Long Beach State University Athletics
Home Opener For Softball Coming Tuesday
2/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 25, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Softball Release in PDF Format
This Week:
St. John's Red Storm (0-4, 0-0 Big East) at
Long Beach State 49ers (6-5, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Tuesday, February 26
Time: 1:00 p.m. (DH)
Location: 49er Softball Complex
No. 11 Florida Gators (13-0, 0-0 SEC) at
Long Beach State 49ers (2-2, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Wednesday, February 27
Time: 2:00 p.m.
Location: 49er Softball Complex
Coming Up: UNLV Invitational
Opponents: Hawai'i, California, Western Kentucky, Pittsburgh, UNLV
Dates: Friday-Sunday, February 29 through March 1
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Circle The Date
While the six tournaments feature heavily in the first part of the 49er season, Long Beach State will host three games this month on campus at the 49er Softball Complex. On Tuesday, February 26 the team will play a double-header with St. John's starting at 1 p.m., and then the following day the 49ers host Florida, one of eight ranked teams the 49ers will play from the preseason polls. First pitch against the Gators is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Feb. 27.
Island Hopping
Long Beach State posted a 4-3 record in their last competition at the Paradise Classic, playing their best ball at the end of the weekend in Honolulu. After losing a tough 10-inning battle with Central Florida in their first game, the 49ers proceeded to go 4-2 on the weekend. The Beach won their only game with Kentucky, and took their next two games against the Knights as well. Finally after losing two games to No.15 Hawai'i, the 49ers got the last laugh, defeating the Rainbow Wahine 1-0 behind a great game from pitcher Brooke Turner. The 49ers had three players make the all-tournament team, as infielders Jennifer Griffin and Jessica Beaver were selected to go with outfielder Lacy Tyler.
At The Beach
Last season the 49ers posted a 9-5 overall record at the 49er Softball Complex. That included a sweep of Brown University in their home opener, as Bridgette Pagano pitched her first collegiate no-hitter in a 7-0 in the true opener before a 6-4 win in the second half of the double-header. Long Beach State's success at home continued through the rest of the season, as the Beach won all three conference series played at the 49er Softball Complex, compiling a 6-3 Big West record at home.
Just Outside
Despite not being invited to the NCAA Tournament last season, the 49ers still have the respect of the country, earning votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll released last week. The 49ers began the year outside the top 25, joining two other Big West teams mentioned in the initial poll, Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly. However, the 49ers have made a move after close losses to Stanford and a victory on the road at Hawai'i.
Terrific Turner
One of the early bright spots for Long Beach State in 2008 has been the play of pitcher Brooke Turner. The sister of Michelle Turner, a former 49er and Big West Pitcher of the Year, Brooke has wasted no time rewriting the 49er record books. In her first start against San Diego, Turner set a school record with 15 strikeouts, and has continued to fan batters at an incredibly high rate, striking out 45 batters in five starts this season. In so doing, she's picked up a 4-1 record and an 0.85 ERA so far this season, while pitching two shutouts.
Big West Bragging
Turner's early-season success has also been noted by the conference office, as she swept this year's first two Big West Pitcher of the Week awards. Her 15-K performance was the driving force behind her first selection, and a three-win week in Hawai'i helped her nail down a second win. In particular note in Honolulu was her final game, a complete-game shutout over the No. 15 Rainbow Wahine. Turner struck out nine in that contest while allowing just two hits overall. The 49ers also received their first Player of the Week award following their trip to Hawai'i, as Jennifer Griffin received the award for her performance on the islands. Griffin hit .429 overall, hitting five doubles and leading the team's offense overall on the way to an All-Tournament Team selection. Griffin leads the team in batting average at .387 and in doubles with 7, as well as tying for the team lead with Jonae Perez in walks with five in the early part of the year.
The Record Books
With six seniors on the 2008 squad, a number of records are under assault in the career categories. First on the list is the home run mark, where shortstop Jessica Beaver is now just one dinger away from owning the No. 2 spot on the list, passing up Jessica Smith. Jonae Perez and Whitney Radcliff are both in the top 10 in career batting average at the moment, as those marks shift quickly. Brooke LeSage is climbing up the walks list, and both Beaver and Lacy Tyler each are climbing up the runs scored and doubles lists. With most of the season left to play, those players should all tick off some names on those charts.
Strong, Like Schedule
Along with being among the nation's top teams to begin the year, Long Beach State will also play a schedule which features many of the best teams in the country. The highest ranked team in the preseason that the 49ers will play is No. 2 Texas A&M, but the 49ers will face a whopping 12 teams that earned mention in the preseason polls. That includes two Big West opponents in No. 21 Cal State Fullerton and Cal Poly, as well as a number of non-conference foes. Long Beach State starts off the year with two games in its first tournament against No. 17 Stanford. Then the team will have a pair of games against No. 15 Hawai'i on the road, and will also host three ranked teams, including No. 13 Florida in a single game at the 49ers Softball Complex. No. 6 Northwestern and No. 10 UCLA are also both participating in the Long Beach Invitational, held March 7-9 in Mayfair Park. No. 11 Washington also awaits for a March 21 game, and the 49ers will play three teams receiving votes in Fresno State, Florida State and Califonia over the course of the season.
San Diego Wrap
Long Beach State started out the year with a 2-2 record, as the 49ers fell in two 1-0 contests to No. 17 Stanford, but also had a pair of nice wins over Illinois-Chicago and San Diego. Leading the way in the San Diego win was Brooke Turner, who set a school record in her very first start with 15 strikeouts, earning the freshman Big West Pitcher of the Week honors. The 49ers also showed some prowess at the plate, forging a comeback over Illinois-Chicago with a three-run sixth to take a 5-4 win on the tournament's second day.
This And That
The Beach is 2-0 in games the 49ers have made two or more errors, and 0-2 in games in which they've hit a home run. The lesson, of course, is to make more errors and hit fewer home runs to find success.
