Colorado State University Athletics
Softball preview: Rams wrap up final homestand against BYU, Utah
5/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Complete Release in PDF Format 
May 3, 2011
This week…
The Rams will conclude their final homestand of the season with three games. Of the six total games remaining on the schedule, all are against Mountain West opponents. CSU has not recorded a conference win this season, and will look to do so on Thursday against conference-leading BYU, which CSU has already faced twice. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. MT. The Rams will then take on the Utah Utes on Friday and Saturday at 4 p.m. MT and 1 p.m. MT, respectively.
Previously…
CSU continued conference play last week by facing the New Mexico Lobos in Albuquerque on Friday. The Rams scored the most runs in a single game since April 9 (when they scored 11 against San Diego State), but were ultimately defeated by the Lobos, 13-7. Senior Caitlan Stem went 2-for-4 and hit her sixth home run of the year in the first inning to start the Rams’ scoring. On Monday, the Rams faced Portland State to wrap up non-conference play for the season. A doubleheader was scheduled, but the second game was cancelled due to a change in travel plans for Portland State. CSU fell to the Vikings, 12-4. Alysa Greckel hit her seventh home run of the year, and Brittany Palish drove in two runs with an RBI single in the game.
Conference play in 2010…
Last season, the Rams notched a 7-8 record in conference play, helping them to a 29-20 overall record and fourth-place finish in the conference. Of the 15 MWC games on the schedule, the Rams played seven at home, winning four. Between April 17 and May 13, CSU strung together three consecutive conference victories, defeating BYU, New Mexico and San Diego State.
BYU…
The Cougars are currently riding an eight-game winning streak, which has helped them to a 32-15 overall record (7-1 MWC) and first place in the conference standings. They are the defending Mountain West champions (46-13 overall, 12-3 MWC) and were projected to repeat in 2011 by the six MWC head coaches in the preseason poll. On Tuesday, catcher Jessica Purcell-Fitu and pitcher Paige Affleck were named Mountain West Player and Pitcher of the week. It marked the third consecutive week in which BYU had a player named both Player and Pitcher of the Week. Senior third baseman Caschjen Atagi and freshman Tori Almond were named Player and Pitcher of the Week on April 26, and Affleck, along with first baseman Stacie Graham, received the honor on April 19. The Cougars have boasted a Player of the Week six times this season and a Pitcher of the Week five times. Against the Rams, BYU is 25-19 all-time.
Utah…
The Utes’ overall record is currently 27-19 (5-2 MWC), good for second place in the Mountain West behind San Diego State and BYU. Their last win came against conference-rival UNLV on Saturday in a 14-1 decision that ended in five innings. On April 26, senior designated player Brittany Parker was named MWC Softball co-Player of the Week (with BYU’s Caschjen Atagi). Parker hit a pinch-hit grand slam against the Rams on April 21. In 2010, Utah finished the season with a 26-29 record (4-11 MWC) and placed fifth in the conference. Utah is 55-43 all-time against CSU.
Home stretch…
CSU heads into the final six games of the season looking to snap an 11-game losing streak. In 2010, the Rams went 3-3 in their final six games.
Mountain West rankings...
The Rams are ranked in the top three in two offensive categories: walks (third, 138) and hit by pitch (first, tied with BYU, 27). In fielding, the Rams rank second in double plays with 15. Individually, freshman Emily Pohl ranks third in the conference in home runs with 10 (tied with three other players). The catcher has also caught 11 batters stealing and ranks fourth in that category (tied with Utah’s Brooke Olson). Freshman Chelsea Biglow ranks 10th in on-base percentage (.425). Senior Caitlan Stem cracked the top 10 in doubles (10), good for fifth in the conference (tied with San Diego State’s Hayley Miles). She also ranks in assists, coming in at fifth place with 78. On the pitching side, freshman Desiree Laswell leads the conference in both games finished (21) and games in relief (24).
Score some more...
CSU has scored more than 10 runs on three occasions this season, resulting in a 2-1 record. The first win was in a 12-8 victory over Minnesota on Feb. 12. The second high-scoring victory came on Feb. 25 in an 11-3 win over UC Davis. The loss came against San Diego State, 15-11, on April 9.
When scoring first...
The Rams are 5-9 when scoring first, having collected wins over Northern Colorado (twice), UC Davis, Long Island and Jacksonville. When the opponent scores first, the Rams are 2-29. Those two wins came against Minnesota and Santa Clara.
Strength of schedule…
Seven of the Rams’ 2011 opponents are currently ranked or receiving votes in the two national polls. They have faced No. 3/4 Texas, No. 10 Stanford, No. 16/18 Kentucky and No. 22 Texas A&M, and have lost all of those matchups. Formerly ranked Texas Tech, which defeated the Rams, 17-5, on March 17, received five total votes between the two polls. Conference rival BYU was placed in the preseason poll at Nos. 16 and 20 and received 10 votes between the two polls. New Mexico State, the Rams’ first opponent of 2011, received one vote in the USA Today/NFCA poll.
Freshman success...
The 10 freshmen on CSU’s 2011 squad continue to make an impact on the Rams’ season, contributing both offensively and in the field. Catcher Emily Pohl leads the team in home runs with 10, good for second in the Mountain West Conference. Morghan Doughty and Alysa Greckel rank second and third on the team with seven and six home runs, respectively. Pitcher Alexa Cash earned her first win of the season on March 13 against Long Island, pitching all seven innings and giving up one run. Cash’s performance against BYU on April 23 was a bright spot in the Rams’ 8-0 loss, as she pitched four innings of two-run, two-hit ball to keep the Rams in the game. Pitcher Desiree Laswell earned her first win on March 6 against Santa Clara, pitching a complete game and holding the Broncos to four hits. Chelsea Biglow ranks fourth in home runs with five. On April 9, Biglow hit a grand slam against MWC rival San Diego State. Biglow also showed strong defense against SDSU; she recorded each putout of the third inning against the Aztecs April 10. A freshman currently leads the team in the categories of slugging percentage (Doughty, .526), on-base percentage (Biglow, .426), runs scored (Doughty, 32), home runs (Pohl, 10), triples (Doughty tied with senior Caitlan Stem, 2), walks (Pohl, 23), hit by pitch (Pohl, 7), stolen bases (Doughty, 6), total plate appearances (Doughty, 155) and games played (Pohl tied with senior Caitlan Stem and sophomore Brianna Donahue, 45).