Long Beach State University Athletics
Softball To Prepares To Host Its Major Tournament
2/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 25, 2014
Long Beach, Calif. -
Complete Softball Weekly Release 
LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State plays host to the Louisville Slugger Invitational this weekend, with 28 games scheduled over three venues; the 49er Softball Complex, Mayfair Park in Lakewood, and Anderson Family Field at Cal State Fullerton. The 49ers will play five games, all at Mayfair Park.
• Long Beach State will have a rematch with Utah Valley on the first day of the tournament, and will begin Thursday against Nevada, a team LBSU is facing for the second straight season. No. 5 UCLA is next after the first day, and then the 49ers close out the tournament against No. 6 Michigan and Northwestern.
• The 49ers have hosted a tournament at Mayfair Park every year dating back to 2001, which includes each of the eight seasons of Kim Sowder's tenure as head coach. This season marks the first year of the tournament entering into February however.
OFFENSIVE MINDED
• Long Beach State's returning players put up one of the best offensive seasons in school history over the 2013 season. The 49ers set team records for batting average (.288), runs scored (266), RBI (237) and home runs (53). The 49ers also had six offensive players earn All-Big West honors, while Shayna Kimbrough was named the Big West Player of the Year and Darian Tautalafua was the Big West Freshman Player of the Year.
• Offensively, the team picked up right where they left off this season, hitting .328 overall and closing out three games in run-rule contests. Long Beach State is slugging .536 as a team, with 19 home runs and 20 doubles already on the year. The team has also been balanced, with seven players hitting over .300 to start the year.
• Ashley Holmes continues to lead the team offensively through three weeks. The junior is hitting .452 and slugging an unreal .881, with 6 home runs and a league-leading 20 RBI through 15 games played in 2014.
WHAT'S THE SCORE
• All games played at the 49er Softball Complex can be followed via Gametracker at www.longbeachstate.com, the home of Long Beach State athletics. Each game at Mayfair Park this weekend will also be carried on Gametracker.
WEATHER PERMITTING
• The latest information on all games for this weekend can be found at www.longbeachstate.com on the Tournament Central page for the Louisivlle Slugger Invitational.
