CHICO – With the annual Tournament of Champions now in the rearview mirror, the Chico State softball team has re-focused its sights on a much bigger challenge – the final 12 games of the regular season. The Wildcats know they have to finish strong to earn a trip to postseason play, and the task begins in demanding fashion this weekend as they take on the No. 4 team in the country. The 'Cats travel to Seaside for a four-game series with Cal State Monterey Bay, with doubleheaders slated for Friday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at noon.
 
Both teams are well-acquainted with each other. Chico State and Monterey Bay have already played each other twice this season, with the Otters coming from behind this past Sunday to beat the Wildcats 5-2 in the Tournament of Champions Silver Bracket finals.  
 
Chico State returns to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play with an overall record of 20-18 and in fifth place in the conference standings with a 13-11 mark. The Wildcats begin the weekend one game behind fourth place Sonoma State, and will need to leapfrog the Seawolves in the final three weeks of the regular season to grab one of the four berths in the upcoming CCAA Championship Tournament.
 
The 'Cats were 3-4 in the Tournament of Champions, winning its first two games, then dropping three in a row before shutting out Hawaii Pacific 8-0 on Sunday to set up the Silver Bracket showdown with Monterey Bay. Chico State heads into the weekend with a 10-14 road record on the season.
 
The Wildcats are currently hitting .289 as a team, averaging 3.9 runs and 7.2 hits a game. The Chico State pitching staff ranks fifth in the CCAA with a team ERA of 3.42.
 
Individually, Chico State boasts six players batting over .300 on the year – Amanda Cordeiro (.350), Alli Cook (.346), Kelli Keefe (.330, but hitting .368 since starting the season 1-for-12), Desiree' Gonzalez (.327), Emily McEnaney (.323) and Sammi Ridgway (.301). Thanks to a huge performance at the Tournament of Champions, Gonzalez ranks seventh in the CCAA in home runs (8) and runs batted in (33). McEnaney is ninth among conference hitters in slugging percentage (.606) and is tied for ninth in doubles (11) and extra-base hits (17). The Wildcats claim three of the top eight base stealers in the CCAA – Cook (ranks second with 20), Ridgway (tied for fifth, 15) and Keefe (eighth, 14).
  
Cal State Monterey Bay was the only undefeated team in the Tournament of Champions, extending its winning streak to 17 straight to improve to 35-5 on the season and leap from No. 15 to No. 4 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association top 25 poll. The Otters have won 27 of their last 28 and have not lost since bowing to Cal State Stanislaus 3-0 way back on March 14. Monterey Bay enters the weekend having won 18 of 20 at home this season.
 
Monterey Bay ranks second in the CCAA in hitting with a collective .335 batting average while averaging 5.5 runs and 8.7 hits a game. The Otters pitching has been superb all season, and tops the conference with a 1.55 ERA.
 
Sophomore infielder Bianca Noriega leads the Otters with a .444 batting average while knocking in a team-high 33 runs. Junior infielder Alissa Greenshaw provides the power (.373 BA, 4 home runs) for Monterey Bay, while junior Cori Reinhardt is a threat at the plate (.333, 22 RBI) and in the pitcher's circle (14-3, 1.73 ERA). Sophomore righthander Lindsay Clarkson, the reigning CCAA and National Pitcher of the Week, is 19-2 on the season with 111 strikeouts and a 1.42 ERA.
 
In addition to Sunday's setback, Monterey Bay topped the Wildcats 2-1 back on Feb. 1 at the season-opening Best of the West Invitational. Though the Otters have won the last three meetings dating back to last year, the Wildcats still lead the all-time series, 21-20.
 
Fans can follow the action online via Live Stats through the Wildcat Athletics website.