The Record: Overall 30-16 Big West 5-6

This Week's Schedule
Friday, April 25th
UC Santa Barbara at Utah
12:00 p.m. Doubleheader at Ute Field

Saturday, April 26th * Sunday April 27th
UC Santa Barbara at Utah State
1:00 p.m. Saturday (DH) * 12:00 p.m. Sunday at Johnson Field

Pass The Pepper Please
UCSB makes its first stop of the weekend in Salt Lake City to take on the University of Utah in a doubleheader on Friday. Currently 16-21 on the season, the Utes have been hard-pressed this season to get in some games after numerous weather-related cancellations. A participant in this year's Softball by the Beach Invitational, Utah boasts a team ERA of 2.53, led by Jen Pursell's 2.29 ERA and 9-12 record. Pursell has struck out 83 batters in 125.1 innings. Niki Hayhurst's .350 average paces the Utes' lineup, as does her nine doubles. Melissa Stahnke leads the team with 27 RBI, 21 runs scored and six homeruns.

Back To The Big West
The Gauchos recommence their conference schedule on Saturday with a doubleheader at Utah State. The Aggies have struggled in 2003 to a 6-28 overall and 1-8 conference record, but as last weekend demonstrated, any team can win. After a rain-out of its game at Utah on Tuesday, USU is still yet to host Colorado State on Thursday before facing UCSB. Currently eighth in the Big West, the Aggies have put up a 5.68 team ERA and .209 team batting average, both at the bottom of the conference charts. Quela Henderson has been Utah State's biggest weapon with a .280 batting average, 26 hits, and five stolen bases, the ninth most in the Big West. Leslie Higley's 4.90 ERA and four wins are tops in the circle for the Aggies.

Given Them Away
Although the UC Santa Barbara softball team salvaged a come from behind win last Sunday to avoid being swept by Cal Poly and finish the week at 3-2, one of its two losses to Cal Poly was another example of horrible trend that the Gauchos are trying to break out of. In game two of the twinbill, UCSB handed the Mustangs the win by virtue of unearned runs. Out of Santa Barbara's six conference losses, four of them are a direct result of UCSB errors. Basically, if you were to take away the unearned they have allowed, the Gauchos would have came out on the winning end in four out of their six conference losses. Of the 35 runs UCSB has given up in Big West play, 15 of them have been unearned, 11 of those coming in the six losses. Eventhough Santa Barbara leads the Big West with a 1.40 overall and 1.61 conference ERA, it is fielding a dismal .951 in Big West action, committing 20 errors compared to their opponents' 14.

Shootin' Em Down
Now over three quarters of the way through the 2003 season, this year's squad and its members are not only on pace to, but have already set a plethora of school and conference records. Highlighted by Leslie Simien's career UCSB and Big West stolen base record of 81 and counting, there has been nine records already set or tied by the 2003 team. Jami Trinidad set a new UCSB record for career walks with 92 and counting; Loren Thornburg's 10 shutouts, and possibly more, is a school record; and Sarah Brown's two triples against UC Riverside tied both a Santa Barbara and Big West individual single-game record in addition to single-handedly tying UCSB's team single-game record. As a team, the Gauchos set new records in their February 8th game against USD for hits in a game with 19, and total bases in a game with 27.

And Aiming Them Up
And based on their current averages, there are another nine records projected to fall in 2003, starting with the the biggest record of them all, wins in a season. The most wins ever at UCSB were 34 set back in 1982, and with a minumum of 12 games remaining, this year's team already has 30, the fifth most in school history. The Gauchos are also on pace to set new team records for stolen bases in a season (86 in '82) and batters struck out in a season (291 in '82). Freshman pitcher Carly Harmon has a very good chance of atleast tying UCSB's all-time record for most wins in a season, currently with 15 on the year, she needs just three more to tie Sandy Ortgies' mark of 18 set back in 1987. And Chantal Pershing only needs to be hit one more time to tie Tonya Dias' ('97-'00) career hit-by-pitches record of 13, however Pershing will have done so only only two seasons.

Big West Statistical Leaders (as of 4/21/03)
Jami Trinidad: .356 avg. - 4th, .523 slg. % - 5th, .460 OB % - 4th, 47 H - 5th(t), 30 RBI - 2nd(t), 11 2B - 4th(t), 3 HR - 10th(t), 69 TB - 2nd, 27 BB - 2nd, 3 SF - 2nd(t)

Chantal Pershing: .331 avg. - 7th, .401 OB % - 7th, 32 R - 1st, 48 H - 2nd(t), 58 TB - 10th, 5 HBP - 3rd(t), 10 SH - 3rd(t), 26 SB - 2nd

E.J. Lauchland: .329 avg. - 8th, 48 H - 2nd(t), 26 RBI - 5th(t)

Leslie Simien: 28 R - 3rd, 27 SB - 1st

Ashley Groefsema: 7 SB - 4th(t)

Diane Gerry: 5 SB - 9th(t)

Loren Thornburg: 1.21 ERA - 1st, .175 oppo. avg. - 3rd, 162.0 inn. - 1st, 150 K's - 2nd, 37 KL - 4th, 13 wins - 5th(t), 25 appear. - 6th(t), 22 starts - 4th(t), 10 SHO - 1st, 9 WP - 4th(t), 12 HB - 3rd(t)

Carly Harmon: 1.48 ERA - 4th, .224 oppo. avg. - 8th(t), 151.1 inn. - 2nd, 92 K's - 7th, 15 wins - 1st(t), 25 appear. - 6th(t), 23 starts - 1st(t), 4 SHO - 7th(t)

Overall Team: .264 avg. - 3rd, 152 R - 3rd, 331 H - 1st, 78 SB - 1st, 1.40 ERA - 1st, 255 K's - 2nd

The Numbers
46 Where senior pitcher Loren Thornburg's Big West-best 1.21 ERA ranks in the nation. She has only allowed 28 earned runs in 162.0 innings of work.

20 As in the 20th-best team ERA in the nation in Division I. The Gauchos' team ERA of 1.40 is the third lowest of any DI team in California behind #2UCLA and #9Cal.

13 Where Leslie Simien's 0.59 stolen bases per game ranks in the NCAA Division I. Her 27 stolen bases, remarkably, are also the 13th most by a single individual.

20 Senior Chantal Pershing's ranking in the nation for stolen bases per game at 0.57. Her 26 steals are the 15th most in Division I and second most in the Big West.

111 Career RBIs for senior Jami Trinidad, placing her tenth all-time in Big West Conference history and second all-time in UCSB history. She needs just eight more RBIs in the remaining 12 games this season to tie the Gauchos' single season record of 38 set by Kendra Wood in 2000. Trinidad finished just one RBI short of the single season record last year with 37. She is currently tied for second in the Big West with 30 ribbies this year.

14 E.J. Lauchland's team-high hit tally over the last ten games. Starting with the series at Pacific, Lauchland has driven in 11 RBIs, also a team-high, collecting hits in eight out of the last ten games. The junior infielder/outfielder is currently third on the team with a .329 batting average, a mark that would stand as the tenth best single-season performance in UCSB history.