titans are second to last in the Big West in on-base percentage (.316) compared to Hawai'i who has an on-base percentage of .380. Cal State Northridge enters this weekend with a .330 on-base percentage.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Eliza Crawford, Desiree Ybarra, and Ariel Tsuchiyama have combined for 30 doubles this season. Ybarra has 12 two-base hits this season.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Cal State Fullerton freshman Jasmine Antunez posted a 4-0 record, including her first career no-hitter, to claim the Big West Softball Pitcher of the Week award for the week of April 15-21. Antunez's no-no came in the first game of a doubleheader against UNLV. The hurler notched a 0.58 earned run average and allowed just 11 hits with 20 strikeouts on her stat line.
NO-NO!
Jasmine Antunez tossed her first career no-hitter. The no-no came in the first game of a doubleheader against UNLV (Apr. 20). The hurler walked three and fanned four on 87 pitches in the 3-0 victory. The no-hitter was the first for a CSF pitcher since March 2, 2007 when Candice Baker accomplished the feat in a 1-0 win over Stanford.
RECYCLED NOTES:
NEW ERA
Head Coach Kelly Ford began her first stint as the head coach of Cal State Fullerton softball program on Feb. 7, 2013. Ford recorded her first win in game two versus Southern Miss, 4-2. Ford spent 11 seasons at Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., recording a 455-102-1 record overall (.812 winning percentage). Prior to her time at Mt. SAC, Ford worked under former coach Michelle Gromacki as an assistant in 2000 and 2001.
NEW LOOK BIG WEST
The Big West Conference Board of Directors announced on Dec. 10, 2010 that Hawai'i will re-join the Big West as of July 2012. The Warriors, women's programs were previously part of the Big West from 1984-96. The Titans and Warriors will face off on April 13-14 at Anderson Family Field.
A QUICK LOOK AT THE TITANS
Fullerton finished sixth in the Big West race a season ago with a 8-13 mark in conference play to go along with a 20-31 overall record. The Titans return six position starters and three pitchers while welcoming nine newcomers to the fold for the 2013 season. Leading the way for returners is senior outfielder Ashley Carter, an all-conference first-team selection who hit .325 to go along with 55 hits and 27 runs scored. In the circle, sophomore Desiree Ybarra returns after earning all-conference honorable mention accolades a season ago, finishing 13-17 with a 4.66 ERA.
FIVE SIGN WITH CAL STATE FULLERTON FOR 2014
Cal State Fullerton softball Head Coach Kelly Ford announced that high school standouts Sydney Colenzo, Megan Estacio, Olivia Martinez, Delynn Rippy, and Kayla Silverstein have signed National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers with the Titans beginning with the 2014 season.
PLAYING JAPAN TOYOTA
The Titans played against the Japan Toyota professional softball team on Wednesday February 20, 2013 at Anderson Family Field, losing 7-1. The Titans and Japan Toyota played seven-inning exhibition contest, as Japan Toyota gets ready for their upcoming season. Team Toyota comes over to the United States annually to play collegiate and professional teams to prepare for the Japan Softball League. Team Toyota features USA Softball Olympians Monica Abbott and Natasha Watley, who have won back-to-back Japan Softball League Championships (2011 & 2012).
HAWAI'I'S FIRST BIG WEST LOSS
The Titans handed the University of Hawai'i their first Big West Loss of the season on April 14. Fullerton run-ruled the Rainbow Wahine 11-3.
FORD PREVIEWS 2013: Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Kelly Ford and Associate Head Coach Dee Dee Kingsbury sat down with the sports information staff to discuss the upcoming 2013 campaign. Filmed by department videographer Matt Brown, fans can view the entire video via Youtube.com/CSFAthletics.
PRESEASON POLL
The Cal State Fullerton softball team was picked to finish sixth in the race for the 2013 Big West Conference title according to a vote of the league's head coaches released on Jan. 30, 2013. The Titans received 33 points to finish behind newcomer Hawai'i, which received four first-place votes and 76 points to top defending champion Long Beach State (73 points):
1. Hawai'i, 76
2. Long Beach State, 73
3. Pacific, 58
4. UC Santa Barbara, 52
5. UC Davis, 51
6. Cal State Fullerton, 33
7. Cal Poly, 24
8. UC Riverside, 22
9. Cal State Northridge, 16
TITANS VERSUS RANKED TEAMS
DATE OPPONENT LOCATION RESULT
FEB. 17 No. 7 Oregon Las Vegas, Nev. L, 6-0
FEB. 21 No. 4 Tennessee Palm Springs, Calif. L, 5-0
FEB. 23 No. 7 Missouri Fullerton, Calif. W, 5-4
FEB. 23 No. 7 Missouri Fullerton, Calif. L, 7-0
FEB. 26 No. 10 UCLA Los Angeles, Calif. W, 11-5
MAR. 2 No. 15 Stanford Fullerton, Calif. L, 14-1
MAR. 7 No. 24 Virginia Tech Lakewood, Calif. L, 3-2
MAR. 14 No. 2 Arizona State Fullerton, Calif. L, 9-0
MAR. 16 No. 21 Virginia Tech Fullerton, Calif. W, 7-3
MAR. 17 No. 1 Oklahoma Fullerton, Calif. L, 9-0
APR. 14 No. 15 Hawai'i Fullerton, Calif. W, 11-3
*Ranking when game occurred