March 5, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

Upcoming Schedule

Wednesday, March 4
LMU vs. #3/4 UCLA (19-2) Postponed, rain

Friday-Sunday, March 6-8
Courtyard by Marriott L.A. Westside Classic Smith Field

Friday, March 6
LMU vs. Utah Valley (3-5) - 10:00 a.m.
LMU vs. Seattle (3-6) - 12:00 p.m.
Seattle vs. Utah Valley - 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 7
Utah Valley vs. Saint Mary's - 10:00 a.m. Seattle vs. Utah Valley - 12:00 p.m. LMU vs. Saint Mary's (4-10) - 2:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 8 Saint Mary's vs. Utah Valley - 10:00 a.m.
Seattle vs. Saint Mary's - 12:00 p.m.
LMU vs. Seattle - 2:00 p.m.
* Please note there will be no Gametracker for any of the weekend tournament games.

Briefly
After playing 15 of its first 20 games away from Smith Field, LMU returns home this week for its second home tournament of the year. After Wednesday's local derby vs. #3 UCLA was rained out, spirtis are high for the weather to clear for this weekend's Courtyard by Marriott L.A. Westside Classic. The field features current and future conference foes with play getting underway on Friday with LMU vs. Utah Valley at 10 a.m., followed by the Lions against Seattle at noon. Seattle and Utah Valley then play at 2 p.m. Saint Mary's joins the mix on Saturday and three games are slated for both Saturday and Sunday.

Follow The Lions Live On The Web!
All LMU home games will be available for fans on Gametracker through the LMU website at www.LMULions.com. Select road contests can also be followed on Gametracker. Notice will be given for these games.

Last week Recap: Lions Roll Snake Eyes in Vegas
In a city that prides itself on the fickle and quick-shifting pendulum of luck, LMU found itself on the wrong end of several close games last weekend at the Eller Media Stadium Tournament in Las Vegas. The weekend started with back-to-back one-run losses to Wright State and Drake on Friday. Against Wright State, LMU rallied from a run down to send the game into extra innings, then took the lead in each of the eighth, ninth, tenth, and 11th frames, but was unable to hold on each time, falling 8-7 in 11 innings. It was another close one against Drake as the Lions came back from 2-0 down to tie it, only to drop the 3-2 decision. On Saturday, LMU recorded its only victory of the weekend, using a four-run third inning for a 5-2 win over Florida Atlantic. That would be the one bright spot, however, as UNLV blanked the Lions 8-0 Saturday night and Wright State pulled out another squeaker, 3-1 on Sunday.

About the UCLA Bruins (19-2; #3 NFCA/USA Today, #4 ESPN.com/USA Softball)
UCLA has won 14 in a row and 19 of its last 20 to climb up to #3 in the NFCA/USA Today poll and to #4 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball top-25. Last weekend, the Bruins traveled to the San Diego Classic, where they swept all five games by a combined score of 30-5. UCLA has already faced seven ranked opponents in 2009, going 6-1, including a win over then-#1 Alabama. LMU and UCLA have faced each other 20 times, with the Bruins winning 19. But as the saying goes, you're only as good as your last game and that's the one that LMU won, having knocked off the Bruins 4-2 in the 2007 NCAA Tournament. UCLA has won all four meetings at LMU.

About the Utah Valley Wolverines (3-5)
LMU and Utah Valley have taken two different paths since they met at the Red Desert Classic on February 7. On that day, the Lions won 7-5 for their third win of the season. Since that time, LMU has gone 5-10. Utah Valley, on the other hand, has spent more time watching the weather than playing, having five of its eight scheduled games rained out. Last weekend at the Saint Mary's Gael Classic, the Wolverines defeated Brown 11-3 and fell to the hosts 4-2 before having their final two games wash away.
UVU is independent of any conference this year but will be joining the Pacific Coast Softball Conference in 2010 when it expands from six to 12 teams. Last year, the Wolverines had a 17-34 record. This will be the first time that LMU and Utah Valley will play outside of Utah. The Lions have won all three meetings.

