Follow the Aztecs
As always, you can follow the Aztecs via gametracker on GoAztecs.com. Gametracker for each SDSU game can be found by clicking under the "Aztecs Today" header on GoAztecs.com and finding the selected game. You can also click on "softball" and then "schedule" on GoAztecs.com, and scroll down to the selected game and click the gametracker link.

Also, you can now watch all Aztec home softball games online by visiting GoAztecs.com. The video can be found the same way as gametracker.

Aztec Softball Home Games to be Broadcast on KCR College Radio
The San Diego State softball team will have all four of its remaining home games broadcast live on KCR College Radio. The stations has already broadcast four Aztec games, including their seventh-inning walkoff win over Utah on April 10.

KCR College Radio is a volunteer-run student radio station located on the San Diego State University grounds. Sport director Joshua Hoffman will do the play-by-play for KCR with help from other staff in the sports department.

There are four ways to listen to KCR College Radio, including the Internet (Windows Media Player 9), which will be linked on the Aztec softball page for the duration of the season. In addition, you can listen to KCR on 1620 AM (locally on SDSU campus and surrounding community), Channel 956 on Cox Digital Cable and Channel 957 Time Warner Cable.

SDSU Softball to Host NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on Sunday
The San Diego State softball team will host a NCAA Selection Show Watch Party on Sunday, May 11 in the auditorium of the Aztec Athletics Center. The Aztecs, who are ranked No. 19 by ESPN.com/USA Softball and No. 21 by USA Today/NFCA, are still in the thick of the Mountain West Conference race heading into the final weekend of MWC play. SDSU is also No. 20 of 282 schools in the latest RPI released by the NCAA on Wednesday.

The selection show will air Sunday from 7-7:30 p.m. PT on ESPNU after the conclusion of the NCAA men's lacrosse first round game No. 8 (scheduled from 4:30-7 p.m. PT. Following the ESPNU show, a special 3-5-minute Division I softball update will air on ESPNews from 7:30-8 p.m. PT.

The event is open to the public beginning at 7 p.m.

The Run for the MWC Championship: Aztec Scenarios
The San Diego State softball team are still in the thick of the Mountain West Conference race heading into the final weekend of league play. SDSU owns a one-game lead on Brigham Young and a two-game cushion on Utah. However, the Aztecs just play two road contests this weekend while the Cougars and Utes each play four games, respectively.

San Diego State is 1-3 against Brigham Young this season and 2-2 versus Utah, while the Cougars and Utes each split two games against each other. Below are some scenarios:

a) two wins at UNLV and a loss by Brigham Young over its final four games
b) one win at UNLV and two losses by Brigham Young over its final four games and one loss by Utah over its final four games
c) three losses by Brigham Young over its final four games and two losses by Utah over its final four games

a) two wins at UNLV (Brigham Young will receive automatic bid to NCAA's)
b) one win at UNLV and a loss by Brigham Young over its final four games (Brigham Young will receive automatic bid to NCAA's)
c) two losses at UNLV and two losses by Brigham Young and one loss by Utah over its final four games (Brigham Young will receive automatic bid to NCAA's)

A Look at UNLV
UNLV enters the final weekend of Mountain West Conference play with a 25-38-1 record, including a 5-13 mark in league action. The overall record is a bit deceiving as the Rebels have knocked off nationally ranked Pac-10 foes Arizona State and Washington, and have played one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

UNLV is led offensively by Jaci Hull's .346 batting average. Hull is also tops on the team in runs (47), doubles (11), home runs (13), RBI (42), total bases (110), slugging percentage (.679), walks (43), times hit by pitch (7) and on-base percentage (.500). Alyssia de la Torre (.315, 4 HR, 12 SB) is also batting over .300 for the Rebels. Stephanie Bregante is the team's top pitcher with a 12-16 record and 3.45 ERA over 202 2/3 innings. Heather Slettvet (4-15, 5.67 ERA, 96 IP) has also logged a host of innings.

After a sweep in San Diego earlier this season, SDSU now leads the overall series, 39-34.

Last Weekend With the Aztecs
SDSU went a perfect 4-0 last weekend against Colorado State and New Mexico. Coupled with a 4-0 outing earlier this season on the road against the two teams, the Aztecs finished 4-0 against the two schools for just the second time in the nine-year history of the conference.

Tamani Wells led the offense for the second straight week with a .455 batting average (5-for-11). She was also tops on the team in hits, RBI (2), total bases (5) and on-base percentage (.455). Jen Wisneski was 3-for-8 (.375) with team-bests of three runs, one triple and a .625 slugging percentage, while Erin Floros and Lindsey Marquez each batted .333. Christina Ross once again led the pitching staff with a 4-0 record and 0.30 ERA over 23 innings. She struck out 27 with seven walks and limited her opponents to just a .148 batting average.

