One by one, the Chico State softball team has accomplished the goals it set out to reach at the beginning of the 2018 season. First, winning the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) regular season title; second, taking the CCAA Championship Tournament crown. Now the Wildcats go after their loftiest goal: winning the NCAA Division II national championship. The 'Cats take their first step Thursday as Chico State hosts the NCAA West Regional, with the Wildcats facing Northwest Nazarene at 2:30 p.m. at University Softball Field.
 
Since this is an NCAA sanctioned tournament, there will be an admission charge for those who plan to attend. Tickets are available for purchase on gameday at University Softball Field. Prices are $5 for general admission; $3 for students and seniors, and $2 for youth 12 and under.
 
Tickets can also be obtained online through the University Box Office.
 
CLICK HERE for online ticket purchases.
 
Fans unable to attend can follow the action on the Internet with Live Stats through the Wildcat Athletics website. Live streaming video will also be available online.
 
Chico State enters the three-day, double-elimination tournament as the West's No. 1 seed, and is ranked No. 2 in the country in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Top 25 poll. The Wildcats, competing in a program-record fourth straight NCAA Championship Tournament, are 50-3 on the season and taking a 25-game winning streak into West Region play.
 
In addition to Northwest Nazarene, No. 14 California Baptist and No. 21 UC San Diego comprise the rest of Chico State's side of the West Regional bracket. The other four teams representing the West—No. 12 Concordia-Irvine, No. 18 Dixie State, Cal State San Bernardino and Academy of Art—will be playing in Southern California. The two West Regional winners will meet May 17-18 in a best-of-three series to determine which team advances to the NCAA Championship Finals May 24-28 in Salem, Virginia.
 
Chico State is fresh off of sweeping its way to the CCAA Championship Tournament crown, the latest in a growing number of firsts for the program in its 50th season of existence. The Wildcats defeated UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino twice last weekend, outscoring the Tritons and Coyotes by a combined 22-2 to bring home the championship banner.
 
The Wildcats are batting .328 as a team heading into the NCAA West Regional, averaging 6.3 runs and 8.6 hits a game. Chico State's pitching staff ranks 10th in the nation with a team earned run average of 1.81.
 
Northwest Nazarene, Chico State's first round opponent, reached the West Regional and grabbed the No. 8 seed by winning last week's Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship Tournament, securing the conference's automatic bid. The Nighthawks are 31-21 on the year and enjoying a monumental season in the program's history, setting a record for most victories in a season while winning its first regular season and conference tournament championship. This year also marks Northwest Nazarene's first-ever appearance in the postseason.
 
The Nighthawks feature a potent offense that led the GNAC with a .315 batting average while averaging 5.6 runs and 8.9 hits a game. Northwest Nazarene ranked second in the conference in pitching, with a team ERA of 3.38.
 
The Nighthawks are led by junior utility player Anna Williams. The GNAC Newcomer of the Year is hitting .358 with 10 home runs and 38 runs batted in. Junior first baseman Kylie Orr is batting .362 with 7 home runs and 44 RBI, while junior infielder Cassidy Fifield sports a .355 average, 6 homers, 26 RBI and a team-high 16 stolen bases.
 
Righthander Jordan Adams is Northwest Nazarene's ace in the pitcher's circle. The GNAC Freshman and Pitcher of the Year is 19-6 on the season with a 1.35 ERA.
 
Thursday will be just the second time that Chico State and Northwest Nazarene have met in softball. The only other time was back in 2009, when the Wildcats edged the then-Crusaders 3-2 at the Tournament of Champions in Turlock.  
 
The first game of the NCAA West Regional starts at 12 noon, as California Baptist and UC San Diego square off in a battle of nationally-ranked teams. Here are brief thumbnails of the other two teams in the bracket:
 
California Baptist Lancers

• Record: 33-10 (finished second in the Pacific West Conference)
• Ranking: No. 4 in the West Region, No. 14 in the nation
• The Lancers split their final 10 games of the regular season, but finished with a doubleheader sweep of Academy of Art May 3
• Cal Baptist is hitting .311 as a team, averaging 6.1 runs and 8 hits a game
• The Lancers led the Pac West with 60 homers on the year
• Cal Baptist's pitching staff topped the Pac West with a 1.47 team ERA—fourth best in the nation
• Key players: Junior infielder and two-time Pac West Player of the Year Hannah Thieroff (.445 BA, 16 HR, 52 RBI); sophomore outfielder Caitlyn Lloyd (.400 BA, 12 HR, 37 RBI); sophomore righthanded pitcher Ciara Stapp (17-7, 1.18 ERA); junior righthanded pitcher Kellye Springstead (11-2, 1.58 ERA)
• The Lancers and Wildcats did not play each other during the regular season, but they are familiar postseason foes: Chico State and Cal Baptist went head-to-head in the 2015, 2016 and 2017 NCAA West Regional.
• The Wildcats have won the last three meetings, but the Lancers hold a 5-4 in the all-time series between the two teams.

 
UC San Diego Tritons

• Record: 35-17 (finished second in the CCAA)
• Ranking: No. 5 in the West Region, No. 21 in the nation
• The Tritons won seven straight games before dropping back-to-back decisions last Saturday in the CCAA Championship Tournament
• UC San Diego is batting .306 as a team, averaging 4.8 runs and 7.8 hits a game
• The Tritons' pitching staff sports a 2.51 team ERA
• Key players: Senior outfielder Kelsi Maday (.371 BA, 6 HR, 32 RBI, 29 SB); freshman catcher Bobbi Aguirre (.375, 8 HR, 50 RBI); freshman designated player Sherriah Harrington (.411, 5 HR, 26 RBI); lefthanded pitcher and CCAA Freshman of the Year Robyn Wampler (24-8, 1.67 ERA, CCAA-best 186 strikeouts)
• Chico State won four of five meetings with UC San Diego this season. The Wildcats took three out of four March 15-17 in La Jolla and a 7-0 decision Saturday at the CCAA Championship Tournament.
• The 'Cats have won six of the last seven matchups, but since 1983 the Tritons hold a 46-31 advantage over the Wildcats.

 
 
2018 NCAA WEST REGIONAL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
May 10-12, University Softball Field
Chico, Calif.
Double-elimination tournament
All times Pacific
 
Thursday, May 10
12:00 p.m.— Game 1: No. 5 UC San Diego (35-17) vs. No. 4 California Baptist (33-10)
2:30 p.m.— Game 2: No. 8 Northwest Nazarene (31-21) vs. No. 1 Chico State (50-3)
 
Friday, May 11
11 a.m.—Game 3: winner of Game 1 vs. winner of Game 2
1:30 p.m.—Game 4: loser of Game 1 vs. loser of Game 2 (elimination game)
4 p.m.—Game 5: winner of Game 4 vs. loser of Game 3 (elimination game)
 
Saturday, May 12
11 a.m.—Game 6: winner of Game 3 vs. winner of Game 5
1:30 p.m.—Game 7 (if necessary)