About the Seattle Redhawks (3-6)
This will be Seattle's second trip to Smith Field in the last four weekends, having already played at the LMU Tournament February 13-15. The Redhawaks went 2-3 that weekend, with wins over Illinois-Chicago and the Lions. Since then, they stayed locally last weekend for the Husky Softball Classic at the University of Washington, where they went 1-3 with losses to Portland State, Washington, and Boise State, before turning around to pound the Broncos 14-1 in the weekend finale.
Last year, the Redhawks went 38-14 overall and 18-6 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Seattle will also be joining the Pacific Coast Softball Conference in 2010, once it completes the move from Division II to Division I. Seattle and LMU faced each other for the first time last month, with the Lions winning the first meeting 5-4 and the Redhawks coming from behind in the second one for a 6-5 victory.

About the Saint Mary's Gaels (4-10)
Rain played havoc with last weekend's Saint Mary's Gael Classic but not before the hosts could go 3-1 to snap a six-game losing streak. SMC defeated Binghamton, Brown, and Utah Valley before falling to Binghamton in the finale. The Gaels swept the PCSC weekly awards, with Britany Linton winning Pitcher of the Week and Michelle Mounts taking home the Player of the Week honor.
Saint Mary's is coming off its best-ever season in 2008, having gone 27-26 overall and 12-8 in the PCSC to finish third. Both LMU and SMC were in contention for the league title when they met on the final weekend last year, with the Lions coming away from Moraga with three wins. LMU leads the all-time series 41-21 and is 12-1 when playing at home. This will be the teams' first non-conference meeting since 2002.

?New Ace in Town
Without a doubt, LMU's success in 2009 will rely on its pitching. Three-time PCSC Pitcher of the Year Tiffany Pagano is gone but the Lions still have a formidable front-line starter in junior Melissa Dykema. She didn't disappoint in the opening weekend, going 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA in two appearances. The 2007 PCSC Co-Freshman of the Year, Dykema was 41-14 over her first two collegiate seasons and continues her climb up several LMU career top-10 lists. She is already among the leaders in strikeouts (third), complete games (fourth), shutouts (fourth), wins (fourth), innings pitched (sixth), appearances (tied for seventh), and games started (ninth). So far in 2009, she is 3-4 with a 4.40 ERA and 27 strikeouts.

Leadoff Leader
The most consistent player over her first two seasons (.328 average both years) before breaking out with a .361 average last year, senior Kirsten Slouber is the engine that keeps the Lions going. LMU's leadoff hitter and centerfielder, Slouber has been named First Team All-PCSC each of the last two seasons and led the conference in hits last year with 76. Now a senior, Slouber regained her power stroke at the Red Desert Classic, hitting two homers to move into the LMU career top-10 with 14. She is currently hitting .279 and is tied for second on the squad with 19 hits. Slouber's name appears on no fewer than eight LMU top-10 lists. Her .334 career batting average ranks fifth while she is second in hits and third in runs scored, both categories in which she could reach the top spot. She is also fourth in doubles, fifth in at bats, sixth in stolen bases, ninth in slugging percentage, and 10th in home runs. Barring anything unforeseen, she will also enter the top-10 in games played and RBI.

Chelsie Crushes
After setting a new LMU single-season record with 50 RBI and being named Second Team All-Pacific Region, it would be tough for senior Chelsie Tysdal to produce an encore. Yet, with consistent hitters setting the table in front of her and big boppers behind her, she did just that in Utah, hitting three home runs in the five games. All told, Tysdal went deep in four straight games between the final three in Utah and the home opener. She is leading the team in the triple-crown categories in 2009, posting a .357 average with four home runs and 13 RBI. Her 23 career home runs rank third all-time at LMU. Against Drake, Tysdal became just the fifth player in LMU history to top 100 career RBI and she could challenge the career mark of 149.
On the heels of her 3-HR, 5-RBI weekend in Utah, Tysdal was named the Pacific Coast Softball Conference co-Player of the Week for the first week of the season. The award is the third of Tysdal's career after she was honored twice last year. Tysdal hit .333 (5-for-15) in LMU's five games over the weekend, hitting safely in the final four contests and homering in each of the last three.

