May 17, 2006
FULLERTON, CA -
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NCAA REGIONALS SCHEDULE
May 19-21, 2006 &\#149; Fresno, Calif.
Gametracker will be available for all games at www.GoBulldogs.com.
Internet broadcast will be available at www.FullertonTitans.com.
Friday, May 19
GAME 1: Cal State Fullerton vs. Fresno State, 5 p.m.
GAME 2: Stanford vs. Tulsa, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 20
GAME 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2, 12 p.m.
GAME 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2, 2:30 p.m.
GAME 5: Winner Game 3 vs Loser Game 4, 5 p.m.
Sunday, May 21
GAME 6: Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5, 1 p.m.
GAME 7: Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6**, 3:30 p.m.
** if neccessary
ON DECK
The road to Oklahoma City and the Women's College World Series begins this weekend in Fresno, Calif., as the Titans head north for the 2006 NCAA Regionals hosted by Fresno State.
Cal State Fullerton (36-22 overall, 14-4 in the Big West Conference) will open its 24th year of postseason play on Friday (May 19) at 5 p.m. as the No. 2 seed against the host and third-seeded Bulldogs while national No. 12 seed Stanford will meet the No. 4 seed Tulsa in the nightcap at approximately 7:30 p.m.
The winner of the Fresno regional will advance to meet the winner of the Tuscaloosa, Ala., regional which features host Alabama, Georgia Tech, Florida A&M, and Mississippi Valley State.
IN THE POLLS
In the ESPN.com/USA Softball coaches poll, the Titans are receiving votes for the fourth consecutive weeks, earning five votes in the final regular season poll... Stanford is tied for seventh while Fresno State is No. 22... According to last week's USA Today/NFCA coaches poll, Fullerton is receiving votes for the fourth consecutive week.
SERIES RECORDS
Fresno State holds a 36-31 advantage between the long-time rivals since 1981 and hold a 20-10 advantage in Fresno... Stanford leads the all-time series, 12-5, including a 4-2 advantage at neutral sites... Fullerton has won the only meeting with Tulsa, back in 2000.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
\#1 STANFORD: The Cardinal enter the weekend with a 38-15 overall record and a 10-11 mark in the Pac-10... Stanford has won three straight, including a pair over top-ranked UCLA, after three straight losses... Catalina Morris (.376-7-29) is one of many offensive leaders (team is hitting .297) while Missy Penna (20-9, 2.42) is the Cardinal's ace in the circle... Maddy Coon leads the team with 11 doubles, nine HR, and 34 RBI.
\#3 FRESNO STATE: The Bulldogs enter the regionals with a 35-17 overall record and a 12-3 mark in the Western Athletic Conference... FSU has split its last eight games after winning 11 straight... Fresno State is the top-hitting team in the regional at .301... Christina Clark (.434-7-29) leads the offense while freshman Robin Mackin (26-12, 1.45) has started nearly every game in the circle.
\#4 TULSA: The Golden Hurricane are 34-22 overall with a 15-8 mark in Conference USA... Tulsa has won six of its last eight including claiming the league's regular season and tournament titles... Jessica Barr (.302-0-17) is the team's top hitter with Brooke Smart leading the power game with 10 home runs... Julie Fennell (13-8, 2.14) and Maren Genow (15-9, 2.59 ERA) have split the majority of the time in the circle.
TITANS CLAIM EIGHTH BIG WEST TITLE
For the eighth time in school history, the Cal State Fullerton softball program brought home the Big West Conference title finishing one game ahead of second-place Long Beach State after a sweep of UC Riverside and the 49ers taking 2-of-3 from UC Santa Barbara on the road. The Titans won the Big West for the first time since 2003 and clinched the fifth Big West crown under the guidance of Head Coach Michelle Gromacki.
FULLERTON PLACES SEVEN ON ALL-BIG WEST TEAMS
Cal State Fullerton Head Coach Michelle Gromacki and junior outfielder Ashley Van Boxmeer were honored as Big West Coach of the Year and Co-Player of the Year and the Titans placed seven players on the 2006 All-Big West teams the league office announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Gromacki earned her second career Coach of the Year honor after winning her first award following her rookie season in 2000, helping Cal State Fullerton to a 45-15 overall record and a 19-5 mark in league play for the first of her five Big West crowns.
Van Boxmeer continued a tradition of Titan Players of the Year as she becomes the sixth Fullerton player to earn the honor in the last eight seasons, joining Stephenie Little in 1999, Kristy Osborne in 2000, and Jenny Topping in 2001-03. The Fullerton junior outfielder shared the honor with Pacific's Gina Carbonatto and finished the regular season with a .314 average, 13 home runs, and 41 RBI.
Van Boxmeer was joined on the first team by senior Marissa Marzan, sophomore Amanda Kamekona, and junior Candice Baker, who became the first Titan since Gina Oaks and Jodie Cox in 2003 to earn a berth on the first team at two different positions (pitcher and utility player).
Sophomores Katie Gollhardt and Crystal Vieyra each earned their first all-conference honors, as the duo was named to the All-Big West Second Team. Redshirt sophomore Jenna Wheeler earned her second All-Big West Honorable Mention honor after sitting all of last year due to injury.
POSTSEASON QUICK HITS
The Titans are participating in postseason play for the 24th time in the 27-year history of the program... It is their second straight regional appearance and the sixth regional berth in the last seven seasons... Cal State Fullerton has appeared in 22 NCAA Regionals, posting a 35-31 (.530) overall record in that span... The Titans have played in Fresno four times in the postseason, posting a 3-2 mark at the WAIAW regionals in 1980, a 1-2 mark in 2000, and a 3-2 record in 2002... Fullerton has played 20 of the 64 teams in this year's NCAA tournament, posting a 15-16 record against those teams.
REGIONAL RECORDS
Cal State Fullerton is 2-1 against Fresno State in the postseason, last eliminating the Bulldogs from the 2002 regional in Fresno... Fresno State downed the Titans, 4-3, in 2000 while the Titans posted a 2-1 victory at the 1987 Women's College World Series... Fullerton is 1-0 against Stanford in the postseason, eliminating the Cardinal from regional play in 2002... The Titans and Tulsa have never met in the postseason.
SENIOR FINISHES STRONG, EARNS WEEKLY HONOR
Cal State Fullerton senior right-hander Marissa Marzan was named the Big West Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week on Monday afternoon after going 2-0 with a save in the Titans' final regular season series against UC Riverside. It is the second time this season that Marzan has won the award after she went 3-0, including a perfect game, in Fullerton's three-game sweep of Pacific on April 22-23 to earn her first award this season.
Marzan allowed just two runs on eight hits in 15 innings (0.93 ERA) while striking out 11. She combined with Brooke Weekley to toss a three-hit shutout in the opener and rebounding with a two-inning save in game two. On "Senior Day," Marzan allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts as she went the distance for her 12th victory of the sesaon. The Highlanders managed to hit just .163 against her on the weekend.