San Jose, Calif. – Coming off a 7-0 week, including sweeping six games in the inaugural Spartan Invitational, the San José State softball team wraps up its non-conference schedule with a mid-week double header and then opens Mountain West Conference play at Fresno State this weekend.
San Jose State (18-9)
vs.
Manhattan College (8-8)
March 19 (12:00 p.m. & 2:30 p.m.)
Spartan Softball Field – San Jose, Calif.
at Fresno State (14-9, 0-3 MW)
March 22 (6:00 p.m.), March 23 (3:00 p.m.) & March 24 (12:00 p.m.)
Margie Wright Field – Fresno, Calif.
QUICK LOOK AT THE SPARTANS (18-9)
The Spartans enters the week with its last two non-conference games, a doubleheader against Manhattan, and then opens Mountain West play at Fresno State this weekend.
Coming off a 7-0 record last week, senior Madison Aurin leads the team with a .333 batting average (25-for-75) and is also the leader in doubles (6) and is tied for the team lead in RBIs (14) and homers (3). Arianna Miranda, a freshman, is batting .306 (22-for-72) and is tied with Aurin in homer and RBIs. Junior Makayla Englestad is hitting just under .300, at .289 (22-for-76), has scored a team-leading 16 runs, has collected 10 walks and is 4-for-5 in stolen base attempts. As a team, the Spartans are hitting .269, are 7-for-8 in stolen bases and have a fielding percentage of .957.
In the circle, the Spartans have a team ERA of 3.33 with sophomore Caroline Bowman and freshman Jenessa Ullegue posting 7-3 and 8-2 records, respectively. Ullegue has two saves, eight starts and 14 total appearances with a 1.94 ERA. In 61.1 innings she has 44 strikeouts, 22 walks and opposing batters are hitting .210 off her. Bowman has tossed 52.2 innings, has struck out 31 with 12 walks. She has a 3.46 ERA in 12 starts and 15 total appearances and batters are hitting .263 off her.
OPPONENT PREVIEWS
Scouting Manhattan (8-8)
Manhattan enters the week with an 8-8 record after going 2-3 at last weekend's Saint Mary's Tournament.
The Jaspers are batting .294 as a team. Annie Moore leads the offense with a .411 average (23-for-56), 16 RBIs, seven doubles and has two homers. Lauren Pitney, batting .350 (14-for-40), leads Manhattan with four home runs and 22 walks.
In the circle, the Jaspers have used three pitchers with each sharing a near equal load. Starting six of the team's 16 games, Kayla McDermott (2-3) has two complete games, two saves and a team-best 4.37 ERA. In 41.2 innings she has 21 strikeouts, 16 walks and opposing batters are hitting .313 off her this season. Stephanie Kristo has five starts, a 4-2 record, and a 4.38 ERA. In 32.0 innings she has struck out 11, walked 16 and opponents are hitting .286 off her.
Head coach Tom Pardalis, in his tenth season leading the Manhattan program, brought a 226-223 record into the 2019 season.
This will be the first time these programs have met.
Scouting Fresno State (14-9, 0-3 MW)
Fresno State (14-9, 0-3 MW) enters the week coming off being swept at Colorado State last weekend in its Mountain West opener. They were out scored 31-13 in the three games and will host CSUN on Wednesday before the Spartans come to town for the weekend.
The Bulldogs are batting .296 as a team. Rachel Minogue leads the offense with a .380 average (27-for-71).
The power comes from Vanessa Hernandez who is hitting .358 (245-for-67) and leads the team in doubles (11), homers (6) and RBIs (25).
In the circle, Fresno State has used three pitchers with each sharing a near equal load. Starting eight of the team's 23 games, Hailey Dolcini (6-3) has five complete games, two shutouts and a team-best 2.97 ERA. In 52.2 innings she has 51 strikeouts, 66 walks and opposing batters are hitting .260 off her this season.
Head coach Linda Garza, in her third season leading the Bulldogs program, brought a 66-46 record into the 2019 season.
These teams have met 105 times, with Fresno State completely dominating the Spartans to the tune of a 91-14 advantage in the all-time series.
SPARTAN NOTES
Bow Throws A No-No
Caroline Bowman (So., RHP, Sammamish, Wash.) became the 13TH player in program history to throw a no-hitter when she defeated the UMass Lowell River Hawks 5-0 on March 15. Bowman (7-3) faced one batter over the minimum and but for her own fielding error in the second inning would have tossed a perfect game. In the game, the down-ball pitcher had one strikeout and recorded 18 of the other 20 outs on the infield. It is Bowman's first no-hitter as a collegiate pitcher.
Aurin And The Career Lists
Madison Aurin (Sr., INF/RHP, Bakersfield, Calif.) can legitimately lay claim to being, by the end of her career, the best all-around player in Spartan softball history. Aurin ranks in the top-10 of batting average (7th - .344), on-base percentage (10th - .404), slugging (2nd-.570), home runs (4th - 26), RBIs (3rd – 140), total bases (5th – 298) and sacrifice flies (1st – 12). In the circle, she has the seventh lowest opponents batting average (.274), ranks tenth in fewest walks/7 inning (2.14) and is ninth in saves (3). Defensively she is first in fielding percentage (.992) and double plays turned (55) and eighth in putouts (861).
Fresno Not Kind To Spartans
Since the two programs began playing in 1986, Fresno has been an especially unkind to the Spartans. The teams have met 52 times in Fresno with the Bulldogs taking 46 of those matchups. The good news for SJSU is that in the last two series the teams have played on the Bulldogs diamond, San Jose State has won four of six.