North Carolina State University Athletics
Softball Travels West for Cathedral City Classic
2/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Softball
RALEIGH, N.C. NC State softball will head west to Cathedral City, Calif., for the Cathedral City Classic, Feb. 19-21. The Pack will play five games over three days, including three contests against top-15 opponents and two against teams in the top-10.
The voyage is State’s second-ever trip to the Golden State, where it owns a 3-3 record.
NC State gets started by taking on UC Santa Barbara (4 p.m. EST) and Cal State Fullerton (8:30 p.m. EST) on Thursday, Feb. 19, before facing No. 15 UMass (1 p.m. EST) and No. 9 Cal (4 p.m. EST) on Friday, Feb. 20. The Pack will conclude its stay against No. 6 UCLA on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 11 p.m. EST.
State will begin play in Cathedral City with a 2-1 record after starting its season at a rain-soaked and abridged version of the Marriott Houston Classic in Houston, Texas this past weekend. State topped No. 7 Okalahoma (2-1) and Indiana (3-2) while falling to No. 14 Houston (9-3) between victories.
Scouting the Opposition
UC Santa Barbara started the season by winning its first four games but has since dropped four of its last five for a 5-4 overall slate. Five different pitchers have seen time in the circle for the Gauchos with four owning victories including Krista Cobb (2-2, 3.00 ERA, 21.0 IP). As a team UCSB hits .285 with Christine Ramos leading the way on a remarkable .406 clip.
Cal State Fullerton stands at just 3-3 after having four games cancelled due to weather during its opening weekend. Krystal Heinle (3-0) has earned all three of the Titans wins in the circle with 11 strikeouts and a 2.43 ERA in 23 innings of work, while Frances Gonzales is slugging 1.059 and batting .529 thanks in part to 18 total bases, nine hits and three home runs.
No. 15 UMass (4-1) slid up both national polls after collecting four wins over the weekend at the FAU “Kick-Off” Classic in Boca Raton, Fla. Hurler Brandice Balschmiter (3-0) was named A10 Conference Pitcher of the Week this past Monday for the 20th time in her career. She has allowed just three earned runs in 21 innings of action.
No. 9 Cal stood at 7-1 prior to hosting Santa Clara today before departing for Cathedral City. The Golden Bears lone loss of the young season came this past weekend in nearby Chapel Hill, N.C. to North Carolina (4-3). Cal’s offense has slugged most opponents as the Golden Bears have outscored the competition 65-16. Marissa Drewrey (5-1, 2.60 ERA) and Valerie Arioto (2-0, 0.88 ERA) front a solid pitching core that has given most opposing offenses trouble.
Three home runs helped No. 6 UCLA improve to 8-2 on the year with an easy 13-2 victory in five innings over Simon Fraser this past Tuesday. The Bruins, however, have dropped decisions to Purdue (2-1) and Michigan (7-4). UCLA hits .335 as a team with two players (Katie Schroeder - .469, Kaila Shull - .400) batting over .400. A trio of pitchers has combined for an ERA of 3.08, allowing for 19 earned runs.
The All-Time Series vs. The Field
The Cathedral City Classic will mark the first time that NC State has taken on Cal State Fullerton, Cal and UCLA. State is 1-0 all-time against UCSB after downing the Gauchos 3-0 last year at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Pack stands at 2-0 against UMass, having swept a doubleheader (6-4, 6-0) in Amherst, Mass. in 2005.
Top-15 Twin Bill
Friday will stand as the second time in school history that head coach Lisa Navas’ program has played two games against different top-15 squads in the same day. The last time that happened was on March 18, 2007 at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., where the Pack topped No. 2 Arizona State (6-4) in eight innings before falling to No. 12 Washington (2-0).
In the Polls
NC State is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 poll.
Two Shy of 200
With an all-time record of 198-122 in six years of play, the Wolfpack softball program is just two victories short of its historic 200th win.
The voyage is State’s second-ever trip to the Golden State, where it owns a 3-3 record.
NC State gets started by taking on UC Santa Barbara (4 p.m. EST) and Cal State Fullerton (8:30 p.m. EST) on Thursday, Feb. 19, before facing No. 15 UMass (1 p.m. EST) and No. 9 Cal (4 p.m. EST) on Friday, Feb. 20. The Pack will conclude its stay against No. 6 UCLA on Sunday, Feb. 21, at 11 p.m. EST.
State will begin play in Cathedral City with a 2-1 record after starting its season at a rain-soaked and abridged version of the Marriott Houston Classic in Houston, Texas this past weekend. State topped No. 7 Okalahoma (2-1) and Indiana (3-2) while falling to No. 14 Houston (9-3) between victories.
Scouting the Opposition
UC Santa Barbara started the season by winning its first four games but has since dropped four of its last five for a 5-4 overall slate. Five different pitchers have seen time in the circle for the Gauchos with four owning victories including Krista Cobb (2-2, 3.00 ERA, 21.0 IP). As a team UCSB hits .285 with Christine Ramos leading the way on a remarkable .406 clip.
Cal State Fullerton stands at just 3-3 after having four games cancelled due to weather during its opening weekend. Krystal Heinle (3-0) has earned all three of the Titans wins in the circle with 11 strikeouts and a 2.43 ERA in 23 innings of work, while Frances Gonzales is slugging 1.059 and batting .529 thanks in part to 18 total bases, nine hits and three home runs.
No. 15 UMass (4-1) slid up both national polls after collecting four wins over the weekend at the FAU “Kick-Off” Classic in Boca Raton, Fla. Hurler Brandice Balschmiter (3-0) was named A10 Conference Pitcher of the Week this past Monday for the 20th time in her career. She has allowed just three earned runs in 21 innings of action.
No. 9 Cal stood at 7-1 prior to hosting Santa Clara today before departing for Cathedral City. The Golden Bears lone loss of the young season came this past weekend in nearby Chapel Hill, N.C. to North Carolina (4-3). Cal’s offense has slugged most opponents as the Golden Bears have outscored the competition 65-16. Marissa Drewrey (5-1, 2.60 ERA) and Valerie Arioto (2-0, 0.88 ERA) front a solid pitching core that has given most opposing offenses trouble.
Three home runs helped No. 6 UCLA improve to 8-2 on the year with an easy 13-2 victory in five innings over Simon Fraser this past Tuesday. The Bruins, however, have dropped decisions to Purdue (2-1) and Michigan (7-4). UCLA hits .335 as a team with two players (Katie Schroeder - .469, Kaila Shull - .400) batting over .400. A trio of pitchers has combined for an ERA of 3.08, allowing for 19 earned runs.
The All-Time Series vs. The Field
The Cathedral City Classic will mark the first time that NC State has taken on Cal State Fullerton, Cal and UCLA. State is 1-0 all-time against UCSB after downing the Gauchos 3-0 last year at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The Pack stands at 2-0 against UMass, having swept a doubleheader (6-4, 6-0) in Amherst, Mass. in 2005.
Top-15 Twin Bill
Friday will stand as the second time in school history that head coach Lisa Navas’ program has played two games against different top-15 squads in the same day. The last time that happened was on March 18, 2007 at the Judi Garman Classic in Fullerton, Calif., where the Pack topped No. 2 Arizona State (6-4) in eight innings before falling to No. 12 Washington (2-0).
In the Polls
NC State is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 poll.
Two Shy of 200
With an all-time record of 198-122 in six years of play, the Wolfpack softball program is just two victories short of its historic 200th win.
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