Sacramento State serves as host for the 2005 Capital Classic Softball Tournament this Friday through Sunday, March 18-20, at the Sacramento Softball Complex.

In its 13th year of existence, the tournament boasts a lineup of teams from throughout the nation. In all, 13 teams which encompass nine states and seven conferences comprised of the Atlantic 10, Big Ten, Big 12, Mountain West, Northeast, Pacific-10 and Pacific Coast Softball Conference.

The Capital Classic features a round-robin format with a total of 33 games being played over three days. A tournament champion will be declared on the final day of competition based on record. Should two or more teams be tied for the top record in the tournament, a series of tiebreakers will be used to declare the tournament champion. An all-tournament team will also be announced on Sunday, consisting of one player from each team.

Four of the 13 teams are currently ranked in the EPSN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 (No. 2 Cal, No. 18 Oregon State, No. 23 Northwestern, No. 24 Iowa) and one (BYU) is receiving votes. With three Capital Classic championships, Iowa has the most in tournament history while Cal and Sacramento State each have two titles.

The entire tournament field includes BYU, Cal, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Long Island, Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon State, Portland State, Rhode Island, Sacramento State and Utah Valley State.

Of the 13 teams, four will be making their first appearance at the Capital Classic (Minnesota, Oregon State, Rhode Island and Utah Valley State). Besides Sacramento State, Iowa has made the most tournament appearances (nine), followed by Cal (eight), Kansas (four) and Long Island (three).

A total of 13 games will be played on both Friday and Saturday, while seven contests on Sunday round out tournament play. Games will take place at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, while Sunday features games at 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. The tournament kicks off with four games at 10 a.m. on Friday and concludes with two games on Sunday at 11 a.m.

Getting to the Complex

• The Sacramento Softball Complex is located off Interstate 80 in Sacramento, Calif., approximately 12 miles southeast of the Sacramento International Airport. To get there from the airport, take I-5 South to I-80 East, exit I-80 at the Watt Ave South exit and take a right on Longview Drive. The main entrance is about a 1/10th of a mile to the left off of Longview Drive. Parking is free and is located on the west end of the complex.

Ticket Prices

• Tickets are available for purchase on the day of the event at the ticket gate in front of the complex. Tickets may be purchased on a per-day basis. Adults are $10, Sacramento State students and children (ages 3-17) are $5, and kids two and under are admitted free. Fans may also purchase all-tournament passes. Three-day adult passes are $25, while three-day youth and Sacramento State student passes are $12.

History of the Capital Classic

• Last season, Long Beach State was crowned Capital Classic champions after going undefeated (5-0). The 49ers won the team title for the first time in their four Capital Classic appearances. LBSU won games in just about every fashion during its run. The team opened the tournament with a walk-off home run for a 5-4 win over Wisconsin and then downed Tennessee State, 13-0, in five innings on Friday. The next day, Long Beach State knocked off Nevada, 3-0, and then had Meredith Cervenka throw a perfect game in a 3-0 win over Iowa. On Sunday, Long Beach State rallied from a 1-0 deficit with a run in the fifth inning before winning in the bottom of the eighth.

• In 2003, Washington won the Capital Classic championship in its first year competing at the tournament. The final day of the tournament was cancelled because of rain as Washington was the lone undefeated team entering Sunday''s slate of games. In the team''s four wins, the Huskies outscored their opponents by an average of 4.5 runs per game. Iowa and Cal both finished with 4-1 records, but Iowa took second place by virtue of its victory over Cal.

• In 2002, Nebraska won its second Capital Classic championship with a 4-3, eight-inning victory over Cal. Lisa Wangler''s RBI-single scored pinch runner Briana Bates with what proved to be the game-winning run in the top of the eighth inning. Cal had erased a three-run deficit in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out, three-run homer by Veronica Nelson.

• In 2001, Iowa won its third Capital Classic title by defeating Texas Tech, 1-0, in eight innings. Lisa Rasche''s RBI-single scored pinch runner Amber Morrow with what proved to be the game-winning run in the top of the eighth inning. Iowa starter Kristi Hanks picked up the win, allowing just four hits while striking out seven over eight innings. The Hawkeyes finished the tournament with a 6-1 record. In the consolation championship, Western Kentucky defeated San Jose State, 5-0.

• In 2000, Cal won its second Capital Classic title by defeating Oregon, 3-0, in the championship game. All-tournament selection Jocelyn Forest threw a six-hit shutout while striking out eight. The Bears finished with a 7-1 tournament record and now have a 29-11 all-time record in six years of Capital Classic play. Nebraska won the consolation championship, 7-0, over Utah State. Sacramento State finished with a 5-2 record as catcher Patty Villa was named all-tournament after hitting .579.

• In 1999, Michigan and Iowa played to a 2-2 tie in the championship game of the tournament. The game was stopped after eight innings because of time constraints concerning travel arrangements. Iowa jumped out on top in the seventh inning, 2-1, when Lisa Rasche’s RBI-single scored Kelly Zeilstra. Michigan countered in the bottom of the inning on Traci Conrad’s sacrifice fly scoring Kim Bugel.

