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USU Softball Plays In Cascade Clash This Weekend
March 12, 2008
LOGAN, Utah - Complete Release in PDF Format
Utah State (3-9, 0-0 WAC) at Cascade Clash Invitational
Utah State's Weekend Schedule QUICKLY - Utah State softball (3-9, 0-0 WAC) returns to tournament action this weekend, traveling to the Willamette Valley for the Cascade Clash Invitational. USU will take on Oregon State at Corvallis, Ore. on Friday, March 14 for a doubleheader starting at 3 p.m. (MT). The Aggies will then head to Eugene, Ore. on Saturday, March 15, where they will face Oregon in a twinbill starting at 1 p.m. (MT). On Sunday, March 16, USU returns to the field to conclude Cascade Clash action by facing No. 20 Washington in a doubleheader at Portland, Ore., beginning at Noon (MT). This weekend will be a bit of a homecoming for some of the Aggie softball players, as six hail from the state of Oregon: sophomore CF Emily Reilly (Portland/Central Catholic HS), junior 2B Jeanine Hernandez (Stayton/Stayton HS), freshman LF Megan McDonald (Salem/McNary HS), Sophomore C Simone Hubbard (Medford/South Medford HS), senior C Heather Haak (Salem/McKay HS) and Sophomore RF Michelle Workman (Tigard/Tigard HS). In its history, Utah State is a combined 11-24 against this weekend's opponents. USU is 3-9 on the season, going 1-2 last weekend in its first three-game series of the season at Colorado State. The Aggies won the first game, 4-3, before falling in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, 6-3. On Sunday, USU got run-ruled by CSU, 10-3, in five innings to wrap up the series. Oregon State is 13-13 overall, winning four of its last five games. OSU has played two WAC teams this season, beating New Mexico State, 6-3, on Feb. 8 and losing to Nevada, 5-3, on Feb. 15. The Beavers went 4-1 last weekend at the Blue and Gold Felsberg Memorial in Miami, Fla., winning two games against Ball State (8-1, 5-2) beating Harvard (5-2) and splitting two games with Florida International (lost 3-2, won 4-1). Oregon is 17-11 on the year and is currently on a three-game winning streak. UO went 4-1 last weekend at the UNLV Invitational, beating Southern Utah twice (10-6, 4-2), falling to then-No. 20 Ohio State (7-0) and picking up wins over UNLV (7-1) and New Mexico State (2-0). Washington is ranked No. 20 in the NFCA Poll, as the Huskies have a 16-6-1 record this season. UW was a Women''s College World Series participant last year, ending its season in the semifinals. Washington has won 10 of its last 11 games, after going 6-0 last weekend at the Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Huskies defeated Eastern Kentucky (4-0), Idaho State (11-3 in five innings), Southern Illinois twice in five innings (11-1, 9-0) and then-No. 15 Hawai'i twice (4-3, 8-6). UW is 3-0 against WAC schools this season, defeating UH twice last week and beating Nevada, 2-0, on March 2. SEASON 33 - The 2008 season marks the 33rd year of softball at Utah State... The Aggies enter the season with a 758-804-3 (.485) overall record... USU has one college World Series appearance (1984, tied for 7th) and four NCAA Tournament appearances (1984, 1989, 1992, 1993)... Utah State won the 1980 and 1981 AIAW National Championships... This is USU's third year in the Western Athletic Conference (WAC). ADMISSION - All games at LaRee and LeGrand Johnson Field are free admission to the public. LIVE STATS - Fans can follow both the Utah State - Oregan State series and the USU - Oregon games this weekend through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameWatcher and visiting the Utah State softball schedule page. ON THE AIR - Fans can listen to the Utah State - Washington games this weekend through www.gohuskies.com by signing up for a free-all access pass through CSTV.
