CHICO – Chico State softball fans who didn’t make it down to Turlock for the Mizuno Best of the West Invitational, or failed to catch the ’Cats on last weekend’s online video broadcast against UC San Diego, will finally get their first look at the No. 15 Wildcats Friday in the season’s home opener, as Academy of Art comes to University Softball Field for a doubleheader beginning at noon.
Chico State comes home after beginning the season in impressive fashion, boasting a 7-2 overall record. The Wildcats are tied for second place with Cal State East Bay in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings, just a half-game behind Cal State Dominguez Hills. The ’Cats kicked off conference play last weekend by taking three of four from defending national champion and No. 1 ranked UC San Diego, sweeping a Saturday doubleheader 2-0 and 2-1 to win the series with the Tritons.
The Wildcat offense is batting a collective .290 entering Friday’s twinbill, averaging 4.3 runs and 7.4 hits a game. Senior outfielder Sam Quadt has hit safely in all nine Chico State games and leads the CCAA in batting (.586) and on-base percentage (.613). Freshman Kelli Keefe (.350) and senior Rachel Failla (.300) rank among the ’Cats’ top hitters, while Hailey Stockman (.292) has scored seven times and driven in five runs.
Chico State’s pitching staff has gotten off to a tremendous start – the team’s 1.33 earned run average is tops in the conference, while Wildcat hurlers are holding opposing teams to a miniscule .195 batting average. Seniors Jessica McDermott and Sam Baker, along with junior Kayla McConnell, each have earned run averages under 1.50 through the first two weeks of the season, with McDermott, the reigning CCAA Pitcher of the Week, ranked fourth in the conference with a 1.15 ERA.
Academy of Art, a member of the Pacific West Conference, is 2-7 overall following a 29-20 season a year ago. The Urban Knights were one of 28 teams competing last weekend at the Desert Stinger Tournament in Las Vegas, where they dropped three of their five contests. Five of the Urban Knights’ seven losses so far this season have come against CCAA teams (three versus Sonoma State and two against Cal State East Bay).
The Urban Knights are led by sophomore outfielder Elyse Cordova, who is batting .414 with three runs batted in and four stolen bases so far on the season. Senior infielder/outfielder Ashley Lokey has scored 10 times and is hitting .364, while senior infielder Genna Allen and junior utility player Andrea Hanchey provide the power in the Academy of Art lineup – both have three home runs and have combined for 16 RBI.
Friday’s twinbill marks the first time since splitting a doubleheader at University Softball Field to end the 2009 season that Chico State and Academy of Art have gone head-to-head. The Wildcats hold a 2-1 edge in the all-time series with the Urban Knights.
