THE SCHEDULE
Games 43 & 44
at Cal State East Bay (23-20, 11-17 CCAA)
Friday, April 17 • 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Pioneer Softball Field • Hayward
Live Stats
Games 45 & 46
at Cal State East Bay
Saturday, April 18 • 11:00 a.m. (DH)
Pioneer Softball Field • Hayward
Live Audio • Live Stats
The UC San Diego softball team suffered a tough series loss to California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) leader and 12th-ranked Humboldt State last weekend. The Jacks' four-game sweep dropped the Tritons to seventh in the CCAA standings. UCSD is in Hayward this weekend, looking to keep its postseason hopes alive. The Tritons will play a doubleheader on Friday starting at 1 p.m. and two more on Saturday with an 11 a.m. start time on Senior Day (free admission) at Pioneer Softball Field. The Tritons are 22-20 overall and hold a 12-16 mark in conference. The Pioneers are 23-20 on the season with an 11-17 league record.
GOING LIVE
Live stats are available for all UCSD games. Cal State East Bay will also provide a live audio broadcast on Saturday. Fans can access live coverage for home and away dates from the UCSD schedule page.
SCHEDULE OUTLOOK
The Tritons opened the 2015 campaign with 12-straight games at Triton Softball Field. UCSD has 24 games scheduled in La Jolla with the last series listed on April 24-25 against Cal State San Bernardino. After traveling to Cal State Stanislaus, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Chico State, the Tritons will play their final road series of the regular season this weekend at Cal State East Bay. UCSD traveled to Turlock for the Tournament of Champions last weekend, where they went 3-3. The 2015 CCAA Championship will be held May 1-3 in Stockton. Check out the full schedule by clicking here.
GERCKENS EARNS 600TH WIN
Triton head coach Patti Gerckens, in her 23rd season in charge, earned her milestone 600th career win with a doubleheader sweep against San Francisco State on Friday, Feb. 13. UCSD won the opener, 4-1, and the Tritons' 5-3 victory in game two helped Gerckens accomplish the feat. Already the winningest head coach in program history, Gerckens has led the Tritons to 10 NCAA postseason berths, six CCAA Championship appearances, one CCAA Championship title in 2012 and a national championship in 2011.
2015 CCAA STANDINGS
UCSD began conference play with a four-game series sweep over SF State at Triton Softball Field, then traveled to Turlock where it took three of four against Cal State Stanislaus. The Tritons hit a rough patch in conference play as they lost their first series taking just one of four from No. 3 Cal State Monterey Bay in Seaside, dropped three of four at home against Sonoma State, and got swept in Carson by Cal State Dominguez Hills. UCSD turned things around as it took three of four on the road against Chico State. Most recently, the Tritons were swept by No. 13 Humboldt State at Triton Softball Field. UCSD's 12-16 record puts them in seventh place in the CCAA standings. Humboldt State sits in first place with a league record of 22-6 and CSUMB is close behind at 21-7.
1. Humboldt State; 22-6, 36-10
2. Cal State Monterey Bay; 21-7, 37-9
3. Sonoma State; 18-9, 32-15
4. Cal State San Bernardino; 15-12, 23-21
5. Chico State; 15-13, 22-16
6. Cal State Dominguez Hills; 14-14, 21-23
7. UC San Diego; 12-16, 22-20
8. Cal State East Bay; 11-17, 23-20
9. Cal State Stanislaus; 6-22, 14-28
10. San Francisco State; 5-23, 10-34
DUARTE TOSSES ONE-HITTER
Junior right-handed pitcher Hannah Duarte threw her first complete game one-hit shutout on March 28 against Notre Dame de Namur. Duarte nearly had a perfect game as just two Agronauts reached base on an error and a hit. Duarte's performance against Notre Dame de Namur was her second complete game shutout of the weekend. The first came against Chaminade on March 27. Her most recent complete game shutout came on April 3 against Chico State. Duarte worked 8 innings giving up three hits and three walks while fanning three batters to give UCSD the 1-0 win.