SDSU's Christina Ross Earns Eighth MWC Pitcher of the Week Honor of Season
In what seems to be a weekly occurrence, San Diego State's Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif./Univ. of Kansas) has once again been named the Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week. It is the league-leading eighth honor of the season for Ross and 11th of her career.

Ross has now won the award eight of the 12 possible opportunities this season (SDSU was off from March 25-April 1). Ross' 11 selections are tied with Celena Velasquez (2003-06) for the most in school history, while her eight season picks are the most in a single campaign by an Aztec.

Ross led SDSU to a 4-0 record last week, all by one run. Ross posted a 4-0 record with a 0.30 ERA over 23 innings. She allowed just 12 hits, only two for extra-bases, and seven walks. A lefthander, Ross tossed three complete games, including a shutout against New Mexico on Sunday, and struck out 27, while limiting her opponents to a .148 batting average.

On Friday, Ross pitched all seven innings with nine strikeouts in SDSU's 2-1 win over Colorado State. She allowed one unearned run on four hits and a walk.

Ross came back in the nightcap to toss two perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts to earn the win in the Aztecs' 3-2 victory.

On Saturday against New Mexico, Ross gave up her lone earned run of the weekend on five hits, all singles, and five walks in the team's 2-1 triumph over the Lobos. She also struck out seven.

Ross saved her best for last when she threw a complete game shutout against New Mexico on Sunday. She struck out nine and allowed just two baserunners (walk and single) over the first six innings.

This season, Ross is 28-12 and leads the league in ERA (0.99), innings pitched (260.2), strikeouts (251), wins and appearances (47), and is tied for the lead with 33 games started. Ross has already set a single-season school record with 251 strikeouts, while her 12 shutouts are tied with Velasquez (2005) for the most in a season. In addition, her 47 appearances tie her with Sandra Durazo (2001) for first and her 28 wins put her second behind Durazo's 30.

The Aztecs lead the league with 11 combined player and pitcher of the week winners. Besides Ross' eight pitcher of the week honors, sophomore Brittany Knudsen, junior Erin Floros and senior Megan McDonald have each been named the league's player of the week one time each. Colorado State is next with six winners, followed by Brigham Young, UNLV and Utah with three each. New Mexico's two selections round out the conference.

Movin' On Up...
After going 4-0 last weekend at home, with each of their wins by one run, the Aztecs remained the same in both major national polls.

SDSU is ranked No. 19 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. . In the ESPN.com poll, the Aztecs received 137 points, 50 more than the previous week, and are 23 points behind 18th-ranked Lousiana-Lafayette (160 pts.). Rounding out the top 25 are No. 20 Nevada (114), No. 21 Massachusetts (113), No. 22 Hawai'i (69), No. 23 DePaul (52), No. 24 Washington (44) and No. 25 California (33). As it stands right now, San Diego State has played three top-five teams, seven of the top 10 squads and 12 of the top 25 schools.

In the NFCA poll, SDSU picked up 159 points, 39 more than last week and 40 behind 20th-ranked DePaul, a team it beat earlier this season. The Aztecs are followed by No. 22 Massachusetts (90), No. 23 California (87), No. 24 Washington (39) and No. 25 Georgia (36).

In another poll, conducted by the website Ultimate College Softball, San Diego State is 21st with 85 points, up from its No. 25 ranking a week ago.

Aztecs Tie School Record With 41st Victory
With a 1-0 shutout against New Mexico on Senior Day on Sunday, the 2008 Aztecs tied a school record with their 41st victory of the season. The team joins the 2001 and 2002 squads at 41 wins.

This year's squad, however, did the feat in far less games. This season, SDSU did the deed in 56 games (41-15), while the 2002 Aztecs won 41 times over 64 games (41-22-1) and the 2001 team had 41 victories in 66 games (41-25).

To Be the Best, You've Got to Beat the Best
As former professional wrestler Ric Flair used to say, "To be the best, you've got to beat the best." The Aztecs are certainly making their case of being the best.

At 56 games into the season, SDSU is 41-15 (.732), including a 16-11 (.593) record against 2007 NCAA tournament teams and 5-2 (.714) mark against 2007 Women's College World Series squads. San Diego State has already beaten 2007 NCAA squads Cal Poly (3-0), California (7-0), UC Santa Barbara (4-1), Fresno State (3-2), Arizona (2-1), Northwestern (3-2), Eastern Michigan (3-0 and 4-3), Harvard (10-1 (5)), Oregon (3-2), Pacific (3-2), Cal State Fullerton (2-1 (9)), Texas A&M (3-0 (6)), Washington (9-5 (12)), DePaul (1-0 (8)) and BYU (4-0).

