Colorado State University Athletics
Softball preview: Rams travel to Reno for season finale
5/6/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Weekly Release (PDF)
Game 54: Colorado State at Nevada | Thursday, May 7 | 5 p.m. MT | Video Stream | Live Stats
Game 55: Colorado State at Nevada | Friday, May 8 | 5 p.m. MT | Video Stream | Live Stats
Game 56: Colorado State at Nevada | Saturday, May 9 | 12 p.m. MT | Video Stream | Live Stats
SCOUTING NEVADA
The Wolf Pack begins this weekend with a 15-35 overall record, including a 5-16 mark in Mountain West play. Last week, Nevada traveled to San Jose, Calif., taking the first game over the Spartans, 6-5, before dropping the next two contests. In addition to Sweet, Nevada has three other batters hitting above .300, with senior Karley Hopkins hitting .358 with 30 runs and 28 RBI and junior Jasmine Jenkins batting .319 with 28 runs and 28 RBI. Freshman first baseman Alyssa Mendez is hitting .305 and has a team-most nine stolen bases.
Junior shortstop Megan Sweet leads the team with a .411 batting average with 32 runs scored, 10 home runs, 48 RBI and a .684 slugging percentage. Sophomore McKenna Isenberg holds a 4.53 ERA over 36 appearances. The Tempe, Ariz., native has thrown five complete games and one shutout. Isenberg is part of a balanced trio of pitchers, with each appearing in at least 30 games this season.
CSU leads the all-time series over Nevada, sweeping the Wolf Pack last April in Fort Collins.
WEEKEND IN REVIEW
CSU played its final home games last weekend, dropping the series to UNLV, 2-1. The Rams won the opener on Friday, playing a complete game and shutting out the Rebels, 3-0. Freshman Trinity Harrington started in the circle, allowing just three hits and one walk in her fourth complete-game shutout of the season. The Rams posted three doubles, including one each from Savannah Clark, Taylor Hutton and Jaelyn Manzanares.
UNLV's offense awakened on Saturday, tallying 11 runs in the first three innings, including seven in the third inning alone. Madison Kilcrease had two of CSU's four hits, also scoring a run and driving in another. Kilcrease was again on point in the finale, finishing the weekend 5-for-6 with three runs scored and an RBI. The Rams dropped Senior Day, 7-3, although they did score twice in the seventh and had the tying run at the plate before the Rebels recorded the final out.
FINISHING THE SEASON STRONG
While CSU's conference mark hasn't been the statement the team had been hoping to make, CSU is looking to finish the season strong by winning its final series at Nevada. With a sweep, the Rams would finish with a .500 record for the fourth-consecutive season, making Head Coach Jen Fisher the second coach in CSU history to accomplish that feat. The Rams are also looking to build momentum heading into the 2016 season. CSU is expected to return 14 players from this year's roster, including the team leader for batting average and the squad's three current pitchers.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
- CSU played four games against ranked teams, and three more against teams receiving top-25 votes. Against No. 15/14 Minnesota, CSU led entering the sixth inning.
- The Rams began March on an 11-game win streak, the program's longest winning streak since 2003 and the fourth-best ever.
- During the team's 11-game win streak, CSU won its home tournament, going 5-0. The fourth game of the tournament was suspended due to darkness and picked up the next day. Despite being down 4-2, CSU rallied for three runs in the ninth inning to walk off for the victory.
- With a win over Indiana State on Feb. 21, Coach Fisher became the third Rams coach to reach 100 CSU victories, and the second-fastest to do so. Since the start of the 2012 season, the Rams have gone 111-90 (.552).
- Molly Randle tossed a no-hitter in a win over IPFW (Feb. 14), the Rams' first no-hitter since 2010.
- Six different freshmen played this season, totaling 123 starts.
- Facing the top-hitting team in the Mountain West, CSU shut out San Jose State in back-to-back contests on April 2 and 3. It was the first time CSU has posted back-to-back shutouts since 2013, and the first time the Rams have done it on the road since 2003. On the season, CSU has earned eight shutout victories.
- CSU leads the Mountain West for stolen bases (58), and has been caught at the fewest rate in the MW. The Rams are on pace to finish the season with the second-most stolen bases in program history. CSU's four senior batters are a perfect 36-for-36 for stolen bases this season.
- CSU has drawn more than 200 walks, which ranks second in the Mountain West, contributing to a .386 on-base percentage. Four different Rams rank in the top 10 in the Mountain West for walks, led by Haley Hutton's 32 (3rd in school history). Danielle Wikre is tied for fourth in CSU single-season history, and Shae Rodriguez and Madison Kilcrease are in position to finish in the top five.
- The Rams are on pace to finish the season with more than 270 runs scored, which would be the sixth-most in school history.
- In the circle, CSU's pitchers rank in the upper half of the Mountain West for ERA, opponent batting average and strikeouts. The Rams relied heavily on their freshman pitchers, with the duo of Trinity Harrington and Logan Losh pitching more than 40 percent of the total innings. They combined for nine wins.