|
|
USU Softball Heads To San Jose State For Three-Game WAC Series
April 18, 2007
LOGAN, Utah -
Complete Utah State Softball Notes in PDF Format
Utah State (14-25, 4-5 WAC) at San Jose State (19-21, 4-8 WAC)
This Weekend's Utah State Schedule - All Times MT
QUICKLY - Resuming Western Athletic Conference action, Utah State softball (14-25, 4-5 WAC) heads to San Jose, Calif., to take on San Jose State (19-21, 4-8 WAC), in a three-game weekend series. First pitch for Friday's single-game is slated for 3 p.m. (MT), with Saturday's doubleheader scheduled for a 1 p.m. (MT) start, all at SJSU Field. RED BLUFF REUNION - This weekend marks a special reunion for USU junior 3B Amy Schaible and sophomore 1B/DH Aubrie Stroman, who will reunited with two former teammates from high school. The Aggie duo are both from Red Bluff, Calif., and will reunite with San Jose State's Kasey Igarta and Brittany McConnell who are also both from Red Bluff. STREAKING AGGIES - Tuesday's two losses at Utah Valley State snapped Utah State's four-game winning streak, the Aggies' longest win streak of the season and longest string of wins since April 30-May 8, 2005, when USU also won four in a row. The Aggies have won five of their last nine games. USU takes a five-game road losing skid into this weekend, the Aggies longest road skein of the season... The last win on the road for USU was the Aggies' 2-0 win at then 15th-ranked Oregon State on March 17. BETTER THAN BEFORE - USU is 14-25 on the season, topping last season's win total (8-38), when the Aggies upset then #15 Oregon State, 2-0, on March 17 at Corvallis, Ore., the Beavers' first shutout loss at home to an unranked team since April 29, 2005. The Aggies' 14 wins reaches double-digits in the win column for the first time in three years, topping last season's 8-38 record. The 14-25 ledger is one game behind the 2005 squad (15-24) for best record through 39 games of the 2000's, tying the 2000 Aggies. Both the 2000 and 2005 squads had a 16-26 record through 42 games, so a three game sweep this weekend would give the Aggies their best record of the 2000's through 42 games. The win over Nevada on April 7 was USU's first conference win in its sixth league game, compared to the first WAC win coming in last year's 12th league game. This past weekend's three wins gives the Aggies, who are in their second season in the Western Athletic Conference, their first WAC series sweep. The brooming is also the first conference series sweep since April 3-4, 2004, when USU took three from Cal State Fullerton. WAC STANDINGS - After entering the weekend occupying last place in the conference standings in the seventh-spot, Utah State's three wins vaulted the Aggies to third in the standings. San Jose State is tied for fifth, one and a half games back and .111 percentage points behind the Aggies. SERIES HISTORY - Utah State holds a 20-17 (.541) advantage in the all-time series, USU's second-highest percentage and second-most games against a WAC foe. The two teams first met in 1988. Prior to last season's WAC series, the Aggies and Spartans didn't meet since 2002. SJSU won all three of last year's meetings, after USU had won three of the previous four match-ups. Last year at Logan, SJSU won three one-run games, 2-1 on April 21, followed by 9-8 and 3-2 victories on April 22. PAIR OF THIEVES - This weekend features the top two base stealers in WAC play, as both USU junior SS Tara Evans and SJSU junior OF Liz Perez have six stolen bases in WAC games. ABOUT UTAH STATE - The Aggies are 14-25 overall, after having their four-game win streak snapped with two losses (7-6 and 4-2) at Utah Valley State on Tuesday. Utah State is 4-5 in WAC action, after sweeping their first-ever WAC series and first conference series since 2004, beating Louisiana Tech in three games, winning a thriller Friday, 7-6 (9 inn), and taking two Saturday, 12-4 (8 inn) and 6-5. The four wins in a row was USU's longest win streak of the season, and the Aggies have won five of their last nine games. ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE - The Spartans are 19-21 overall and 4-8 in WAC play, entering the weekend tied for fifth. SJSU has won three of its last six games, going 1-2 in a three-game series with Nevada last weekend after going 2-1 with La Tech the previous weekend. The Spartans took the first game with Nevada, 2-1, before being blanked 3-0 and 10-0 (5 inn) in the next two, including being no-hit in the third game. LETTS ERA OPENS WITH WIN - First-year Candi Letts won her first game at the helm of the Aggies with the 11-2 win over Southern Utah on Feb. 9. Letts becomes the first USU head coach to win their opener since Pam McCreesh won her first game in 1998. SEASON 32 - The 2007 season marks the 32nd year of softball at Utah State... the Aggies enter the season with a 741-768-3 (.491) overall record... USU has one college World Series appearance (1984, tied for 7th) and four NCAA Tournament appearances (1984, 1989, 1992, 1993)... Utah State won the 1980 and 1981 AIAW National Championships... this is USU's second year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). TIDBITS ABOUT UTAH STATE - - TREND TALKING - Tuesday's game one loss to UVSC on a walk-off HR in the bottom of the seventh was the first time this season that USU has lost after leading after the sixth inning (9-1 now) and ahead after the fourth inning (8-1), as well as just the second time the Aggies have lost when leading after the fifth inning (11-2)... It was also just the second time that USU has lost despite out-hitting the opposition (8-2)... USU has a five-game road losing skein. - After hitting .414 last weekend, USU has climbed from seventh to fourth in the WAC statistics in overall team batting ( .272), and vaulted from seventh to third in WAC only games (.294). - The Aggies are second in the conference in stolen bases (48-66) - Defensively, USU is seventh in team pitching, with a 5.14 team ERA... The Aggie pitching staff is seventh in strikeouts (175) and fourth in fewest walks issued (116). - USU's pitching staff has topped last season's strikeout total, currently with 175 K's... last year USU pitchers logged 142 strikeouts... This year's total is the most since the 2002 pitching staff fired 255 K's. - Last season the Aggies hit a total of 18 home runs in 46 games... this season through 39 games, USU has surpassed last year's total, belting 28 so far this year, including five in a wild 13-12, 8 inning win over Idaho State on Feb. 10... The Aggies are closing in on the school record of 32 set by the 2005 USU squad. - Junior 3B Amy Schaible leads the team with nine HR's, while senior 1B Jamie Fife has six HR, junior SS Tara Evans has four and three others have two apiece. - With nine HR's, Schaible is tied for second on USU's single-season HR list, while Fife is tied for the fourth-most... the school record is 10 round-trippers, done three times by two different players: Sara Fleming (2005) and Sandy Taylor (1999 and 2000). - Fife leads the team with 25 RBI, while Schaible is second with 21, topping last year's season leader Quela Leonhardt's RBI total of 17, and over halfway to the single-season school record of 41 RBI by Sandy Taylor in 2000. - Schaible now has 12 career home runs, currently tied for fifth on USU's career HR list with Shontinese Huey (1993-96). - USU has also topped last season's stolen base total, nearly matching last season's total of 13 stolen bases with 12 swipes in the six games in Colorado March 1-4... On the year, the Aggies now have 48 stolen bases in 66 attempts... That total is closing in on the school record of 67 from the 1981 national-championship season in 46 games. - The 48 stolen bases are the most since the 1996 squad swiped 54... USU currently averages 1.30 stolen bases per game, in order to break the school record, they will have to average 1.43 stolen bases per game. - Junior SS Tara Evans leads USU and ranks tied for fourth in the WAC in stolen bases (10-11), getting thrown out for the first time this season Tuesday... The 10 swipes rank Evans ninth on the single-season stolen base list. - After one time holding three of the top 10 batting spots in the conference statistics, USU now has two players in the top 15, senior 1B/OF Jamie Fife's team-leading .365 average is seventh, while Schaible's .328 is 15th. - Fife leads USU and ranks ninth in the conference in RBI with 28. - Schaible has her average back above .300 (.328), after it had slipped below .300 for the first time this season last week, and ranks sixth in the league with home runs (9)... Schaible leads USU in hits (38), total bases (69), runs scored (25) and at bats (116). - Schaible is the only player to start in all 39 games, while Schaible and Evans are the only two players to play all 39 games. - Sophomore P Lindsey Benson is 12th in the WAC in ERA (3.72) and seventh in strikeouts (95)... Benson's 22 strikeouts in three appearances March 1-4 nearly matched her season total of 25 K's last year in 15 appearances... Benson has established career-high and double-digit strikeout highs twice this season, firing 10 against Colorado State on March 4, and then topping it on April 3 with 11 against Utah Valley State. - Benson's 95 strikeouts are the most for a USU pitcher since Kristin Hommel's 135 K's in 2002. - Benson logged her 100th career strikeout against La Tech on April 13, and now has 115 K's, needing 49 more to tie Julie Starratt (1986-89) for 10th on the USU career strikeout list. - Senior P Lexy Perry ranks second on the team and 13th in the league in ERA (4.46) and has the Aggies' lone shutout on the season, with a 2-0 blanking of then-#15 Oregon State on March 18, USU's first shutout win since April 16, 2005... with 22 K's this season in 13 appearances, Perry has nearly tripled last year's season total of just eight strikeouts in nine appearances. - Freshman P Stacey Ellingsworth is 15th in the league in ERA (5.40) and is second on the team in strikeouts (45). - Schaible holds the longest active hitting streak at a season and career-long nine games, while Evans and Fife both currently have career-long seven-game streaks... Senior C Jami Uragami is on a four-game hitting streak... Schaible had a season-opening eight-game hitting streak... Junior C Heather Haak and sophomore 1B Aubrie Stroman each had a five-game hitting streak earlier in the season as well. - Fife leads the team with nine multi-hit games, while Schaible and Evans have eight each, while Stroman has six... Fife and Evans lead the team with four hits in a game. - Fife leads the team for multi-RBI games with eight, followed by Schaible with seven and Evans with six... senior OF Ashley Bellum leads the team with five RBI in USU's 12-4 win over Northern Colorado on March 3, blasting a grand slam, while Stroman and Reilly each have four-RBI outings. - Fife leads the team in both average with runners in scoring position (.471, 16-34) and runners on (.435, 20-46), as well as leading in average with two outs (.425, 17-40). - Freshman OF Emily Reilly is second for USU in average with two outs (.370, 10-27), highlighted by her two-run home run in the top of the seventh against Portland State on Feb. 17. - Reilly also is second on the team in average with runners in scoring position (.429, 9-21), and third in average with runners on (.344, 11-32). 2006 Season Highlights - USU turned a rare triple play last season on April 28 against New Mexico State, one of only two WAC teams to pull off the feat (Louisiana Tech). - USU led the WAC and was third in the NCAA in double plays turned per game, turning 23 double plays, for an average of 0.5 per game... and the Aggies were the only WAC team ranked in the top 50 in the NCAA in the category. - USU twice turned three double-plays in the one game, one of which came on May 6, the same day that Fresno State turned three double-plays, and was the only other team in the WAC to turn three double-plays. - USU was swept in four of its six WAC series, the only team other than Hawai'i (by Nevada and Fresno State) to be swept in more than one WAC series. - USU had the latest home opener in the WAC last season (March 31 vs. Fresno State) and does again this season, as the Aggies' make their 2007 home debut on April 3... The April 3 home opener is one of the top 10 latest home openers in the country.
- Utah State had the most student-athletes earn WAC all-Academic Team honors with eight, twice as many as the next school.
SCHAIBLE TABBED USU ATHLETE OF WEEK (April 16) - Softball player Amy Schaible was named Utah State's Athlete of the Week, announced April 16. The weekly award is voted on by a state media panel.