BAKER TO FIRST
Freshmen Kendall Baker hold the Tritons' longest active on base streak. The second baseman has reached base in 15 straight games. Junior outfielder Taylor Abeyta previously had the longest on base streak this season with 19 straight games, ending on March 6 in game two against Sonoma State.
WALK THIS WAY
Lead off hitter McKenna Clewett has amassed 16 walks so far this season, which leads the Tritons. Clewett's 16 walks also set a career-high for the junior shortstop. Her previous record was 10, which she set last year. Additionally, Clewett leads the team in OBP (.425), runs (20), hits (39), and total bases (59).
CLEARING THE FENCE
Two Tritons are tied for first on the team in home runs. Freshman catcher Lauren Sanders took the top spot after she hit her fourth homer of the year against Hawaii Pacific and Dominican on March 27. Freshman outfielder Kelsi Maday tied the record at the Tournament of Champions as she hit a solo shot in the Tritons' 8-0 shutout win against Chaminade. Sophomore catcher and first baseman Emma Schneider is tied for third with three after she hit a home run in each game of the doubleheader on March 22 against Cal State Dominguez Hills. Junior shortstop McKenna Clewett tied Schneider's mark after she led off game one on March 23 with a solo shot. Additonally, Kendall Woken has one home run on the year after hitting a grand slam on Feb. 21 in game one against Cal State Stanislaus.
SANDERS SLUGGING
Freshman Lauren Sanders currently leads the team in four hitting categories: batting average (.337), slugging percentage (.500), home runs (4), and sacrifice flies (3). Sanders holds the second spot in RBI (19).
SAVING THE DAY
Senior pitcher Mo Omori has accumulated four saves through 20 appearances, putting her in a four-way tie for first place on UCSD's single-season list. Omori is on pace for five saves in the regular season, which would not only set a new single-season record, but would put her in a tie for third place behind assistant coach Camille Gaito's first place all-time record of nine and Melissa Ward's second place record of eight.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Four Tritons sport a perfect fielding percentage in 2015: Ashley Chestnut, Taylor Abeyta, Mo Omori and Emily Sklencar. Combined, the four have made 252 putouts and account for 23 assists.
SHUT IT DOWN
The Tritons are second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) with eight shutouts this season. After recording four shutouts in the month of February, the Tritons added two more in the final weekend of March. UCSD then opened April with back-to-back shutouts against Chico State.
BIANCA DEVOTO NAMED CCAA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sophomore utility Bianca Devoto was named California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) Softball Player of the Week for the week of March 30-April 5. The Livermore product led the Tritons as they took three of four from Chico State on the road. With the series win, UCSD moved up to fifth place in the CCAA standings. Devoto's bat was crucial in the series, hitting .625 (5-for-8) with two doubles, four RBI and three walks. Of Devoto's three games, she drove in the winning run in two. In Friday's opener, her pinch-hit, bases-loaded walk in the eighth forced in the lone run of a 1-0 shutout. Devoto's most impressive effort came in Saturday's first game. She had an RBI double in the first, before once again accounting for the game-winner.
OMORI AND SANDERS EARN WEEKLY HONORS
Senior pitcher Mo Omori and freshman catcher Lauren Sanders were named CCAA Softball Pitcher and Player of the Week, respectively, for the week of Feb. 2-8. Omori shined in the circle in UCSD's opening week, making five appearances in six games with two starts. In Omori's 16 innings, she has given up just two runs, only one of which was earned, while striking out seven batters. With her performance in the first week, Omori picked up two wins of the season with an ERA of 0.44. Sanders was also a huge part in UCSD's 5-1. In the second game of the series against SMU, Sanders led off the second inning by hitting the first home run of 2015 on a deep shot over the center field fence, putting UCSD up 1-0. She came up big again for the Tritons in the sixth with her second homer of the night to give the Tritons the 3-2 victory. Sanders went 6-for-11 against the Saints with three RBI, two home runs and a walk. The Tritons picked up three player of the week honors in 2014 and Edwards was UCSD's only pitcher of the week honoree last season.
