Long Beach State University Athletics
49ers co-favorites to win Big West softball title
1/31/2012 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Jan. 31, 2012
LONG BEACH, Calif. - The Long Beach State softball team has been picked as the co-favorite to win the Big West Conference by the league coaches in a preseason poll released by the conference today.
The 49ers received four first-place votes and 59 total points to match defending-champion Pacific in the poll. The Tigers edged Long Beach State by one game last season for the league title. Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge, Cal Poly, UC Davis and UC Riverside rounded out the poll.
LBSU returns eight position players that started at least 28 games last season and a pair of pitchers. Sophomore Erin Jones-Wesley, last year's Big West Conference Pitcher of the Year and Big West Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year, headlines the returners. She finished her freshman season with a 23-8 record, a 1.80 ERA and 172 strikeouts in 198 innings pitched.
She will be joined in the circle by senior Taylor Petty who finished last season with a 6-4 record, a 2.34 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 89.2 innings despite battling an injury much of the season. Petty is also a former first-team all-league player and the 2009 Big West Conference Freshman Pitcher of the Year.
Sophomore Hannah De Gaetano, sophomore Sarah Carrasco and junior Nalani St. Germain highlight the offense for the 49ers. De Gaetano, the 49er left fielder, hit .320 with two home runs, eight doubles and 17 RBI as a freshman and was named first-team All-Big West Conference following the season.
St. Germain, a two-year starter at second base, batted .307 with a team-high eight home run and 30 RBI and claimed second-team All-Big West honors. She led the team in six separate categories including runs, hits, RBI and stolen bases.
Carrasco, a second-team all-league pick as the 49ers' designated player last season, hit .325 with two home runs and 21 RBI.
Long Beach State opens its season Feb. 10 at a tournament in Fresno State where it will play five games in three days. The 49ers open league play on March 31 at UC Santa Barbara, and play host to Pacific in a three-game series to end the season on May 11-12.
