Long Beach State University Athletics
Softball Opens San Diego Classic Thursday
3/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Long Beach, Calif. -
LEADING OFF
• Long Beach State heads south for its final non-conference tournament of the season, playing five games this weekend in San Diego. The Beach will start with a pair of game Thursday at San Diego State, before moving to Santee, Calif. for the remaining three games.
• 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 161 in 24 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 9-2 record, and has struck out 76 batters with just 13 walks this season.
• Cielo Meza has been an excellent complement in the circle, striking out 10 or more in a game four times this season while posting a team-best 2.59 ERA. Meza ranks 33rd in strikeouts per seven innings this season at 8.8. • It hasn't all been pitching for the Beach, as four players are hitting over .300, led by Darian Tautalafua, who is hitting .389. She is joined by Julia Lombardi at .361, Tierra Falo at .357, and Alley Perkins at .319, while only one regular is hitting under .250 this season.
• 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.
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 43 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 142 RBI, passing Jessica Beaver as a junior to hold the top spot.
• Two other records are within reach for Tautalafua. The senior currently ranks third in career runs scored with 120, trailing new record holder Shayna Kimbrough by 17 runs, a mark set last season in 2015. Tautalafua also tied the school record in walks last weekend, and with her next base on balls will hold a third career record at the Beach.
PLAYER NOTES
• Tuatalafua is living up to her records with her play in 2016. Leading the team in batting at .389, Tautalafua has hit six home runs, is slugging a team-best .667 on the year, and has driven in a team high 23 RBI.
• Freshman Tierra Falo is riding a six-game hitting streak entering the weekend, the longest of the season for the Beach. Holding down the DP spot, Falo now has three home runs after hitting one against UCLA, and is batting .357 on the season.
• 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 21 games behind the plate and has hit four home runs, second on the team while batting .263 on the year.
• Sophomore LT Torres walked 27 times as a freshman, and is already off to a quick pace in 2016, walking 11 times this season, a team high. Torres is reaching base at a .388 mark, and is hitting .292 on the year, fifth on the team.
• Haley Tobler has hit three home runs while starting every game in 2016, and is batting .278, right on track with her .286 from last season while walking 11 times and hitting a team-high six doubles. The senior has started every game in the last two seasons since transferring from Tennessee.
• Fresh off of an All-Freshman team campaign last season, Julia Lombardi is hitting .361 as a sophomore, with five doubles and a home run this season. Lombardi earned Big West Player of the Week honors at the Louisville Slugger Invitational, hitting .533 (8-for-15) with two doubles at Mayfair Park.
• Senior Alley Perkins returned to the lineup for Long Beach State, and is now hitting .319 in her first season at the Beach after transferring from Tennessee. She is also tied for the team lead with a pair of stolen bases this season.