WHO'S BACK, WHO'S NOT SNAPSHOT
UCSD is coming off a 34-18 overall season while finishing third in the CCAA with a 20-10 mark. The Tritons made their eighth DII NCAA postseason appearance, where they were eliminated from West Regional after losses to Dixie State, 5-3, and Central Washington, 10-1. Head coach Patti Gerckens, going into her 23rd season leading the Tritons, welcomes back the seven players, including Daktronics All-West Region Second Team selection and All-CCAA First Team honoree Alexis Edwards and All-CCAA Second Team member McKenna Clewett. Edwards compiled a 19-10 record and a 2.12 ERA in 168.1 innings last year while leading the Tritons in ERA (2.12), opposing batting average (.230), wins (19), innings pitched (168.1), strikeouts (80) and appearances (32). Clewett finished the 2014 season hitting .372, good for second on the team and scored 27 runs, hit one home run and tallied 25 RBI in 52 games.
HEAD COACH PATTI GERCKENS
Patti Gerckens is in her 23rd season in charge at UCSD. The winningest head coach in program history, Gerckens has led the Tritons to four straight NCAA postseason berths, beginning with back-to-back school-record 45-win seasons and appearances in the Division II championship game, the first of which brought UCSD its first softball title in 2011. The Tritons finished as national runners-up in her milestone 20th campaign in 2012. Gerckens has amassed an overall record of 615-519 (.544), with eight straight 30-win seasons among 10 total. The Tritons have gone 449-335 (.569) in 14 years since Gerckens guided the team's transition from Division III to Division II in 2001, including 269-189 (.587) as a member of the ultra-competitive CCAA, widely considered the best Division II conference in the country. Gerckens has led UCSD softball to 10 NCAA postseason appearances, with eight at the Division II level. UCSD is 21-16 (.568) in the NCAA Division II Championship. Since taking over the team in 1993, 26 of Gerckens' players have combined for 50 All-West Region selections. Thirty-four of her players have earned All-CCAA honors since 2001. She has also coached four All-Americans. Two of her players have earned CCAA Freshman of the Year honors and two Tritons have won CCAA Player or Pitcher of the Year during her tenure. A native of Old Tappan, N.J., Gerckens graduated from the University of North Carolina in 1989 with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. She was a four-year starter at second base for the Tar Heels and also played for the New Jersey Blue Jays of the Amateur Softball Association for nine years, winning a championship in 1992.
ABOUT THE PIONEERS
Cal State East Bay is coming off a split split with Cal State Dominguez Hills after earning a doubleheader sweep on Saturday in a 12-4 and 5-1 decision. The Pioneer offense scored just one run in Friday's doubleheader against a pitching staff that rankings seventh in the conference with a 3.97 ERA. Still CSUEB ranks fifth in the conference in runs (197), fourth in RBI (186) and second in home runs (46). CSUEB is led by catcher Ali Cerminara, who has the top spot with batting average (.397), hits (48), doubles (12), RBI (36), total base (92), SLG (.760), and OBP (.444). The Pioneers are coached by Barbara Pierce, who is currently in her ninth season at the helm.
SERIES HISTORY
UCSD holds a 16-5 all-time series record against Cal State East Bay. The Tritons swept the Pioneers in the series matchup with scores of 4-0, 12-9, 17-1, and 8-3 before defeating them, 8-5, in the 2014 Tournament of Champions.
GEAR HERE
UCSD Athletics has partnered with Advanced-Online to provide a web-based, on-demand option for UCSD apparel and merchandise. Fans have access to over 600 products that can be processed and shipped within 24 hours. Visit the site at UCSDTritonsGear.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA - #TritonsRising
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UP NEXT
The Tritons will conclude their regular season next weekend with a four-game series against Cal State San Bernardino. UCSD will play a doubleheader on Friday starting at 1 p.m. and finish the series with a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. Saturday will also be Senior Day at Triton Softball Field as UCSD will honor Mo Omori and Lauren Irish.
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