Mega Masher
One of the reasons for Tysdal's success has been the presence of senior Megan Ackerman behind her. Ackerman has hit nine home runs in each of the last two seasons and is tied for fourth all-time at LMU with 22 after hitting three so far in 2009. After driving in 39 runs as a sophomore, Ackerman got off to a slow start in 2008 before coming on strong and finishing with 28. She hit her first homer of 2009 vs. Tennessee Tech and is tied for the team lead with 13 RBI.

New Position, Same Results?
The breakout player of last year was far and away J.J. Hartung. As a freshman, Hartung hit .200 in just 40 at-bats and was used primarily as a pinch-runner. Last year, she was LMU's starting third baseman and led the PCSC with a .405 average, the third-highest in school history. This year, she got off to another strong start, hitting .455 through the season's first five games but has since dropped to .275. Hartung also seems to have adjusted to her move to the outfield, successfully fielding all 22 of her chances.

Across the Way
One person who can give pointers to Hartung about making the move from the infield to the outfield is senior MiaSarah Cesena. The Lions' starting leftfielder each of the last two years, Cesena began her career as a shortstop before making the switch. She seems to have adjusted fine to the change, improving her offensive and defensive numbers every year. A career .254 hitter entering last year, Cesena hit a personal-best .301 out of the nine hole while adding a career-high 25 RBI. This year, she showed some unexpected pop in her bat in Utah, recording her first career two-homer game with a pair of solo shots in the win over Utah Valley. That's after hitting just two round-trippers in the last two seasons combined. She hit .400 at the Cathedral City Classic.

Dangerous Darcy
One of LMU's most versatile players, it is hard to predict where junior Darcy Pagnini will start the game but you can be assured that she will be in the lineup. After redshirting the 2006 season due to injury, Pagnini played in 54 games last year at catcher, designated player, third base, and first base. This year, she will continue to split time with Tysdal with one as the designated player while the other catches. Voted a team captain each of the last two years, Pagnini set a new LMU single season record with 18 doubles last year while hitting .296 with six homers and 20 RBI. In the season's first four weeks, she has four doubles and two home runs while driving in nine runs.

Sam of All Trades
Freshman Sam Fischer has shown that she can do it all. Fischer is third on the Lions in hitting at .306, second in hits with 19, and tied for the team lead in runs scored with 12. She is indeed a five-tool player as she has displayed her ability to hit for average and power (four doubles, one home run), steal bases (a team-high three in five attempts), and field. But it's not just her bat that is impressive. With Dykema ailing and freshman Corie Goodman slated to start later in the day, Fischer took the mound against Utah Valley and produced a workman-like 2 2/3 innings of relief. Although she gave up two runs, both were unearned as she allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out a pair.

She's Good, Man
Freshman Corie Goodman has been a workhorse so far, appearing in 17 of LMU's 20 games and figuring in 14 decisions thanks to a 6-7 record and one save. Her 3.34 ERA is a little inflated due to her being on the mound against some of LMU's tougher competition but she has made up for it by leading the PCSC in strikeouts (48), innings pitched (71.1), and complete games (7).
Goodman was outstanding at the Cathedral City Classic, going 2-1 with a 1.53 ERA to win her first career PCSC Pitcher of the Week award. In that tournament, she recorded a PCSC season-high 10 strikeouts in the victory over Tennessee Tech. She is the second LMU player to be recognized by the conference this season, joining senior Chelsie Tysdal, who was the co-Player of the Week for February 2-8.

