CHICO – The Chico State softball team, fresh off of its most satisfying series of the season, takes a break from California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play this weekend to take part in the 14th annual Tournament of Champions, with the majority of the action taking place at the Pedretti Sports Complex in Turlock. The Wildcats will play three games Friday and two more Saturday before the tournament concludes with bracket play on Sunday.
Chico State begins play Friday at 9 a.m. against Central Washington, followed by an 11:15 contest versus Simon Fraser before squaring off with Western Oregon at 5:45 p.m. Saturday the 'Cats take on Holy Names at 11:15 a.m., then finish the day with a 2:15 p.m. matchup versus Montana State-Billings at the Turlock Regional Sports Complex.
Live Stats will be available for all games Friday and for Saturday's Montana State-Billings contest, but all Chico State games will feature online video streaming, available through the Wildcat Athletics website.
CLICK HERE for the official Tournament of Champions web page The Wildcats enter the Tournament of Champions 16-8 on the season after taking three out of four last weekend against then-No. 3 Cal State Monterey Bay. The series win landed Chico State in fourth place in the CCAA with a 13-7 conference record.
The 'Cats continue to get the job done offensively, batting .321 as a team (third in the CCAA) while averaging 5.4 runs and 8.6 hits a game. Chico State boasts the second-stingiest pitching staff in the conference, with a team earned run average of 2.24.
The mid-season Tournament of Champions, featuring 24 schools from throughout the West Region, has always served as a good indicator of which teams might qualify for the May's NCAA West Regional – and the Wildcats face several challenging matchups this weekend:
Central Washington (14-11, 8-4 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) – Central Washington, also nicknamed the Wildcats, won six of its last eight games before dropping both ends of a doubleheader Wednesday to Cal State Monterey Bay. As a team, Central Washington is hitting a robust .326 on the year, averaging 5.5 runs and 9.6 hits a game. The Wildcats' pitching staff sports a 3.75 ERA.
Central Washington beat Chico State 7-4 at last season's Tournament of Champions. Chico State leads the all-time series between the two teams 15-11.
Simon Fraser (11-13, 2-6 GNAC) – the Clan heads into the Tournament of Champions on a bit of a downward spiral, dropping four of its last five decisions, including three of four last weekend against Montana State-Billings. Simon Fraser is hitting .283 as a team, averaging five runs and eight hits a contest. Clan pitchers have combined for a 4.92 team ERA.
At last season's Tournament of Champions, Simon Fraser outslugged the Wildcats 9-6. The two teams have split their eight all-time meetings, but Chico State has not beaten the Clan on the softball diamond since 1995.
Western Oregon (11-15, 5-3 GNAC) – the Wolves snapped a three-game losing streak with a 9-5 victory over San Francisco State in the finale of a doubleheader Wednesday in the Bay Area. Western Oregon is batting a collective .293 so far in 2015, averaging 5.1 runs and 8.6 hits a contest. The Wolves' pitchers have posted a team ERA of 5.03.
Last season, Chico State blanked Western Oregon 5-0 at the Tournament of Champions. The Wildcats have won eight of the 10 meetings between the two teams.
Holy Names (4-30, 3-17 Pacific West Conference) – the Hawks have found victories hard to come by this season, but did snap a nine-game skid Wednesday with a 9-7 win over Hawaii Pacific in the second game of a doubleheader played in Oakland. Holy Names is hitting .242 as a team, averaging 2.4 runs and 5.8 hits a game. The Hawks' pitching staff's ERA is a combined 6.02.
The Wildcats and Hawks have not met since last season's Best of the West Invitational, when Chico State registered a 3-0 victory. The 'Cats have won their only two meetings with the Hawks.
Montana State-Billings (13-14, 6-6 GNAC) – the Yellowjackets have been playing .500 ball since late February, but they head into the Tournament of Champions on an upsurge after last weekend's series win over Simon Fraser. Montana State-Billings is hitting a solid .325 on the year, averaging 5.5 runs and 9.0 hits a contest. The Yellowjackets' pitchers have combined for a team ERA of 4.60.
The last time the Wildcats and Yellowjackets met, Chico State triumphed 8-7 at the 2014 Tournament of Champions. The two teams have split their six all-time meetings.
This weekend will mark the 13th year Chico State has participated in the Tournament of Champions. The Wildcats have won 40 of 73 tournament games since joining the field back in 2002.