TIDBITS ABOUT UTAH STATE - - Defensively, USU is seventh in team pitching with a 5.27 ERA, yielding 102 hits, while the Aggies are also seventh in strikeouts (33). - Sophomore CF Emily Reilly is 15th in the WAC in individual batting, hitting .324 and is tied for fourth with three sac bunts. She also leads USU with 11 hits. - Junior P Lindsey Benson is 10th in the WAC in innings pitched (50.1) and leads the team with a 4.17 ERA. - Sophomore P Stacey Ellingsworth is second on the team with a 6.63 ERA and has six strikeouts. - Senior 3B Amy Schaible belted her first home run of the season in the 6-5 win against Indiana on Feb. 16 and now has 15 in her career, as she needs three more home runs to tie Jennifer Power (1991-94) and Breanne Smith (1999-02) for third on USU's career home runs list. - Freshman LF Megan McDonald, sophomore RF Michelle Workman and Reilly have the longest active hitting streaks at three games each... Schaible had a four-game hitting streak snapped at Colorado State on March 9, while Reilly had a four-game hitting streak snapped against San Diego State on Feb. 16. - Schaible leads USU with four multi-hit games... Freshman SS Kelley Kaneshiro and junior DH Kayla Dunn lead the team with three hits in a game. - McDonald leads the Aggies with six RBI, as she is first on the team with a .455 average (5-for-11) with runners on base, while she also leads the team with runners in scoring position (.500, 5-for-10). - Schaible has a team-best a .444 slugging percentage. - Reilly owns the best average with two outs on the team (.333, 5-for-15), while she is averaging .333 (8-for-24) with the bases empty. - Junior 2B Jeanine Hernandez has the most success advancing runners for USU (.859, 12-for-14). - In Benson's 11 appearances and 10 starts, she has recorded a team-high 23 strikeouts including four against Indiana in the San Diego State tournament... She also has posted a .299 opponent batting average. - Sophomore 2B Nicole Rupp leads the team with three stolen bases, while Reilly has stolen two... Overall, the team has stolen 11 bases this season. - Schaible is USU's leading returner in batting average, hitting .293 last season, and led the team in runs scored (29), RBI (27) and home runs (11), as well as second among returners in doubles with five. - Last season, Schaible also led the team and ranked sixth in the WAC with 11 HR's, setting a new USU single-season HR school record, topping the previous record of 10, done three times by two different players: Sara Fleming (2005) and Sandy Taylor (1999 and 2000). - USU had only one player receive weekly honors from the WAC last season, as Emily Reilly earned Hitter of the Week honors on March 5, after posting .462 average for the week, going 6-for-13 with a double, triple and a home run, as well as three RBI. She had a .923 slugging percentage and .462 on-base percentage in four games during the week. The outfielder went 2-for-4 with a triple in Utah State's 5-4 win against Northern Colorado on March 1. She was also 3-for-4 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in the Aggies' 12-4 win against the Bears on March 3. - Junior P Lindsey Benson is the Aggies' leading returner on the pitching staff, as she made 29 appearances last season, recording 129 K's with a 3.61 ERA. - USU had the latest home opener in the WAC last season (April 3 vs. Utah Valley) and does again this season, as the Aggies' make their 2008 home debut on March 26 against in-state foe Utah. - Utah State had five student-athletes earn academic all-WAC honors last season. RETURNING - Second-year head coach Candi Letts returns five starters among 10 returning letterwinners from last season's squad that posted a 17-36 overall record and a 5-13 WAC ledger... Senior 3B Amy Schaible (5-5, Red Bluff, Calif.) headlines the returners, as she batted .293 with five doubles, 11 home runs and 27 RBI last season... Heather Haak (SR, C, 5-7, Salem, Ore.) hit .288 with two doubles, one home run and six RBI, and did not commit an error last season, posting a 1.000 fielding percentage... Tara Evans (SR, SS, 5-6, Bountiful, Utah) had a .281 average with eight doubles, one triple, five home runs and 21 RBI, as well as leading the team with 13 stolen bases... Aubrie Stroman (JR, 1B, 5-9, Red Bluff Calif.) hit .250 last season recording eight doubles, three home runs and 13 RBI... Lindsey Benson (JR, P, 5-7, Novato, Calif.) is USU's leading returning pitcher, posting a 3.61 ERA last season in 29 appearances with 149.1 innings and recorded a team-high 129 strikeouts... Stacey Ellingsworth (SO, P, 5-9, Richland, Wash.) threw 52.0 innings in 17 appearances and posted a 5.12 ERA.
LETTS' BITS - Letts won her first game last season at the helm of the Aggies with an 11-2 win against Southern Utah on Feb. 9. Letts became the first USU head coach to win their opener since Pam McCreesh won her first game in 1998. - Letts came to USU from Northern Illinois, where she was an assistant for one season... Prior to NIU, Letts was the head coach at the University of Mississippi, where she spent seven seasons guiding the Ole Miss program from 1999-2005, compiling a 153-246 (.372) record, including leading the Rebels to a school-record 30 wins in 2005. - Before Ole Miss, Letts was head coach at Colorado State University from 1994-98, amassing a 160-106-1 (.602) record in her five seasons there, as she re-established the softball program after it had been eliminated for one season. In 1997, Letts led the Rams to a 51-14 mark, winning the Western Athletic Conference championship and finishing ninth in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) final poll. That season Letts was named the WAC Coach of the Year, as well as the NCAA West Regional Coach of the Year. - Letts has a career head coaching mark of 333-402-1 (.453) in 13 seasons, reaching the 200 and 300 win milestones while at Ole Miss. - This is Letts' second go-round in the WAC, as she posted a 79-62 (.560) mark in WAC games while at Colorado State and is now 84-75 (.528) in six seasons. - As a head coach, Letts has coached four All-Americans, seven all-region players, 13 all-conference winners, one conference player of the year, and one freshman of the year. - As a pitcher at Creighton University from 1979-1983, Letts helped the Bluejays to three-straight trips to the College World Series. In her career in the circle, Letts compiled 43 wins to go with 16 saves, while logging an ERA of 0.76 and firing 276 strikeouts. In the 1982 season, Letts led the country with nine saves, a mark that still ranks as the fifth-most single-season saves in NCAA history. - After graduating from Creighton in 1983 with a bachelor's degree in physical education, Letts began her coaching career at the high school ranks, including head coach at Burlington, Iowa, for five seasons. Letts moved up to the college level in 1988, returning to Creighton, where she served as an assistant for six years, helping the Bluejays to two NCAA Regional trips, as well as making three appearances in the Top 25 poll and coaching one All-American. In 1991, Letts and Creighton played Utah in the longest game in NCAA history, a 31-inning contest.
