Long Beach State University Athletics
No. 14 Beach Begins Big West Play This Week
3/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
March 25, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
This Week:
No. 14 Long Beach State 49ers (24-9, 0-0 Big West) at
UC Davis Aggies (15-16, 0-0 Big West)
Dates: Saturday, March 29; Sunday, March 30
Times: Noon (DH), Noon
Location: Davis, Calif.
Next Week:
No. 14 Long Beach State 49ers (24-9, 0-0 Big West) at
CS Northridge Matadors (11-15, 0-0 Big West)
Dates: Saturday, April 5; Sunday, April 6
Times: Noon (DH), Noon
Location: Northridge, Calif.
Big Start For The Big West
Wrapping up their non-conference slate with a 24-9 record and a No. 14 ranking, Long Beach State opens up Big West play this weekend with a trip to UC Davis. Starting up the usual scenario for conference play, the teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday before returning for a potential rubber game on Sunday. Action on both days will start at Noon.
Scouting UC Davis
Unlike the 49ers, UC Davis is not taking any sort of break prior to opening conference play, playing three games in Oregon and taking in two against No. 5 Stanford before hosting Long Beach State on Saturday. Prior to those games, the Aggies had a record of 15-16, recovering from a tough tournament in Fullerton to move out to a record of 15-13. However, the Aggies have lost three straight. Offensively the team is led by Trish Paine, who comes in with a .329 batting average along with power threat Deanna Menapace with five home runs. Jessica Hancock is the top pitcher for UC Davis, sporting a 2.51 ERA and 10 wins on the year.
Long Beach State vs. the Aggies
In a young series, the 49ers hold a 3-1 edge in wins against UC Davis, with nine wins and three losses all-time. However, all of those games have come in the last three years, packing a lot of action in a short amount of time. The 49ers started out with five straight wins over the Aggies before losing once in 2006. Last season, the 49ers beat UC Davis once in "non-conference" play before losing a series with UC Davis in their second transitional year.
Toppling The Top
Splitting two games against the top 25 last week, Long Beach State now has a 7-6 record against ranked opponents on the year, and has won seven of their last nine after an 0-4 start. Long Beach State beat No. 18 Washington 6-3 behind a career-high eight strikeouts from Bridgette Pagano, but were unable to solve hitting issues against Morgan Melloh in a 2-0 loss to No. 14 Fresno State. Long Beach State's record against the Top 10 is even more impressive, as the 49ers have gone 3-1, beating two No. 5s and a No. 8 this season.
Judi Garman Review
Long Beach State closed out their non-conference schedule with another strong week, competeing well at the prestigious Judi Garman Classic. With a number of the nation's top teams in attendance, the 49ers posted a 4-1 record knocking off No. 18 Washington along with Florida State, New Mexico and UNLV. Long Beach State's lone loss came against No. 14 Fresno State, as the 49ers couldn't get Brooke Turner the run support she needed in a 2-0 loss despite nine strikeouts from Turner.
In The Ranks
Even with the loss to Fresno State last week, voters found Long Beach State's performance at the Judi Garman Classic consistent enough to improve the Beach's position in the top 25. The 49ers moved from No. 23 to No. 20 in the NFCA Coaches Poll, and took the No. 14 spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, leapfrogging up six places. The 49ers are unlikely to move much in the upcoming weeks, most likely until the 49ers play preseason conference favorite Cal Poly in April.
Terrific Turner
One of the 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 topped that record against No. 5 Florida, giving the 19-0 Gators their first loss with 16 punchouts. Named the National Player of the Week on March 4, Turner has been named the Big West Pitcher of the Week five times this season and took the No. 6 spot in the top ten list among single-season strikeouts in school history.
And The Other Half Of The Battery
Calling most of those games has been Brooke LeSage, Long Beach State's senior catcher and batting leader through 33 games. LeSage is hitting .326 and reaching base at a .430 rate, leading the team in both categories. Also dangerous on the basepaths, LeSage is leading the team in steals with six, proving she can move after getting on first. In her career, LeSage ranks in the LBSU top 10 in walks, and has 10 this season to go with seven bean balls.
The Record Books
With six seniors on the 2008 squad, a number of records are under assault in the career categories. Jessica Beaver took sole possession of third place on the RBI list this weekend, and is rapidly tracking down Jessica Smith for the school record. She also ranks second in home runs, passing Smith with her 17th homer earlier in the year. 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 and Lacy Tyler are climbing up the walks list, and both Beaver and Tyler each are climbing up the runs scored and doubles lists. Rounding out the list, Brooke Turner entered the Top 10 single-season strikeout marks and will try to reach her sister's 2006 mark of 187 along with the school record of 191 set by Michelle Cervenka.
This And That
The 49ers rank 8th in the conference in batting, yet still have the league's best record ... an analysis shows that should improve quickly, as Long Beach State had the nation's third strongest schedule and ranked fifth in RPI as announced by the NFCA earlier this week ... Florida holds the top spot in the RPI, helping buoy the 49ers rating as a key win ... the 49ers do lead the conference in two other important categories, ERA and fielding percentage, showing that defense does win games ... the 49ers easily outpace the rest of the league in walks as well, led by Jennifer Griffin who has 24 this season, putting her in the school's top 10.
