CHICO – The Chico State softball team has enjoyed quite a bit of success so far in the 2012 season, playing well enough to be nationally ranked and in the thick of the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) postseason picture. The Wildcats hope to continue that success this weekend, taking a brief break from conference play to compete in the annual Mizuno Tournament of Champions, beginning Friday at Pedretti Park in Turlock. The ’Cats will be faced with some challenging matchups during the three-day tourney, as four of their first five opponents are playing well above .500 on the year and also in the hunt a possible NCAA Tournament berth.

Chico State, which enters play this weekend 22-7 on the year and ranked No. 11 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 poll, looks to at least duplicate its performance at last season’s Tournament of Champions. The Wildcats won six of its seven games in Turlock and reached the event’s Gold Bracket before falling to Hawaii Pacific on the final day of the tourney. The Wildcats head to Turlock having won four of its last six contests, taking three of four from San Francisco State and splitting a rain-shortened two-game set with Cal State Monterey Bay last week.

The Mizuno Tournament of Champions features 24 teams from throughout the West Region, with all 10 CCAA squads, eight from the Pacific West Conference and six from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) taking part.


The Lancers are in first place in the Pac West Conference with a 14-4 record and enter the Tournament of Champions 28-5 overall. Averaging 6.3 runs and 8.7 hits a game, California Baptist has won five straight and nine of its last 10 heading into Friday’s matchup with the Wildcats. The Lancers pitching staff, headed by 13-game winners Tory Ferreira and Emma Holden, boasts an impressive 1.56 team ERA. Friday will mark just the third time – and first since the 2002 season – that the Wildcats have faced California Baptist in softball, with the teams splitting the first two meetings.

Chico State will take on Dixie State at 11:15 Friday morning. The Red Storm, 18-7 overall, currently sits in third place in the Pac West with a 9-5 conference record. Dixie State heads into the Tournament of Champions on a major roll, having won its last 11 games after starting the season 7-7. The Red Storm offense is averaging 6.6 runs and 8.6 hits so far this season, while Dixie State’s pitching staff – led by seven-game winner Lauren Folta – has posted a 2.97 team ERA. This will be the fourth time the two teams have squared off against each other, and the first since Chico State knocked Dixie State out of the NCAA West Regionals with a 4-3 victory May 16, 2010 in Rohnert Park.

Chico State’s final contest of Friday’s first day of tournament action will take place at 3:45 p.m. against Western Washington. The Wildcats and Vikings met earlier this year at the Mizuno Best of the West Invitational, with the ’Cats prevailing, 8-0. Western Washington is 6-20 on the season and in sixth place in the GNAC with a 4-12 conference record. The Vikings are hitting .266 as a team, averaging 3.8 runs and 7.0 hits a game. Western Washington’s pitching has struggled this season, with a team ERA of 6.66. Chico State has beaten the Vikings six straight times and have won 14 of the last 21 meetings between the two teams.

Saturday the ’Cats get another early start, taking on Saint Martin’s at 8:45 a.m. The Saints, riding a five-game winning streak into a pre-tournament doubleheader Thursday against Humboldt State, are 14-9-1 on the season and in third place in the GNAC with a 10-5 conference record. Saint Martin’s averages 5.7 runs and 8.9 hits a game, with its pitching staff boasting a 2.33 team ERA. Chico State has won all three meetings with the Saints; Saturday will be the first time the two teams have met on the softball field since squaring off during the 2009 Tournament of Champions.

The Wildcats wrap up Saturday’s action with an 11 a.m. contest against Montana State-Billings. The Yellowjackets are the top team in the GNAC, sporting a 17-3 conference record and a 20-5 mark overall. Montana State-Billings has won its last 10 games heading into the Tournament of Champions, and features the reigning NFCA National Player of the Week, senior outfielder Meg Harasymczuk (.407 BA, 13 HR, 39 RBI). Last week against Western Oregon, Harasymczuk went 5-for-7 at the plate with 11 walks – 10 of which were intentional – and finished the series with 11 RBIs, 10 runs, four home runs, two stolen bases and a double, while posting an .889 on-base percentage and an eye-popping 2.517 slugging percentage.

Montana State-Billings is hitting .344 on the year, averaging over eight runs and 10 hits a game. The Yellowjackets’ pitching is equally impressive, possessing a 2.97 team ERA. Chico State beat Montana State-Billings in last year’s Tournament of Champions, and has won two of the three meetings between the two teams all-time.

Depending on how well Chico State fares Friday and Saturday and where the Wildcats place in their team pool group (which includes Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State San Bernardino, Cal State Stanislaus, Chaminade and Dominican Uinversity) will determine if they compete Sunday in the Tournament of Champions’ Gold, Silver, Bronze, Platinum or Consolation Bracket.

Fans can follow all Chico State softball games this weekend online via Live Stats, available through the Wildcat Athletics website or the official Mizuno Tournament of Champions web page.