COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The Mountain West Conference Softball Championship will take place May 13-15 at Ram Field on the campus of Colorado State University. The opening game will see third
seeded BYU taking on the No. 6 seed New Mexico at 9 a.m. on Thursday, May 13. No. 4
Utah and No. 5 UNLV will be the other opening round match on Thursday at 11:30 a.m.
Colorado State and San Diego State will receive opening round byes. The Aztecs will play
the winner of BYU and New Mexico at 2 p.m. on Thursday, while the Rams will go against
the winner of Utah and UNLV Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
The Mountain West Conference Softball Championship game will be on Saturday, May 15,
at 2 p.m. MST with the winner receiving an automatic bid into the 2004 NCAA Softball
Championship.
Around the MWC
BYU
BYU is 14th in the nation in batting average (.307) and 11th in runs scored (278, 5.45/game).
The Cougar pitching staff is posting a 2.35 ERA, led by sophomore Brooke Boyce's ERA of 1.74.
COLORADO STATE
CSU added three home runs to the books this weekend bringing its record setting total to 58 on the year. Freshman Brittany Huerta added to her school record with her 14th long ball of the year.
Six Rams hit over. 333 or better for the weekend: Ricki Walker (.500), Rachelle Padeway (.364), Kerry Farrell (.333), Brittany Burtner (.333), Jessica Strickland (.333) and Melanie Laffoon (.333).
The Rams recorded their second ever 40-win season with Sunday's game-two win.
As a team, Colorado State has set single season school records for batting average (.330), doubles (96), home runs (58) and slugging percentage (.528).
CSU claimed its first ever Mountain West Conference regular season title and first league title since winning the WAC crown in 1997.
NEW MEXICO
Sophomore pitcher Iraina Ogas is tied for 19th in the nation in saves with four.
SAN DIEGO STATE
San Diego State begins the quest for its first-ever post-season tournament championship at 2 p.m. MST on Thursday, May 13, with a match-up against either BYU or New Mexico at the MWC Tournament. The Aztecs have a 7-6 all-time record in the MWC Tournament, the only school with a winning tournament mark but no title. SDSU has fallen in the last three championship games: in 2001 to BYU, 4-3, in 2002 to Utah, 8-1, and in 2003 at SDSU Field to Colorado State, 3-1.
The winningest class in San Diego State history, second baseman Joann Figueroa, center fielder Janna Kovensky and third baseman Kelcy Murphy, played their final home games last weekend. The three have helped lead the Aztecs to four of the six winning seasons compiled in the 28-year history of the program, the four best records in school history and SDSU's first two NCAA Tournament appearances, in 2001 and 2003.
Saturday also marked the final Aztec softball games at SDSU Field, as a new softball/tennis facility is scheduled to be completed by October 2004. The 1,000-seat facility will have room to add 1,000 more seats. San Diego Padres owners John and Becky Moores donated approximately $6.5 million for the facility.
Shortstop Meagan Hartung is currently tied for the most walks in a single season in school history at 28 with Anne Marie Risquez (1998).
Third baseman Kelcy Murphy's 102 career RBI are tied for the top Aztec spot in that category with Erryn Gutjahr (1996-99). Murphy's 35 RBI this season are six away from that record, which Murphy set in 2002 with 41.
UNLV
The Rebels won three of their last four games at home to finish 15-12-0 at Eller Media Stadium.
UNLV won both of its last two games in its final at-bat.
The Rebels have double figure hits in 11 games this year.
Senior Lisa Sampson enters the MWC Tournament on a six-game hitting streak.
UTAH
Senior Glennis Donnelly is third in the nation in home runs per game (18, 0.36/game), 11th in RBI per game (48, 0.96/game), 17th in slugging percentage (.775) and 21st in doubles per game (16, 0.32/game).
