Long Beach State University Athletics
UC Santa Barbara Up Next For No. 14 Softball
4/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Softball
April 15, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Release in PDF Format 
This Week:
No. 14 Long Beach State 49ers (31-11, 7-2 Big West) at
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos (24-18, 7-2 Big West)
Dates: Saturday, April 19; Sunday, April 20
Times: Noon (DH), Noon
Location: Santa Barbara, Calif.
Next Week:
UC Riverside Highlanders (17-25, 3-6 Big West) at
No. 14 Long Beach State 49ers (31-11, 7-2 Big West)
Dates: Saturday, April 26; Sunday, April 27
Times: 1 p.m. (DH), 1 p.m.
Location: 49er Softball Complex
Showcase Showdown
Potentially the biggest series of the Big West season is on everyone's minds this week as the No. 14 49ers travel north to face UC Santa Barbara in a matchup between the conference leaders. Both teams enter the week with a record of 7-2 in Big West play, and have a two-game lead on third place, so the winner of the series will have a nice leg up on the conference championship and automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The teams begin with a doubleheader at Noon on Saturday, and conclude Sunday with another noon start.
Scouting UC Santa Barbara
Coming into conference play with a record of 17-14, the Gauchos took the conference by storm, sweeping their first two Big West series against UC Riverside and Cal Poly to begin the year 6-0. Two losses to CS Northridge brought the team back even with the Beach, but the Gauchos continue to be a very dangerous team, particularly from the plate where they are led by senior Tisha Duran, who has 11 home runs and is hitting .379 on the year.
Long Beach State vs. the Gauchos
Long Beach State holds the edge in one of the longest series for the Beach, winning 66 games and losing 29 with one tie against UC Santa Barbara. The 49ers have had some recent success against UC Santa Barbara as well, winning six straight series including last season. Against the Gauchos in 2007, the 49ers leaned on Bridgette Pagano who threw all three games as the team took two of three, winning the opener 3-0 before a Brianna Goad home run helped the Beach win the finale 1-0.
Stylin ... This week's matchup between the conference leaders is a contrast of styles, and the hope for Long Beach State is in the axiom "Good pitching will beat good hitting." The 49ers are far and away the conference leaders in pitching with a team ERA of 1.55, combining for 15 shutouts on the year. UC Santa Barbara on the other hand has a team ERA of 3.58, but is hitting a conference high .291 with 30 home runs.
Home Again
Jennifer Griffin and Brooke Turner combined to help Long Beach State earn their third series win of the year in conference play. Making their return to the 49er Softball Complex for the first time in over a month, Long Beach State gave the home fans a treat Sunday as the 49ers won 3-0 in front of a sellout crowd of 687. Turner was 2-0 with 11 strikeouts on the weekend, a Jennifer Griffin was 5-for-6 with two walks, hitting .833 against Cal Poly.
In The Ranks
Long Beach State tied their season high in the polls this week, moving back up to No. 14 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball. The 49ers also held steady in the NFCA poll in the No. 16 spot. The 49ers big series with UC Santa Barbara will be another chance to impress voters, as will their final road trip of the season across town to Cal State Fullerton.
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 seven times this season and took the No. 3 spot in the top ten list among single-season strikeouts in school history after picking up 11 last week in two victories.
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 42 games. LeSage is hitting .315 and reaching base at a .422 rate, leading the team in batting average. Also dangerous on the basepaths, LeSage is leading the team in steals with eight, proving she can move after getting on first. In her career, LeSage ranks in the LBSU top 10 in walks, and has 15 this season to go with seven bean balls.
The Record Books
Senior Jessica Beaver's attack a number of records highlights the career accomplishments for a group of seniors that are climbing up the career lists. Beaver currently ranks second in school history with 19 home runs, and is now just four RBI away from becoming the career leader at Long Beach State. Beaver also ranks in the top ten in stolen bases, doubles, and runs scored in what has been an impressive four-year career. Jonae Perez' .250 Big West batting average has helped her maintain her spot among the most consistent career hitters, and Lacy Tyler joins Beaver in the doubles list along with joining LeSage in the top 10 in walks. Rounding out the list, Brooke Turner remains in 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
Brooke Turner remains tied with Virginia Tech's Angela Tincher for the nation's lead in ERA ... Danielle Linke is also among the NCAA leaders after hitting her eighth triple of the year against Cal Poly, one off the national lead ... despite leading the conference in intentional passes, Turner still has the fewest earned runs allowed in the league ... In Big West play, Turner has a strikeout/walk ratio of 43:1 ... that's easy to calculate since those are her totals through nine games; 43 Ks and just one base on balls ... The 49ers remain in the top 30 teams in the country not just in rank but also in defense, checking in at 21st in team ERA and 26th in fielding percentage.
