A Brief Preview

The Sacramento State softball team enters the week with a 14-24 overall record and a 2-7 mark in the Big West

Conference. The Hornets swept a non-conference doubleheader at Santa Clara last Wednesday before being swept in a three-game series at home by Cal State Northridge. The victories on Wednesday gave Sacramento State a season-best four-game winning streak before its weekend slide against the Matadors.

This week, Sacramento State will host fifth-ranked Cal on

Wednesday, April 11, for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. The team

will then play a three-game conference series on the road against

Utah State on Friday-Saturday, April 13-14. The Hornets and Aggies

play a doubleheader on Friday and a single game on Saturday.

Although the Hornets were swept over the weekend, the team

has still won five of its last nine games after losing a season-worst

eight-straight games from March 17-29. The Hornets are currently 2-10

at home and 7-2 on the road. Sacramento State has now lost 10 of its

last 12 Big West series (spanning the last three seasons) and has

been swept on five of those occasions.

Cal enters the week with a 41-4 record and a No. 5 ranking in

the USA Today/NFCA poll after sweeping Oregon in two games last week.

The Bears, who were 39-1 until losing three in a row two weeks ago,

are 8-3 at home, 3-0 on the road and 30-1 in neutral site games.

Wednesday''s meeting will be the first of the season between the

Hornets and Bears. Cal won two of three games from Sacramento State

last season.

Utah State enters the week with a 5-27 overall record and a

1-8 mark in the Big West. The Aggies have lost seven in a row and 24

of their last 26 games. The team was swept in a three-game series at

Pacific over the weekend and has scored a combined four runs in its

last six games. Last season, the Hornets won two of three games over

the Aggies in Sacramento.

Meet the Coaches

Hornet 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 503-464-3

career record in 17 years. During her eight seasons with the Hornets,

Strahan has a 256-219-2 record while guiding Sacramento State to a

pair of NCAA Regional appearances in 1993 and 1995. 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 503 victories is good for 29th all-time on the NCAA

list among active head coaches with at least five years of Div. I

experience.

Cal is coached by Diane Ninemire who has posted a 584-303

record in 15 seasons with the Bears.

Utah State is guided by Pam McCreesh. In her fourth season

with the Aggies, McCreesh has posted a 47-123 record.

Look at the Hornets

Problems At Home

The Hornets are now just 2-10 at home this season after

dropping three to Cal State Northridge last weekend. The team has

lost 10 of its last 11 games at Shea Stadium after winning its home

opener over Iowa, 6-5, on March 13.

Part of the reason for the lack of success is due in large

part to the strength of schedule this year. Of the Hornets'' 12 games

at home, 10 have come against ranked opponents (two games against

12th-ranked Iowa, three vs. 10th-ranked Cal State Fullerton, two vs.

16th-ranked Oregon State and three vs. 25th-ranked Cal State

Northridge).

The team has recorded just two losing records at home since

joining the Div. I ranks in 1990 (the 1994 squad finished 13-14-1 and

the 1990 team finished 12-13). Overall in the Div. I era, the Hornets

are 180-101-2 (.642) at home.

Comebacks Have Been Scarce

Thus far, Sacramento State is 0-15 in games when it is

trailing after five innings. The sixth inning has been unkind to the

team as opponents have outscored the Hornets, 41-7. In the sixth and

seventh innings combined, Sacramento State has been outscored, 55-17.

Pitching Continues To Impress

While the offense has been faltering, the Hornets'' pitching

staff (Jillian Bivert, Gina Steenburgen and Nicole Deatherage) has

kept the team in games. Despite allowing six runs in last Sunday''s

game, Sacramento State''s pitching staff still has a 1.16 ERA over the

last 11 games. During that span, the staff had a streak of

35.0-consecutive innings without allowing an earned run. The team has

recorded seven shutouts (Bivert has three, Deatherage three and

Steenburgen one), which already eclipses last year''s total of six.

Rough Times

At 14-24 and 10 games under .500, the Hornets are trying to

avoid their worst season in Div. I history (1990-pres.). That

distinction currently goes to the 1991 (28-33), 1994 (25-30-1) and

2000 (25-30) squads, who each finished five games under .500.

Coincidentally, those teams are the only ones to finish below .500 in

the Div. I era. Overall, the Hornets are 351-307-2 since joining the

Div. I ranks.

Injury Update

Shortstop Andrea Becker, catcher Patty Villa and pitcher Gina

Steenburgen each missed Sunday''s game with injury.

Becker, who has already played her entire career with a

herniated disc and degenerative disc disease, injured her shoulder in

a collision with left-fielder Amber Dragomir while catching a pop-up

on Saturday. Becker didn''t play on Sunday and is doubtful for

Wednesday''s games and questionable for this weekend.

Villa, who has been battling a neck injury for the majority

of the season, sat out Sunday''s game with the same injury. Villa is

the team''s only true catcher but has already missed seven starts this

year with the injury.

Steenburgen, who has already been battling a stress fracture in her ankle since last season, missed all of last week''s games with a strained groin. She is questionable for next week. Steenburgen has been the hottest Hornet pitcher of late as the sophomore has allowed just two earned runs in her last four outings, spanning 28.0 innings.

Offensive Drought

Sacramento State''s offensive production, which began the

season at a blistering pace, has tailed off considerably over the

last three weeks. The team has scored more than two runs just twice

over the last 18 games. During that span, the Hornets are averaging

just 1.5 runs per game and have seen the team batting average slip

from .254 on March 16 to its current mark of .238.

Additionally, Sacramento State recorded at least 10 hits in

four of the first seven games this season, but have not accomplished

the feat in 31 games since. Numerous members of the team are in

offensive slumps including Cathy Coupar (five hits in last 44

at-bats), Lori Meixner (two hits in last 16 at-bats), Roni Rodrigues

(one hit in last 14 at-bats), Patty Villa (four hits in last 35

at-bats) and Mary Villalpando (no hits in last 15 at-bats).

Hornet Notables

Deatherage recorded singles in her first two career at-bats

on Sunday...the team is collectively batting .229 with runners on

base and .223 with runners in scoring position...the Hornets are 5-4

in games that Amber Dragomir bats lead-off......Hornet catchers have

thrown out the last six runners trying to steal...Sacramento State

has currently gone three-straight games without committing an error

for the first time all year...the team has been outscored, 34-20, in

the first inning.