ABOUT TOURNAMENT OPPONENTS Dani Chisholm, a sophomore IF/OF, leads the Beavers with a .407 average and 15 RBI, while senior UT Cambira Miranda has a team-leading five home runs and six doubles in posting a .300 average. In the circle, sophomore Kelly Dyer has a 2.97 ERA with a 7-9 record in 21 appearances, striking out 68 batters. Classmate Stefanie Draper has a 3.76 ERA with a 6-4 ledger in 22 appearances, tallying 39 strikeouts. Oregon State head coach Kirk Walker (UCLA, 1988) is in his 14th season leading the Beavers, posting a 475-360-3 career record, winning at least 40 games in the last four seasons and eight of the last nine. Walker is the all-time winningest coach in Beaver softball history and has been named Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice. Last season Walker led OSU to its ninth-straight postseason appearance, while advancing to the NCAA Regional Tournament.
OREGON - Oregon is 17-11 on the year and is currently on a three-game winning streak. UO went 4-1 last weekend at the UNLV Invitational, beating Southern Utah twice (10-6, 4-2), falling to then-No. 20 Ohio State (7-0) and picking up wins over UNLV (7-1) and New Mexico State (2-0). The Ducks are led by freshman 2B Courtney Kivett's .402 average in 97 at bats. Kivett also leads the team in hits (39), stolen bases (20) and runs (14). Sophomore OF Neena Bryant leads the team with 18 RBI and has a .348 batting average. In the circle, junior righthander Melissa Rice has a 7-4 record with a 2.31 ERA in 70 innings pitched, logging 56 strikeouts. Rice has pitched one shutout in five complete games. Head coach Kathy Arendsen (Chico State, 1980) is in her sixth season at Oregon where she has posted a 200-124 record, and her 19th year overall with a career record of 572-389. Arendsen has led the Ducks to four NCAA Tournament appearance, including a trip to the Regional finals last season. At the age of 37, Arendsen became the youngest player ever inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame in 1996 and was the only American in the record class of 19 inductees elected into the International Softball Federation Hall of Fame in 2004. While playing at Texas Woman's University and Cal State-Chico, Arendsen helped guide her teams to AIAW Division I National Championships in 1979 and 1980. WASHINGTON - Washington is ranked No. 20 in the NFCA Poll, as the Huskies have a 16-6-1 record this season. UW was a Women's College World Series participant last year, ending its season in the semifinals. Washington has won 10 of its last 11 games, after going 6-0 last weekend at the Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament in Honolulu, Hawai'i. The Huskies defeated Eastern Kentucky (4-0), Idaho State (11-3 in five innings), Southern Illinois twice in five innings (11-1, 9-0) and then-No. 15 Hawai'i twice (4-3, 8-6). UW is 3-0 against WAC schools this season, defeating UH twice last week and beating Nevada, 2-0, on March 2. Freshman 3B Jace Williams leads UW with a .424 average, while junior C Alicia Blake has swiped a team-leading 13 stolen bases and has a .328 average with a team-leading four home runs. In the circle, freshman Aleah Macon has a 1.22 ERA with a 7-3 record in 11 appearances, striking out 83. Macon has posted four shutouts in nine complete games. Washington head coach Heather Tarr (Washington, 1998) is in her fourth season at the leash of the Huskies, and has a 112-66 overall record. Tarr guided the team to the Women's College World Series last season for the first time since 2004, while she has led the Huskies to the NCAA Super Regionals in her first two seasons at the helm.
SERIES HISTORY VS WEEKEND OPPONENTS - UP NEXT - Utah State travels to Provo, Utah to take on South Dakota State and Brigham Young on Tuesday, March 18, facing SDSU at 2 p.m. (MT) and BYU at 4 p.m. (MT). The Aggies then open WAC action with a three-game series at Reno, Nevada against Nevada on Friday and Saturday, March 21-22. |
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