On the season, the Aztecs have played 27 games against 22 teams who made last year's tournament. As far as RPI goes, San Diego State has played seven of the top 10 RPI teams from last season, 12 of the top 25 and 23 of the top 50.

Aztecs and the RPI
After going 4-0 last week, SDSU moved up in each of the latest RPI's. The Aztecs are now No. 20 in the NCAA RPI out of 282 schools, up from No. 21 a week ago, and are No. 20 in the NFCA RPI after being No. 25 last week.

The RPI is a mathematical calculation used to help determine each team's success, using a calculated strength of schedule and won-loss percentage.

The NFCA RPI utilizes a formula that is based on the one used for Division I men's and women's basketball. There are minute differences in the penalties and bonuses that are specific to each sport. For example, there may be a small penalty for a Division I school that plays a non-Division I opponent and there may be a small bonus for beating a team that is ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll.

When determining the RPI for each team, the following basic formula is used for both the NFCA and NCAA RPI: 25% -- Winning percentage, 50% -- Opponents' winning percentage, 25% -- Opponents' opponents' winning percentage.

Although the NCAA publishes this basic formula, it does not release the mathematical bonuses and penalties specific for each sport. It is important to note that the NFCA RPI will not be exactly the same as the NCAA RPI, since the NCAA does not release its bonus and penalty calculations. However, the two should be close and the NFCA RPI should be an indication of where a team stands.

The NCAA does not endorse the NFCA RPI and is the more official one of the two ratings.

So Close...
Through 56 games, the Aztecs are 41-15. Sure, who wouldn't be happy with a 41-15 record? SDSU, however, could easily be in the single-digits in losses had a couple of bounces gone its way.

Consider the following when looking at San Diego State's 15 losses:

SDSU Ranked Among National Leaders
The San Diego State softball team is ranked among the NCAA leaders in a host of categories, while many individuals appear on the list as well.

The Aztec pitching staff is ranked No. 15 in the nation with a 1.31 ERA (Michigan leads at 0.78). In addition, SDSU's .732 win-loss percentage is 24th in the nation, while its 1.30 stolen bases per game is ranked 49th. Other top 100 marks include triples per game (64th, 0.20), double plays per game (71st, 0.30), fielding percentage (79th, .965) and team batting average (100th, .272).

Individually, senior Tamani Wells is sixth in sacrifice hits per game (0.38) and 60th in stolen bases per game (0.39).

Senior Christina Ross is tied for 11th in the nation with 28 wins, 18th with a 0.99 ERA and T-82nd with two saves, while sophomore Lindsey Marquez is tied for 18th with four sacrifice flies.

Aztec Pitchers Back to Their Same Old Tricks
One of the question marks going into the season was the stability of the SDSU pitching staff, with a proven player in two-time all-Mountain West Conference performer Christina Ross, and two unproven freshmen in Brooke Petty and Samantha Beasley. It looks like the pitching staff will no longer be a concern.

Despite playing 27 of its 56 games against 2007 NCAA opponents, the Aztec pitching staff is ranked No. 15 in the nation with a 1.31 team ERA. In addition, SDSU's .732 win-loss percentage is 24th in the nation.

The Aztecs are by far the best pitching team in the Mountain West Conference through 13 weeks of play. San Diego State is first in ERA, wins (41), win-loss percentage, fewest walks allowed (87), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.24), and WHIP (walks + hits/IP (1.01)). In addition, SDSU is second in opponents batting average (.212), innings pitched (391.1), strikeouts (369) and saves (4).

Individually, as of May 6, Ross is first in ERA (0.99), innings pitched (260.2), strikeouts (251), wins (28) and appearances (47), while tying for first with 33 games started.

Despite being freshmen, Petty is fourth in ERA (1.72) and opposing batting average (.205), while Beasley is fifth in ERA (2.05).

In Ross We Trust
To say that senior Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif.) is having one of the best seasons in the circle in school history is an understatement.

Ross is currently ranked 11th in the nation with 28 wins, 18th in ERA (0.99) and tied for 82nd with two saves. She also leads the Mountain West Conference in innings pitched (260.2), strikeouts (251) and appearances (47), while tying for first with 33 games started.

