Now things start to get interesting. On the heels of playing 10 games in eight days, the Chico State softball team returns to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play to tackle arguably its toughest stretch of the season—12 very important conference contests over a nine-day period. The Wildcats begin the grind this weekend, traveling to Southern California for a four-game series against Cal State San Marcos, with doubleheaders scheduled Friday at 1 p.m. and Saturday at 11 a.m.
Fans can follow the action on the Internet with Live Stats, accessible through the Wildcat Athletics website. Live streaming video is also available.
Following the San Marcos series, the Wildcat immediately travel to Arcata for a four-game set Monday and Tuesday with the nation's No. 1 team, Humboldt State (a series that has been rescheduled twice due to rainouts) before returning home April 14-15 for four games against UC San Diego.
The Wildcats, ranked No. 13 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) top 25 poll, have barely had time to catch their collective breath after winning seven of eight last week. Chico State wrapped up its series with Cal State San Bernardino with a doubleheader sweep Monday, March 27, then went 5-1 over the weekend at the Tournament of Champions in Turlock.
The 'Cats enter this weekend's four-game set with San Marcos having won 10 of their last 12 contests. On the season, Chico State is 25-6 overall and in fourth place in the CCAA with a 15-5 conference record.
The 'Cats have done well on the road this season, winning 16 of 19 away from University Softball Field.
The Wildcats are batting .319 as a team—second best among the 11 CCAA teams—while averaging 5.3 runs and 8.4 hits a game. The Chico State pitching staff tops the conference in earned run average (1.60) and has held opponents to a CCAA-best .236 batting average.
Individually, Haley Gilham is among the top conference hurlers in just about every significant statistical category. The reigning CCAA Pitcher of the Week is No. 1 in opponent batting average (.206), ranks second in the conference in wins (14), ERA (0.91) and complete games (15), and is fourth in strikeouts (77).
Cailin Garmon, who returned to the 'Cats lineup last weekend after missing 14 games due to injury, is hitting .462 (which would lead the CCAA if she had the minimum number of at-bats to qualify for the batting title) and is second in the conference with 29 stolen bases. Garmon is also just two steals away from breaking Alli Cook's Chico State single-season record of 30 swipes, set in 2016.
Kristin Worley is seventh in the CCAA in both batting (.400) and stolen bases (16), while Ari Marsh sits just outside the CCAA top 10 in batting (.388) and is fourth in the conference with 32 runs batted in. Claire Wayne leads the CCAA in on-base percentage (.507) and is 10th in slugging percentage (.593).
Cal State San Marcos has struggled so far this season. The Cougars are 7-26 overall and in 10th place in the CCAA with a 6-18 conference record. San Marcos is in the midst of a 15-game losing streak, which includes doubleheader losses last weekend to California Baptist and Concordia Irvine.
The Cougars have dropped 12 of 16 at home this season.
San Marcos is batting a collective .230 on the year, averaging two runs and just under six hits a game. The San Marcos pitching staff boasts a team ERA of 3.48.
The Cougars are led by freshman infielder Gabriela Arizaga, who leads the team in batting (.413), home runs (3) and RBI (13). Freshman right-hander Cheyenne Alvarez is the top San Marcos pitcher—despite a 2-4 record, she is ninth in the CCAA with a 2.02 ERA.
The last time Chico State and San Marcos met, the Wildcats swept a doubleheader March 4, 2016 in what turned out to be a rain-shortened four-game series at University Softball Field. The Cougars lead the all-time series, 4-2.
