The Hornets had lost a season-high four straight games and seven of their last eight prior to sweeping a doubleheader from Cal Poly and splitting two with Nevada last week. The team has played just nine games at home this season and has compiled a 5-4 record.

Four of the Hornets’ next eight games will come against opponents ranked in the top 25, as the team hosts seventh-ranked Cal on Wednesday, April 9. Sacramento State has not fared well against the elite teams this season as the Hornets have posted a 1-9 record against competition ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes in the top 25. The Hornets are 19-5 against teams not in the top 25 or receiving votes.

Sacramento State’s overall mark of 20-14 is the team’s best record through 34 games since the 1997 squad was 21-12-1. The Hornets, however, posted a record of 7-11 in the month of March after going 13-3 in February.

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 544-524-3 career record in 19-plus years. Currently in her 11th season with the Hornets, Strahan has a 297-279-2 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 544 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.

Pacific Coast Softball Conference Play Begins

After spending the past six years in the Big West Conference, Sacramento State officially begins play in the newly-formed Pacific Coast Softball Conference this week. The NCAA Division I Management Council Administrative Committee announced the approval of the Pacific Coast Softball Conference (PCSC) for Division I conference membership on Oct. 17, 2002. Besides the Hornets’ doubleheader with Saint Mary’s, Loyola Marymount will take on Santa Clara, and Portland State faces San Diego on April 5. The conference will be eligible to apply for the automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament prior to the 2005 season.

Ferguson Named POW...Again

Sophomore Brianne Ferguson was awarded her second Pacific Coast Softball Conference Pitcher of the Week award after going 2-0 with a save and a 0.49 ERA in three appearances last week. Including a two-hit shutout of Cal Poly, the right-hander allowed just eight hits and one run in 14.1 innings while striking out eight and limiting the opposition to a .160 batting average.

Against Cal Poly, the Ceres, Calif., native retired the first seven batters of the game, and later retired 10 batters in a row as she never allowed a runner past first base during the entire contest. In the second game of the doubleheader against Cal Poly, she recorded the final out with the potential tying runner on second base to tally her third save of the season.

Ferguson allowed Nevada just six hits and one run over seven innings in the Hornets’ 6-1 victory against the Wolf Pack. The transfer from San Jose State now leads or is tied for the team lead in wins (eight), complete games (10), shutouts (two) and ERA (1.89). Among conference leaders, Ferguson, who also earned pitcher of the week honors on Feb. 18, is first in saves (three), tied for third in wins, and fifth in both ERA and opponents'' batting average (.236).

Second Inning Success

Amazingly, Sacramento State has outscored its opponents, 30-8, 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 team has allowed. Including a seven-run outburst in the second inning against Arizona State, the team has scored in the second inning 14 times this year. The Hornets’ second most productive inning is the first, in which the team has scored 19 runs. Sacramento State has outscored its opponent in the each of the first four innings.

Closing In On Records

With five RBIs last week, senior Jillian Bivert increased her season total to 22 and is now just two shy of the Sacramento State Div. I career record. Bivert, who is in her fourth season with the Hornets, now has 80 RBIs as the program record is 82, held by Kim Meyer (1991-94). In addition to the career record, Bivert is only three RBIs short of her season career high of 25, set during her freshman season.

Bivert, who is currently the program leader in career batting average (.319), is also 12 hits shy of the program record of 198, and nine walks shy of the career record of 58. The Woodland, Calif., native has started all but two games in which she has appeared during her career, and led the team in batting average as a freshman, sophomore and junior.

Other Notables

Sophomore Erin Coyne, who leads the PCSC with a career-high 24 RBIs, has gone eight games without an RBI, her longest drought of the season...junior Nicole Deatherage (8-6, 2.62 ERA), who did not start any games last week because of an injury to her finger, has recovered well and should be back in the starting rotation this week...junior Amber Dragomir has hit safely in four of her last five games, bumping her season average to .286...freshman center fielder Lindy Winkler, who has hit safely in 23 games this year, is batting a team-best .424 with runners in scoring position and .409 with runners on base...junior Amy Walter has recorded at least one sacrifice in 15 games and now has a Sacramento State program-record 19...freshman Kristi Yoshizawa tallied her first career double and RBI against Cal Poly...the Hornets have committed just one error over the last five games and have a conference-best .966 fielding percentage...the Hornets are 15-0 when leading after five innings.