On the single-season list, Ross is already ranked first with 251 strikeouts, and tied for first in appearances and total shutouts (12). In addition, she is second in wins, second in innings pitched, third in win-loss percentage (.700), tied for third in games started (33), fourth in complete games (27), fifth in opponents average (.205) and sixth in ERA.

What might even be more impressive is Ross' climb up the career charts despite playing in just her third year at SDSU. Ross, who played her freshman year at Kansas before transferring to The Mesa, is ranked among the top 10 in all 16 pitching categories. Ross is also ranked in the top 5 in 12 categories, including strikeouts (1st, 588), solo shutouts (1st, 21), wins (2nd, 68), win-loss percentage (2nd, .667), total shutouts (2nd, 26), saves (3rd, 6), innings pitched (3rd, 658.1), complete games (T-3rd, 68), games started (4th, 91), opponents average (4th, .219), strikeout-to-walk ratio (4th, 4.08) and appearances (5th, 124).

Ross has also put together a pair of impressive streaks this season. The first was a streak of 30 scoreless innings from March 20-April 6 and a streak of 35 innings without giving up an earned run over the same period. The second, which ended in the sixth inning of game one at New Mexico on April 18, was a streak of 39 innings without issuing a walk that began on April 6.

Like a Rock
Although the Aztecs have started 35 different batting lineups and 33 separate fielding lineups through their 56 games, one thing has remained constant: the outfield. 12th-year head coach Kathy Van Wyk said in the beginning of the season that this is the best outfield she has ever had at San Diego State and the combination of senior Tamani Wells, junior Tonye McCorkle and sophomore Brittany Knudsen hasn't disappointed.

In 56 games, the trio has combined to bat .305 (rest of team is batting .253) with 98 runs scored (rest of team has 122), 18 doubles (rest of team has 29), seven triples (rest of team has four), 65 RBI (rest of team has 125), 52 walks (rest of team has 102) and 43 stolen bases (rest of team has 31). They have also combined for a .389 slugging percentage (rest of team is at .322).

They have been just as brilliant the field running down ball after ball. They have combined to post a .956 fielding percentage with just seven errors. In addition, each has at least three outfield assists, with Knudsen's seven leading the way.

No other Aztec has earned a start in the outfield and only junior Erin Floros has also started in all 56 contests. In fact, Wells has now started 136 consecutive games dating back to the 2006 season, the longest such streak on the team.

This season, Knudsen has started all 56 contests in right field, the only Aztec to start each game at the same position, while Wells has 35 starts in center and 21 starts in left and McCorkle vice versa (35 in left, 21 in center).

At the plate, Wells has batted from the No. 2 hole in all but one of her starts, while McCorkle has seen 13 of her starts as the leadoff, 41 in the three spot and one in the five spot. Knudsen has 42 starts at leadoff, nine in the No. 3 spot, two each at No. 5 and No. 6, and one in the second spot.

Put Me in Coach
With the Aztecs hitting their stride 56 games into the season, head coach Kathy Van Wyk is faced with a major problem, how to find enough playing time for all the veterans and the contributing newcomers.

Junior transfer Tony McCorkle and a plethora of incoming freshmen have already left their stamp on the Aztec team, helping the squad to 41-15 record out of the gate, including five victories against nationally ranked squads.

McCorkle, a 2006 Co-Big East Freshman of the Year and all-conference performer at Syracuse, leads the 2008 Aztecs in at-bats (181), and triples (3). In addition, she is second in batting average (.304), runs (34), RBI (30), slugging percentage (.392), walks (19) and stolen bases (11). McCorkle is also one of four Aztecs, along with Tamani Wells, Erin Floros and Brittany Knudsen, to earn the starting nod in every game this season.

Freshman Jen Wisneski has shored up the infield at shortstop by exhibiting great range and a strong arm, and has improved at the plate. Through 56 games, Wisneski is tied for first on the squad with three triples. Her five game-winning RBI is tied for third on the squad.

Samantha Beasley has appeared in 32 games with 29 starts and is hitting .282. Five of her 22 hits have been doubles and another two were homers (grand slam and three-run). In the circle, Beasley is 7-2 with a 2.05 ERA in 71 2/3 innings.

Brooke Petty is 6-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 57.0 innings, while Taylor Sutton (.379 OB%) and Jessica Camello (8 R, 3 RBI) each are putting together solid first seasons on The Mesa.

She's Baaaaack...
After missing most of the 2007 campaign with a torn ACL, it is safe to say that junior Erin Floros is back.

Through 56 games, Floros, a 2006 All-American, is leading the squad with 37 RBI. She is also second doubles (8), slugging percentage (.392) and on-base percentage (.381).

