CHICO – On paper, the Chico State softball team – winners of nine of the last 11 ballgames – should have no problem this weekend with a Cal State San Bernardino squad that has dropped seven of nine and is mired in eighth place in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) standings. But on closer inspection, the Wildcats travel to Southern California to take on a Coyotes team that is coming off a road split against the 19th-ranked team in the country. It should make for an interesting and competitive four-game series, with a Friday doubleheader slated for 1 p.m. and a Saturday twinbill beginning at 11 a.m.
Fans can follow this weekend's action online via Live Stats and live streaming video, available through the Wildcat Athletics website.
Chico State enters the weekend 12-4 on the season and owning a share of second place in the CCAA with a 9-3 conference record, just a half-game behind first place Sonoma State. The Wildcats made the most of their first road trip of the year, sweeping a four-game set last weekend in Turlock against Cal State Stanislaus.
The 'Cats have continued to collectively swing a hot bat, as the Chico State offense is ranked second in the CCAA with a .340 team batting average while averaging well over six runs and nine hits a game. The Wildcats have enjoyed similar success on the basepaths, swiping 30 bases in their first 16 games – third most among the 10 conference teams. The Chico State pitching staff is fourth in the CCAA with a team earned run average of 2.59, while defensively the Wildcats rank second in the conference with a .970 fielding percentage.
Emily McEnaney continues to set the tone in the heart of the Chico State lineup, hitting .490 with five home runs and 20 runs batted in and ranking in the CCAA top 10 in no less than eight different statistical categories. Tori Zimmermann has not shown any signs of cooling off, as evidenced by her .453 batting average, 19 RBI and team-high 12 extra-base hits.
The 'Cats boast seven other players hitting well over .300, with Desiree' Gonzalez (.348) ranking 10th in the CCAA with three home runs, while Alli Cook (.345) and Ashley Huff (.320) are both among the conference's top 10 in stolen bases with a combined 20 swipes.
In the pitcher's circle, Brooke Langeloh has fashioned a 7-1 record with a 2.38 ERA, while Haley Gilham earned three victories over the weekend to improve to 4-3 on the season.
Cal State San Bernardino is just two games below .500 overall, sporting an 11-13 record (3-8 CCAA) entering play on Friday. The Coyotes played arguably their best ball of the season last weekend in Arcata, taking two of four from nationally-ranked Humboldt State and jumping on Lumberjacks pitching for 15 runs and 32 hits in the series.
San Bernardino is batting .265 as a team, averaging 4.1 runs and 7.8 hits a contest. But the Coyotes feature the top hitter in the CCAA in Nicole Nobbe – an All-American from a year ago, the senior shortstop leads the conference in batting (.580), runs scored (25), hits (40), doubles (11), on-base percentage (.678) and slugging percentage (.913). Senior outfielder Victoria Lievanos is San Bernardino's other major offensive threat, batting .339 with three home runs and 14 RBI.
Lefthander Cassandra Williams is the Coyotes' top pitcher, with an 8-7 record and 3.83 ERA. Williams is the CCAA strikeout leader with 89 punch-outs on the year.
The Wildcats and Coyotes split last year's four-game series in Chico March 28-30. San Bernardino has won eight of the last 12 meetings between the two teams and leads the all-time series 38-33.
