| SDSU Softball to Play Host to Loyola-Chicago |
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| Written by Softball Basis | |
| Tuesday, 04 March 2008 | |
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San Diego, California - The San Diego State softball team looks to continue its best start in school history when it takes on Loyola-Chicago at 7 p.m. Wednesday at SDSU Softball Stadium. The Aztecs (16-5), who are ranked No. 17 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll and No. 21 by USA Today/NFCA, are off to their best start in school history, while the Ramblers are 3-8.
Tomorrow’s game will be the third meeting between the two schools with each team picking up a win at the Stanford Classic a season ago.
SDSU is led offensively by senior Tamani Wells (Concord, Calif.), who is batting a team-best .353. She is also tops on the squad in hits (24), sacrifice bunts (8) and stolen bases (8).
Sophomore Brittany Knudsen (San Diego, Calif./Escondido HS) leads San Diego State in slugging percentage (.500), walks (14) and on-base percentage (.472), while junior Tonye McCorkle paces the Aztecs in at-bats (70) and runs (16).
With 20 RBI in 21 games, junior Erin Floros (San Diego, Calif./Mt. Carmel HS), who was named the Mountain West Conference Player of the Week earlier in the day, is on pace to break the school’s single-season RBI total of 41 set by Kelcy Murphy in 2002.
Senior Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.) leads the pitching staff with a 10-4 record and 0.64 ERA. She has struck out 78 over 87 2/3 innings and has limited her opponents to a .195 batting average. Ross, who was named the MWC Pitcher of the Week earlier in the day for the third straight week, also has tossed eight complete games and has four combined shutouts.
The freshmen tandem of Brooke Petty (San Diego, Calif./Vista HS) and Samantha Beasley (San Diego, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) has also done well when called upon. Petty is 3-0 with a 1.04 ERA over 27 innings. She has 23 strikeouts against two walks and has limited her opponents to a .200 average, while Beasley has gone 3-1 with a 1.56 ERA in 27 innings.
Loyola-Chicago’s 3-8 record is a bit deceiving as it has played a tough schedule thus far. The Ramblers have beaten UNLV, Texas Tech and Loyola Marymount, while four of their losses have come against nationally ranked teams Washington, Arizona State (twice) and Oregon State.
Ellen Kresl leads the squad with a .483 batting average and five stolen bases, while Kaycee Tharp (.400), Kat Krause (.347, two homers) and Lindsay O’Gean (.333) are also batting over .300. Amy Solava (2-4, 3.33 ERA) and Krista Crosson (0-3, 3.74) appear to be Loyola-Chicago’s best pitchers.
After its game with the Ramblers, SDSU will travel to Tempe, Ariz., for the Arizona State Tournament. Highlighting the tournament will be the host Sun Devils, who are 21-1 and ranked No. 1 in both the ESPN.com/USA Softball and USA Today/NFCA polls.
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