In conference games, Floros leads the team and is sixth in the MWC with a .375 average, while her .483 on-base percentage is third in the league. Floros is also tied for fourth in times hit by pitch (3), tied for sixth in sac bunts (3), tied for seventh in doubles (4), eighth in putouts (82), tied for eighth in walks (7) and tied for ninth in hits (18).

Floros also has started all 56 games, joining the outfield crew of Tamani Wells, Tonye McCorkle and Knudsen has the only players to earn the starting nod in all 56 contests.

Floros has performed well in the field as well, despite playing a bit of third base and first base for the first time in her collegiate career. Floros, who has also seen time at catcher and the designated player spot, has committed just three errors in 268 fielding chances for a .989 fielding percentage (7th in MWC).

With enough at-bats to now qualify for SDSU's career top-10 list, Floros is fourth in slugging percentage (.455) and on-base percentage (.405), and fifth in batting average (.331). In addition, she is tied for eighth with seven career home runs.

Aztec Softball Featured on ESPN.com
The No. 25 San Diego State softball team was featured in the "College Sports" section of ESPN.com on Feb. 25. The article, written by Graham Hays, talks about SDSU's surprising victories over two-time defending NCAA champion Arizona and No. 3/2 Northwestern, and playing arguably the toughest schedule among all the 24 teams at the Palm Springs Classic.

The Aztecs defeated both Wildcat teams by one run, first defeating Arizona, 2-1, behind a season-high 11 strikeout performance by senior Christina Ross and then knocking off Northwestern, 3-2, on junior Erin Floros' walkoff single in the bottom of the seventh.

San Diego State would eventually fall in its next three contests, 1-0 to No. 6/8 Oklahoma, 7-6 to No. 18/19 Georgia and 7-5 to No. 13/10 Baylor, but was in each game until the very end. The ESPN.com link can be found by clicking the following link: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/columns/story?columnist=hays_graham&id=3263570

SDSU Wins Campbell/Cartier For First Time in 18-year History
The Aztecs went 5-0 from Feb. 15-17 to capture their first-ever Campbell/Cartier Classic title in the 18-year history of the event. The 5-0 weekend was a huge improvement from the year before where SDSU went 1-4 to finish sixth of six teams. San Diego State will look to be the first team to repeat in 2009 since Stanford won the Classic in 2000 and 2001.

Long Beach State's four championships are the most followed by UCLA with three. Cal State Northridge, Sacramento State and Stanford each have won two, while the Aztecs, California, Pacific and Washington have one apiece.

SDSU Softball Picked Second in Preseason Mountain West Conference Poll
The San Diego State softball team has been picked to finish second in the 2008 Mountain West Conference in the preseason poll voted on by the league's coaches.

SDSU collected 19 points, including one first-place vote, to finish second behind Brigham Young's 25 points. The Cougars, who had the other five first-place votes, were followed by the Aztecs, UNLV (15), Colorado State and New Mexico, which tied for fourth with 13 points, and Utah (5).

San Diego State, which only lost two starters from a year ago, returns nine players who started at least 25 games in 2007, including all-MWC performers senior Christina Ross (Santa Clarita, Calif./Univ. of Kansas), and sophomores Brittany Knudsen (San Diego/Escondido HS) and Lindsey Marquez (Tustin, Calif./Lutheran HS). Junior Erin Floros (San Diego/Mt. Carmel HS), a 2006 All-American, also returns for SDSU after missing most of 2007 with a knee injury.

Head Coach Kathy Van Wyk Closing in Passes Win No. 400
With a 4-0 shutout over Brigham Young in the second game of a doubleheader on April 24, SDSU 12th-year head coach Kathy Van Wyk picked up her 400th career victory. Five wins later, Van Wyk is sitting at 405.

Under Van Wyk's leadership, the Aztecs have won three of the last seven (2002, 2003, 2006) Mountain West Conference regular-season titles, advanced to the NCAA tournament three times in the past seven seasons, including regional runner-up finishes in 2001 and 2006, and compiled a .600 or higher winning percentage in five of the last seven campaigns. SDSU has improved its winning percentage in six of the last nine seasons and has been .500 or better in nine of Van Wyk's 11 years.

Van Wyk is also the first Aztec softball coach to achieve a top-25 ranking, three 40-win seasons and is the fastest to both 100 and 200 career wins in the history of the program.

A two-time MWC Coach of the Year, Van Wyk has coached 34 all-conference selections, 16 NFCA all-West Region picks, five MWC pitchers of the year, three freshmen of the year and one All-American. In addition, she has had 67 Player or Pitcher of the Week winners, including a league high 11 this season.