This is Schaible's first USU Athlete of the Week Award this season and she is the third Aggie softball player to receive the honor this year, joining Lindsey Benson (March 5) and Lexy Perry (March 19). For Schaible, this is the second time in her career that she garnered USU's weekly accolades, after receiving the honor last season (May 1).
Schaible, a junior 3B from Red Bluff, Calif. (Red Bluff Union HS), hit .455 (5-11) during the weekend, with four RBI and one home run in Utah State's three-game sweep of Louisiana Tech, marking USU's first-ever Western Athletic Conference series sweep.
Schaible started the series by going 1-3 on Friday, and followed that up with a 4-8 effort Saturday, including going 3-4 with three RBI in Utah State's 12-4 (5) win against Louisiana Tech, including belting a walk-off homer in the fifth, to put USU ahead by eight and end the game. The HR was Schaible's team-leading eighth home run of season and she moves up to tie for No. 3 on the USU single-season HR list, needing just three more for the school record. She also is now tied for No. 6 on the Aggie career HR list with her 11th long fly, tying Kelly Smith (1984-86, `88).
Schaible extended her active hitting streak to seven games. That is her second-longest streak of the season behind her eight-game tear to in USU's opening eight games of the year.
On the year, Schaible has her average back above .300 (.321), after it had slipped below .300 for the first time this season last week, and ranks tied for sixth in the league with home runs (8). Schaible leads USU in hits (35), total bases (63), runs scored (24) and at bats (109).
PERRY PITCHES WAY TO USU ATHLETE OF THE WEEK AWARD (March 20) -
Softball pitcher Lexy Perry has earned the Utah State Athlete of the Week award it was announced on March 20. The honor is voted on by a state media panel each week.
Perry became the second softball player to earn the honor in the last three weeks joining fellow pitcher Lindsey Bennion, who was selected the school's top athlete on March 5.
Perry recorded her first career shutout and USU's first shutout win since April 16, 2005, with the Aggies' 2-0 upset win at #15 Oregon State Saturday. The Aggies dealt the Beavers, who were in the Women's College World Series last year, their first shutout loss at home to an unranked team since April 29, 2005.
Perry, a senior from Vancouver, Wash., yielded only five hits while pitching the entire seven innings. She walked four and struck out one in improving her individual record to 2-2 on the season. She owns a 3.60 ERA in eight appearances on the year.
BENSON NAMED USU ATHLETE OF WEEK (March 5) -
Lindsey Benson was named the Utah State Athlete of the Week for the period ending March 4. The weekly award is voted on by a state media panel.
Benson, a sophomore pitcher went 2-0 in three appearances, and logged a career-high 10 strikeouts in USU's 3-2 win over Colorado State on March 4, as her career-high topped Benson's three-day old previous career-high of nine K's in USU's 6-5 win at Northern Colorado on March 1.
She had at least one strikeout in each inning in the March 4 game, ringing up two in the third, fifth and sixth innings. Her 22 strikeouts in three appearances this week nearly matched her season total of 25 K's last year in 15 appearances.
REILLY TABBED WAC SOFTBALL HITTER OF THE WEEK (March 5) -
Freshman outfielder Emily Reilly was named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week, announced March 5 by the conference office.
