Long Beach State University Athletics
Louisville Slugger Invitational Continues With An Eye On The Weather
3/10/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Long Beach, Calif. - 
Louisville Slugger Invitational Game Notes 
LEADING OFF
• Rains have forced some late changes to the Lousiville Slugger Invitational, but Long Beach State's annual tournament will forge on, with 18 games to be played at Mayfair Park and at the LBSU Softball Complex. Long Beach State starts off play tonight at 7 p.m. against Utah VAlley at Mayfair Park in Lakewood, Calif.
• Changes to the schedule for Long Beach State include the movement of Friday's UCLA matchup to Sunday as thunderstorms are forecast for Friday night in Southern California. The Beach and Bruins will face off at 12:30 on Sunday, with the 49ers playing Princeton immediately following.
• Pitching has led the way for Long Beach State as both junior Christina Clermont and freshman Cielo Meza are off to great starts this season. Both players rank in the top ten in the Big West in ERA, and currently sit No. 2 and No. 3 in strikeouts, having combined for 135 in 19 games.
• Christina Clermont was named the Big West Co-Pitcher of the Year in her first season at the Beach, and has quickly returned to top form. Throwing a one-hitter against St. Mary's Clermont has opened the season with a 6-2 record, and has struck out 65 batters with just 13 walks this season.
• Cielo Meza has been an excellent complement in the circle, striking out more ten in a game three times this season while posting a team-best 2.88 ERA. Meza ranks in the nation's Top 50 in both total strikeouts and strikeouts per seven innings this season.
• It hasn't all been pitching for the Beach, as eight players are hitting over .300 this season, led by senior Darian Tautalafua, while three newcomers are hitting the mark in Kelli Finan, Tierra Falo and Alley Perkins.
• Long Beach State was chosen as the favorite to claim the 2016 Big West crown as the league's coaches voted in the preseason coaches poll. The Beach picked up six first place votes to take the top spot in front of Cal State Fullerton and Hawai'i, who each took a first-place vote. Last season's champs CSUN were picked fourth, with UC Riverside, Cal Poly, UCSB and UC Davis rounding out the list.
WHAT'S THE SCORE
• All games played at Mayfair Park this weekend can be followed via Gametracker.
POWER SURGE
• Long Beach State features two players who rank in the Top 10 in career home runs in this year's squad. Leading the way is senior Darian Tautalafua, who is the school record holder with 42 home runs and counting in her senior season She is joined by Lauren Lombardi, who has 17 home runs over two seasons, ranking 7th in LBSU history.
RECORD WATCH
• Darian Tautalafua owns another career record at the Beach as the senior continues to own the power marks. Along with home runs, Tautalafua has driven in 119 RBI, passing Jessica Beaver as a junior to hold the top spot.
• Two other records are within reach for Tautalafua. The senior currently ranks fourth in career runs scored with 114, trailing new record holder Shayna Kimbrough by 17 runs, a mark set last season in 2015. Tautalafua also ranks third in career walks with 87, and can set a new LBSU record with four more walks this season.
PLAYER NOTES
• Tuatalafua is living up to her records with her play in 2016. Leading the team in batting at .367, Tautalafua has hit five home runs, is slugging a team-best .650 on the year, and has driven in a team high 18 RBI.
• Also off to a great start is Lauren MacLeod. Forced into a bigger role due to a season-ending injury to All-Big West catcher Lauren Lombardi, MacLeod has started 17 games behind the plate and is third on the team with a .311 batting average, three homem runs and 13 RBI.
• Sophomore LT Torres walked 27 times as a freshman, and is already off to a quick pace in 2016, walking eight times this season, a team high. Torres is reahing base at a .388 mark, and is hitting .310 on the year, fourth on the team.
• Haley Tobler is tied with MacLeod for second on the team in home runs with three this season, and has driven in 16 RBI, second on the 49ers. The senior hit .286 last season, and has started in every game avaialable since transferring to the Beach last season.
• Fresh off of an All-Freshman team campaign last season, Julia Lombardi is hitting .300 as a sophomore, with three doubles and a home run this season. Lombardi went 3-for-4 with a stolen base and an RBI, helping lift Long Beach State to a win over Arizona State last weekend.
• Three more freshman players have made early impacts in Kelli Finan, Tierra Falo and Nichole Fry. Fry now has four doubles and a triple on the year while starting every game at shortstop. Tierra Falo is second on the team with a .321 batting average and has a pair of home runs, while Kelli Finan has started 13 games, hitting .306 so far in 2016.
THIS AND THAT
• Head Coach Kim Sowder earned career win No. 300 in the final game of the season in 2015, a 5-4 victory over UC Santa Barbara. Sowder is the leader among all eight coaches in the Big West in wins as a member of the Big West, and is just the 8th coach to reach 300 wins in conference history. Twice named Big West Coach of the Year, Sowder enters her 10th season as head coach at Long Beach State, her Alma Mater, where she was an All-American shortstop.
• Long Beach State has reached 20 wins for 32 straight seasons, and has never finished under .500 in Kim Sowder's tenure.
• Long Beach State has performed well against top teams so far in 2016, posting a 4-4 record against ranked teams and teams receiving votes this season.
