CHICO – The Chico State softball team finds itself in a good place heading into its final series of the regular season – but the Wildcats know full well there’s plenty of work still to be done. The ’Cats need just one win in their final four games to clinch a spot in next week’s California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Championship Tournament, but will need to finish strong to reinforce the team’s No. 5 ranking in the West Region and earn an invitation to the NCAA Championships. The Wildcats take on a hot Cal State Monterey Bay squad this Friday and Saturday at University Softball Field; the four-game series begins with a doubleheader Friday at 1:00 p.m., with a Saturday twinbill slated for 11 a.m.
Chico State enters its series with the Otters 27-13 on the season, and in third place in the CCAA with an 18-10 conference mark. The Wildcats have won four of their last five contests, including three of four last weekend against Cal State Dominguez Hills.
Cal State Monterey Bay, the preseason favorite to win its second straight regular season conference title, also has something to play for this weekend – despite a 22-25 record on the year and a 15-16 mark in the CCAA, the sixth place Otters are 19-9 since starting the year losing 16 of their first 19 games and are still mathematically alive for one of the four conference tournament slots. There’s little room for error, though – Monterey Bay has to essentially sweep the four games versus the Chico State and get some help to vault both Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State San Bernardino and reach postseason play.
The Wildcats currently rank fifth in the CCAA in hitting, sporting a collective .273 batting average. Chico State’s offense is averaging four runs and 7.1 hits a game, which so far has proven to be plenty to support the Wildcat pitching staff, which is No. 3 in the conference with a 2.36 team earned run average. The 'Cats are 8-4 this season at University Softball Field.
Individually, Hailey Stockman is third in the CCAA in hitting (.391) while ranking second in the conference in slugging percentage (.696), second in on-base percentage (.486), seventh in home runs (8) and eighth in runs batted in (34). Diana Payan is tied for fifth in the CCAA with 13 doubles on the year, and Britt Wright is fourth among conference players with 17 stolen bases. Pitcher Sam Baker is tied for second in the CCAA in victories (20), ranks second in strikeouts (171) and third in both innings pitched (168.2) and ERA (1.33).
Monterey Bay is 6-13 on the road this season, but boasts a solid offensive attack, averaging 4.5 runs and 7.7 hits a game. The Otters rank fourth in the CCAA with a .283 team batting average and are second in the conference in home runs (38). Monterey Bay has been inconsistent in the pitcher’s circle in 2011 – the Otters’ 3.99 ERA is ninth among the 10 CCAA teams.
Monterey Bay is led offensively by junior outfielder Jamie Moon and senior catcher Shae Olds. Moon, an All-CCAA second team selection last year, is hitting .390 – fourth-best in the conference – with seven home runs and 25 RBI. Olds, a two-time All-CCAA and All-West Region second team selection, is the Otters’ main source of power – the conference’s single-season and career home run record holder has swatted 13 bombs and driven in 42 runs (both second-most in the CCAA) while batting .336 this season. Jackie Serna is also a threat to go deep – the junior infielder is batting .333 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI.
Senior righthander Diane Ortiz, an All-CCAA first team pick in 2010, is 8-11 this season with a 3.93 ERA. Another righthander, freshman Kylie Linnane, has been a major part of the Otters pitching corps, posting a 7-7 record and 3.86 ERA while striking out 85 batters in 112 innings of work.
Chico State holds a slim 13-12 lead in the all-time series with Monterey Bay. The Otters won three of five head-to-head matchups last season, but in the CCAA Championship Tournament, the Wildcats blanked Monterey Bay 5-0 on April 30, 2010. In that game, Jessica McDermott tossed a complete game three-hitter.
Fans not able to attend Friday or Saturday's doubleheaders in person can follow the action live via Live Stats on the Wildcat Athletics website, available approximately 10 minutes before game one each day.
CLICK HERE for Live Stats