Sargin Slaughter
Kelly Sarginson can't say much for her first six games of collegiate softball, having made just two pinch-hit appearances and going 0-for-2. She made her first career start on February 14 against Seattle and popped up in her first at-bat. Since then, however, she has made sure that people know her name, sitting second on the team with a .341 average. Sarginson finished 2-for-4 in her first game against Seattle, knocking in the winning run with an eighth-inning single. She followed that with a 2-for-3 game against UIC in which she drove in three and then had another RBI in the second game against Seattle.

Runners Know their Role
And that's to make it home. Together, freshmen Katrina Bodewig and Kylie Ahlo have just three plate appearances between them but they have combined to score 14 runs. Primarily used as pinch-runners for Pagnini and Tysdal, the freshmen speedsters give the Lions an added dimension on the basepaths.

Ferrin Reaches 500
Already the most successful coach in LMU softball history, Gary Ferrin notched another personal milestone last season as he recorded his 500th career victory. Now in his 15th season, Ferrin has led the Lions to winning campaigns 12 times, including 40+ wins three times and 30+ victories 11 times. They have won three PCSC titles under Ferrin and made two NCAA postseason appearances. A list of Ferrin's milestone victories:
#1 - February 19, 1994; 2-0 vs. Santa Clara
#100 - April 13, 1997; 1-0 vs. Santa Clara
#200 - April 8, 2000; 3-0 vs. San Diego
#300 - March 26, 2003; 8-2 at UC Riverside
#400 - March 8, 2006; 3-1 vs. Mercer
#500 - May 3, 2008; 5-3 at Saint Mary's

Utah Yards Can't Contain Lions
As a team, LMU has always displayed respectable power numbers, hitting 30 or more home runs in each of the last seven seasons. This year, they got off to a torrid start after the opening weekend in Utah saw them hit 10 round-trippers in five games. Take away the opening game shutout to BYU and all of the Lions' long-balls came in a 26-inning span. Additionally, the 10 home runs came from five different players. Senior Chelsie Tysdal led the way with three, senior MiaSarah Cesena and juniors Darcy Pagnini and Christine Foley each had two, and sophomore Amy Charpentier had one - that being her first career grand slam against Utah.

PCSC Coaches Pick LMU Second
The Pacific Coast Softball Conference coaches have tabbed LMU to finish second in 2009, according to the preseason coaches poll. The six PCSC coaches voted defending champions Sacramento State first, edging LMU by two points. Both LMU and Sacramento State received two first-place votes each. Portland State and Santa Clara each received the remaining first-place votes. Sacramento State garnered 31 total points, with LMU right behind on 29. Saint Mary's was picked third with 21 points, with Portland State fourth with 20. San Diego (14 points) and Santa Clara (11) round out the poll.

PCSC to Expand in 2010
A six-team conference since its inception in 2003, the Pacific Coast Softball Conference will double its members starting in the 2010 season as it expands to 12 teams and separates into two divisions. The original membership of LMU, Portland State, Sacramento State, Saint Mary's, San Diego, and Santa Clara will be joined next year by Cal State Bakersfield, Idaho State, Northern Colorado, Seattle, Utah Valley, and Weber State. The conference will be split into two six-team divisions, with the six California-based schools making up the Coastal Division and the remaining six teams comprising the Mountain Division. The expansion will form the largest conference in the nation, equaling the lineups of the Atlantic Sun, Big East, MEAC, and Mid-American Conferences, all of which contain 12 teams.

Odd Year Trend
LMU has won the Pacific Coast Softball Conference title three times since its inception in 2003. Oddly enough, each of those championships has come in an odd-numbered year - 2003, 2005, and 2007. LMU's only two NCAA postseason appearances have also come in the last two odd-numbered years. Now we find ourselves in 2009 and the final year of the PCSC with its current lineup. Will the trend continue? Only time will tell.