In the middle of a tight California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) race, the Chico State softball team takes a brief break from conference play this weekend. The Wildcats are traveling to Turlock to take part in the 18th annual Tournament of Champions, playing five games in three days against some of the best and hottest teams in the West Region. The tournament, hosted by Stanislaus State, gets underway Friday at the Pedretti Sports Complex.
 
The Wildcats take on Holy Names Friday at 4:30 p.m., followed by a 7 p.m. tilt against Central Washington. Saturday Chico State squares off with Montana State-Billings at 3 p.m., then take on Hawaii Hilo at 7 p.m. The 'Cats conclude the Tournament of Champions Sunday with an 11:30 a.m. contest against Concordia (Oregon).
 
Fans can follow the action online with Live Stats, available through the Wildcat Athletics website.
 
Chico State makes its 17th Tournament of Champions appearance, and is the defending tournament champ. The Wildcats, 18-7 on the season, look to bounce back from a mini-series sweep at the hands of UC San Diego, which took both ends of a doubleheader Sunday before rain washed out the final two games of the series.
 
As a result of the two losses, the 'Cats fell to second place in the CCAA (16-6 conference record) and slipped from No. 4 to No. 13 in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division II Top 25 rankings.
 
Historically, the Wildcats have enjoyed quite a bit of success at the Tournament of Champions. Chico State is 61-38 in its previous 16 appearances, and since 2016 has won 16 of 17 tournament games. Last season the 'Cats were a perfect 5-0 in Turlock, outscoring their opponents 32-4 to capture the tournament title.
 
Since Angel Shamblin became Chico State's head coach in 2010, the Wildcats sport a 37-20 record at the Tournament of Champions.
 
Chico State owns a team batting average of .310, averaging over five runs and eight hits a game. The Wildcats' pitching staff has posted a sparking 1.95 team earned run average, and have held opponents to a .202 batting average.
 
The 'Cats will certainly be challenged at this year's Tournament of Champions. Three of their opponents have winning records heading into the weekend, with Central Washington sitting atop the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) standings and Hawaii Hilo in contention for the Pacific West Conference title. Two other opponents are in the midst of five-game winning streaks.
 
Below are thumbnail descriptions of the Wildcats' Tournament of Champions opponents:
 
Holy Names (Friday, 4:30 p.m., Pedretti Sports Complex)

• The Hawks are 9-12 on the season and sit in seventh place in the PacWest with an 8-8 conference record.
• Holy Names is playing its best softball of the season, winning its last five games heading into the Tournament of Champions. A non-conference doubleheader Wednesday against Concordia (Oregon) was rained out.
• Offense: the Hawks are hitting .240 as a team, averaging 3.6 runs and six hits a game.
• Pitching: The Holy Names staff carries a 3.12 team earned run average (fourth-best in the PacWest).
• Chico State faces the Hawks for the first time since 2006. The Wildcats have won all four of the previous meetings between the two teams.

 
Central Washington (Friday, 7 p.m., Pedretti Sports Complex)

• The Wildcats are 18-6 overall and lead the GNAC with a 10-2 conference record.
• Central Washington dropped a pair Sunday to Concordia (Oregon), but rebounded Wednesday with a 10-2 non-conference win over Stanislaus State. The Wildcats play one more game prior to the Tournament of Champions, taking on No. 5 Concordia-Irvine Thursday.
• Offense: Central Washington is batting a collective .337, averaging seven runs and 10 hits a game.
• Pitching: The Wildcats own a 4.17 team ERA.
• Chico State leads Central Washington 16-11 in the all-time series. Friday will mark the first meeting of the two Wildcats teams since 2015.

 
Montana State-Billings (Saturday, 3 p.m., Turlock Regional Sports Complex)

• The Yellowjackets began the week 7-14 on the season and in seventh place in the GNAC with a 1-7 conference record.
• Montana State-Billings has lost 10 of its last 11 games. The Yellowjackets are scheduled to play seven games in the next four days (a make-up doubleheader vs. Western Oregon is scheduled Thursday prior to their five Tournament of Champions games), but due to rainouts, the team has not taken the field since March 9.
• Offense: Montana State-Billings is hitting .263 as a team, averaging 4.5 runs and 6.6 hits a game.
• Pitching: The Yellowjackets team ERA is 4.36.
• Chico State has won six of nine decisions vs. Montana State-Billings over the years, including a 9-1 victory over the Yellowjackets at last season's Tournament of Champions.

 
Hawaii Hilo (Saturday, 7 p.m., Pedretti Sports Complex)

• The Vulcans are 21-11 so far in 2019, and in third place in the PacWest with a 16-8 conference record.
• Hawaii Hilo enters the Tournament of Champions having lost three out of four earlier this week to No. 5 Concordia-Irvine.
• Offense: The Vulcans have combined to hit .295, averaging over six runs and eight hits a game. Hawaii Hilo leads the PacWest with 27 home runs.
• Pitching: Vulcans hurlers have been extremely effective this season, boasting a team ERA of 2.72.
• Hawaii Hilo leads Chico State 9-6 in the all-time series between the two teams. The last time they met, the Wildcats beat the Vulcans 4-2 at the 2017 Tournament of Champions.

 
Concordia (Oregon) (Sunday, 11:30 a.m., Pedretti Sports Complex)

• The Cavaliers are 14-13 overall and in fourth place in the GNAC with a 7-5 conference record.
• Concordia has won five straight and seven of its last 10 games entering the Tournament of Champions. The Cavaliers swept doubleheaders last weekend vs. Saint Martin's and Central Washington, but pre-tournament doubleheaders against Holy Names Wednesday and Notre Dame de Namur Thursday were rained out.
• Offense: Concordia owns a .292 team batting average, scoring five runs and posting 7.5 hits a game.
• Pitching: the Cavaliers' staff ranks third in the GNAC with a 3.77 team ERA.
• Chico State and Concordia have met just twice on the softball diamond, with the Wildcats winning both contests. The last time the two teams met was at the 2018 Desert Stinger Tournament in Las Vegas, where the 'Cats prevailed 13-2.