• In 1998, Nebraska defeated Iowa, 2-1, for the championship. Nebraska was led by All-American pitcher Jenny Voss, who went 6-1 with a 1.86 ERA while pitching 45.2 innings and striking out 34. The Hornets were led by Jenny O''Leary and Katie Cichy who were both named to the all-tournament team. Cichy was voted all-tournament for the third-consecutive year after going 9-for-24 with a home run, two doubles and four RBI. O''Leary went 9-for-20 with two home runs, six runs and three RBI.

• In 1997, Iowa defeated Kansas, 4-0 in the championship. The Hawkeyes were led by pitcher Debbie Bilbao who earned all-tournament honors, hitting 9-for-18 with four home runs and nine RBI. She also had a 3-0 pitching record while giving up just one earned run in 21 innings. Sacramento State was led by Katie Cichy who was voted all-tournament by hitting 9-for-18 with two doubles and three RBI.

• Sacramento State head coach Kathy Strahan won her 400th career game during the 1997 Capital Classic when the Hornets beat San Jose State in the consolation bracket. Interestingly enough, Strahan coached the Spartans prior to coming to Sacramento State and recorded her 200th victory against the Hornets during her seven-year tenure with San Jose State.

• In 1996, Sacramento State became the first team in tournament history to win back-to-back championships. With All-American Susie Bugliarello and Jenny Schultz behind the plate, the Hornets shut out Iowa, 1-0 in the championship game as Gina Givogri hit a home run in the fourth inning for the win. Bugliarello led all pitchers with 40 strikeouts in the tournament. As a freshman, Katie Cichy earned her first all-tournament selection, hitting .360 in tourney play with two doubles, three runs and five RBI.

• In 1995, Sacramento State claimed its first tournament championship with a 4-1 victory over Oklahoma. The tournament featured some of the top teams in the country, including Cal, Hawai''i, Iowa, Long Beach State, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pacific and Utah. The four-day tournament was shortened to just two days due to rain.

• In the second-annual Capital Classic in 1994, the tournament featured 15 teams including Nebraska, Central Michigan, Toledo, Texas A&M, Iowa, Pacific, Connecticut, Bowling Green, DePaul, Long Beach State, Michigan, Hawaii, Oklahoma, Cal and Sacramento State. Cal won the championship beating Oklahoma, 6-5. The Hornets'' Jenny Schultz earned all-tournament honors, going 5-for-19 with a home run, a double, four runs scored and two RBI.

• In the inaugural Capital Classic (1993), San Jose State beat Sacramento State in the championship game, 3-0. Catcher Terrie Cissna and outfielder Angela Jeter were all-tournament selections for the Hornets. Cissna went 5-for-12 in four games with two runs and two RBI. Jeter went 9-for-23 with three runs in seven games.

A Look at the Hornets

Sacramento State (13-11) has struggled over the last few weeks, losing seven of its last 11 games after beginning the season with a 9-4 record. The Hornets posted a 2-3 record at last weekend''s National Invitational Tournament and have a 7-9 mark in tournament play this year.

Sacramento State, which hosts Utah Valley State for a doubleheader on Wednesday, March 16, before embarking upon Capital Classic play on Friday, has played just six of its first 24 games this year in Sacramento. The Hornets have posted a 39-34 all-time record at the Capital Classic, including tournament championships in both 1995 and 1996.

Hornet head coach Kathy Strahan enters the week needing just one victory for career win number 600. In her 22nd season as a collegiate head coach, Strahan is 599-575-3 , including 352-330-2 in 12-plus seasons at Sacramento State.

Sacramento State''s pitching staff (1.53 team ERA) has kept the team in games all season while the offense has struggled (.216 batting average). In fact, Lesley Mayhorn''s home run on Saturday against Cal was the team''s first this season. Sacramento State has scored more than three runs in a game on only four occasions (all victories) and has yet to tally more than nine hits in a game.

Sacramento State''s top two starters Brianne Ferguson (7-5, 1.02 ERA) and Nikki Cinque (6-3, 1.16) have carried the load all season as the two have limited the opposition to just a .215 batting average. Both have already been named Pacific Coast Softball Conference Pitcher of the Week this season, and both have three shutouts, including Ferguson''s no-hitter against UC Davis on March 3. The pair have nearly identical numbers across the board, as Cinque had a streak of 42.2-consecutive innings without allowing an earned run earlier in the year.

Junior center fielder Lindy Winkler, who is one of just three Hornets to start every game this year (Lesley Mayhorn, Erin Coyne), easily leads the team with a .392 batting average. She has three hitting streaks of at least five games this season and has a team-high 11 multiple-hit games. A two-time all-conference selection and all-West Region selection as a freshman, Winkler also has a team-best .422 on-base percentage and a .456 slugging percentage.

Sacramento State, which is 9-1 when leading a game after five innings this year, will look to improve upon last year''s 4-2 record at the Capital Classic.