Reilly, a freshman from Portland, Ore. (Central Catholic) posted a .462 average for the week, going 6-for-13 with a double, triple and a home run, as well as three RBI. She had a .923 slugging percentage and a .462 on-base percentage in four games during the week. The outfielder went 2-for-4 with a triple in Utah State's 5-4 win over Northern Colorado on March 1. She was also 3-for-4 with a double two RBI and two runs scored in the Aggies' 12-4 win over the Bears on March 3. Reilly is the first Utah State player to earn hitter of the week honors from the WAC and just the second overall. Last season, Heather Straight earned pitcher of the week honors for the week of May 1. Reilly's honor is the first conference hitter of the week award since Sara Fleming was named the Big West Player of the Week on April 25, 2005. LETTS' BITS - Head coach Candi Letts is in her first year at the helm of the Aggies, but has 12 years of experience as a Division I head coach. - Letts came to USU from Northern Illinois, where she was an assistant for one season... Prior to NIU, Letts was the head coach at the University of Mississippi, where she spent seven seasons guiding the Ole Miss program from 1999-2005, compiling a 153-246 (.372) record, including leading the Rebels to a school-record 30 wins in 2005. - Before Ole Miss, Letts was head coach at Colorado State University from 1994-98, amassing a 160-106-1 (.602) record in her five seasons there, as she re-established the softball program after it had been eliminated for one season. The .602 winning percentage is the highest in school history. In 1997, Letts led the Rams to a 51-14 mark, winning the Western Athletic Conference championship and finishing ninth in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) final poll. That season Letts was named the WAC Coach of the Year, as well as the NCAA West Regional Coach of the Year. - Letts has a career head coaching mark of 327-377-1 (.465) in 705 career games spanning 13 seasons, reaching the 200 and 300 win milestones while at Ole Miss... Letts coached her 700th career game in Saturday's second game. - This is Letts' second go-round in the WAC, as she posted a 79-62 (.560) mark in WAC games while at Colorado State. - As a head coach, Letts has coached four All-Americans, seven all-region players, 12 all-conference winners, one conference player of the year, and one freshman of the year. - As a pitcher at Creighton University from 1979-1983, Letts helped the Bluejays to three-straight trips to the College World Series. In her career in the circle, Letts compiled 43 wins to go with 16 saves, while logging an ERA of 0.76 and firing 276 strikeouts. In the 1982 season, Letts led the country with nine saves, a mark that still ranks as the fifth-most single-season saves in NCAA history. - After graduating from Creighton in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in physical education, Letts began her coaching career at the high school ranks, including head coach at Burlington, Iowa, for five seasons. Letts moved up to the college level in 1988, returning to Creighton, where she served as an assistant for six years, helping the Bluejays to two NCAA Regional trips, as well as making three appearances in the Top 25 poll and coaching one All-American. In 1991, Letts and Creighton played Utah in the longest game in NCAA history, a 31-inning contest. ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE - The Spartans are 19-21 overall and 4-8 in WAC play, entering the weekend tied for fifth. SJSU has won three of its last six games, going 1-2 in a three-game series with Nevada last weekend after going 2-1 with La Tech the previous weekend. The Spartans took the first game with Nevada, 2-1, before being blanked 3-0 and 10-0 (5 inn) in the next two, including being no-hit in the third game.
SJSU is led by leadoff hitter, junior OF Liz Perez with a .316 average. Perez is third in the WAC overall and tied for first in WAC only games in stolen bases, swiping 14 total and six in WAC action. Brittany McConnell, a sophomore C/OF, leads the Spartans with 31 RBI and seven HR.
In the circle, junior righty Roxanne Bejarano has a 2.43 ERA, which ranks fourth in the WAC, and ranks fifth in the league with 116 strikeouts while posting a 13-11 record. Fellow righty, junior Kelly Harrison ranks 10th in the conference with a 3.30 ERA and has 61 strikeouts and a 6-6 ledger.
SJSU head coach Peter Turner is in his first season at the helm of the Spartans, taking the SJSU position after four years as head coach at San Joaquin Delta College.
SERIES HISTORY vs. OPPONENT - FIRST LAST OPPONENT W L T PCT GAME GAME San Jose State 20 17 0 .541 1988 2006Note: USU has lost three in a row to SJSU, after winning three of the previous four.
ON DECK - The Aggies return home to host Idaho State in a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, April 24, starting at 2 p.m. USU then hosts Hawai'i on Friday and Saturday, April 27-28 in a three-game WAC series in the Aggies' final home action. Saturday will be "Senior Day" as USU honors its seven seniors.
Admission to all of USU's home games at Johnson Field is free to the public.
|
| ||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||
