After jumping out to a 13-3 record to start the season and posting a program-best 10-game winning streak, Sacramento State has won just four of its last 14 contests. Sacramento State heads into the week with a season-long four-game losing streak and has lost seven of its last eight games overall.

Last week’s Capital Classic (the Hornets finished the tournament with a 1-3 record) marked the team’s final neutral-site games of the season. Sacramento State opened the year with a 9-0 neutral-site record before dropping six of its final nine games and finishing with a 12-6 neutral record. Eighteen of the Hornets’ final 28 games of the season will be played at home.

Of Sacramento State’s 13 losses, nine have come to teams that were either appearing in the top 25 or receiving votes (Pacific, Minnesota, Cal, Iowa, Washington and Illinois). The team’s other four losses came against Cal Poly, San Jose State, Utah and Long Island. Of the Hornets’ final 28 contests, four will be played against teams currently appearing in the top 25 (home doubleheaders against Cal and Stanford).

Head Coach Kathy Strahan

Sacramento State head coach Kathy Strahan, who has spent time as head coach with Cal State Dominguez Hills (1984-85), San Jose State (1986-92) and Sacramento State (1993-pres.), has posted a 541-523-3 career record in 19-plus years. Currently in her 11th season with the Hornets, Strahan has a 294-278-2 record while guiding Sacramento State to a pair of NCAA Regional appearances (1993, 1995). The NCAA Regional appearance in 1993 marked the first postseason bid for any program in Sacramento State Div. I history to an NCAA Championship event. The Michigan State graduate has also been named Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1993 and co-Big West Conference Coach of the Year while at San Jose State in 1989. Strahan’s 541 victories are good for 29th all-time on the NCAA list among active head coaches with at least five years of Div. I experience. In addition, 13 members of the 2003 Hornet squad have 3.0 grade point averages or better.

March Struggles

The month of March has not been kind to the Hornets as they posted a 4-10 record. The team’s ERA has increased by 90 points (from 1.55 to 2.45) while the batting average has dropped 11 points (from .278 to .267). Sacramento State’s pitching staff, which had been the team’s strength through the first 16 games, has taken a serious hit.

Since the beginning of March, the Hornet pitching staff has allowed 61 runs (49 earned) and 102 hits in 97.0 innings. Of those 102 hits, 29 have gone for extra bases, including 12 home runs, 15 doubles and two triples. Through the first 16 games, the staff had allowed just four homers. The staff has just one shutout during the stretch (Nicole Deatherage’s shutout of San Jose State) and is allowing opponents to hit .294 with runners on base. Opponents have scored at least four runs in all but three games during the month and have totalled 11 home runs in the last eight games. Sophomore Brianne Ferguson has lost each of her last four decisions after starting the year with a 6-2 record while Deatherage has lost four of her last six decisions.

The Hornet offensive attack has struggled in the clutch as the team has compiled a .217 batting average with two outs, .262 with runners on base and .264 with runners in scoring position. The offense has compiled 15 extra-base hits in March and has registered an on-base percentage of just .296 and a slugging percentage of .323. Three players (Erin Coyne .341, Lindy Winkler .340 and Amber Dragomir .303) are hitting above .300 during the stretch, while the rest of the squad is batting a combined .215. Sacramento State’s Nos. 5-9 hitters in the lineup have combined to hit .244 (47-193) with 13 RBIs during the month.

The Sultan of Sacrifice

Over the weekend, junior Amy Walter became the Sacramento State Div. I program record holder with 17 sacrifices. The previous mark was 15, set in 1992 by Kelly Wilkins. Walter, who has started all 30 games at shortstop, has successfully laid down a sacrifice bunt in 14 games this year. No other Hornet has more than six sacrifices.

The art of the sacrifice is nothing new to Walter as she tallied 17 as a freshman and 16 as a sophomore while playing at San Jose State. The Watsonville, Calif., native also clubbed her first home run of the season against third-ranked Washington this past weekend and is currently second on the team with 17 runs.

Second Inning Success

Amazingly, Sacramento State has outscored its opponents, 24-5, in the second inning of games this season. It is the most runs the Hornets have scored in any inning this year and is the least amount of runs the Hornets have allowed. Including a seven-run outburst in the second inning of the game against Arizona State, the team has scored in the second inning 12 times this year.

Fantastic Freshman

Whether the Hornets have been playing well or not, one thing has remained constant all season long, the play of freshman Lindy Winkler. The team’s starter in center field all 30 games, Winkler currently leads the Hornets in runs (21), total bases (49), at-bats (105), slugging percentage (.467), hits (36), triples (six), stolen bases (five), longest hitting streak (seven game) and average with runners in scoring position (.387).

Winkler has recorded at least one hit in all but eight games this season and her six triples tie her for the Sacramento State Div. I single-season record. The freshman, who bats left-handed and throws right-handed, was named to the Capital Classic all-tournament team after hitting .545 (6-11) over four games. Earlier this season, Winkler had a streak of 12-consecutive games in which she scored at least one run, and has scored in 19 games overall. With 21 runs scored this year, she needs 14 more to tie the school’s Div. I single-season record.

Cashing In

Sophomore Erin Coyne has been the Hornets’ main run producer this season as she is the team leader with 24 RBIs, 12 more than she had all of last season. One of four players to start all 30 games, Coyne also leads the team in batting average (.359), multiple-hit games (13), multiple-RBI games (seven), average with runners on base (.393) and two-out RBIs (12).

Coyne has posted a career-high tying three RBIs in three games this year, and had a streak of six-consecutive contests with an RBI earlier in the year. The San Diego native strikes out just once every 13.1 at-bats and has started 29 games behind the plate. Coyne has been impressive defensively as well, throwing out 14-of-24 runners attempting to steal a base.

Defensive Struggles

Through the first month of the season, Sacramento State was golden with the leather, sporting a solid .977 fielding percentage. However, over the last 15 games, the team has committed 25 errors, including three games with at least three errors during that stretch. Those miscues have accounted for 14 unearned runs over that span. Including a stretch of nine-straight games with an error, the team has committed at least one error in 12 of the last 15 contests.

Player Notes

Sacramento State has gone three-straight games without an extra-base hit...freshman Whitnie Darvell has started seven of the last 10 games at second base after going the first 20 games without a start...Amy Walter (shortstop) and Lindy Winkler (center field) are the only two Hornets to start all 30 games at the same position...the team is 11-4 when Amber Dragomir bats in the No. 9 spot of the lineup...freshman Kristi Yoshizawa (third base) is the team’s only infielder yet to commit an error this season...Sacramento State is hitting .393 as a team to start an inning, but just .222 with two outs...Dragomir is hitting .324 (11-34) over her last 12 games...junior Nicole Deatherage recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in her no-hitter over Morehead State...Sacramento State has gone nine-straight games without attempting a stolen base...the Hornets have 10 hits in their last three games.