May 13, 2004

The Schedule
Friday, May 14, 2004 at 3:00 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. Cal State Fullerton Titans
At UCSB's Campus Diamond

Saturday, May 15, 2004 at Noon (Doubleheader)
UC Santa Barbara Gauchos vs. Cal State Fullerton Titans
At UCSB's Campus Diamond

Final Weekend Is A Big One For UCSB
The 2004 season has proven to be a one of firsts for the UC Santa Barbara softball program. After recording its second consecutive 30-win season by capturing the final game of last weekend's series at 18th ranked Long Beach State, the Gauchos are now 12-6 in the Big West Conference, ensuring their first ever top-three league finish. The 30 wins also gives UCSB back-to-back 30 win seasons for just the second time in school history and the first as an NCAA Division I program. The Gauchos enter the final regular season weekend of the 2004 campaign just one game behind second-place Cal State Northridge. The Matadors host Long Beach State in a three-game series this weekend while UCSB hosts Cal State Fullerton. By virtue of the fact that they took two of three from Northridge earlier in the conference schedule, the Gauchos need only to pick-up one game in the standings to record a second-place finish.

Tournament Dreams
The Gauchos enter their series against Cal State Fullerton with more than just stats and records to consider. UCSB also enters the weekend with a legitimate opportunity to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. The combination of a strong season-ending run, strength of schedule and at the minimum a third-place finish in one of the toughest softball conferences in the nation make a postseason bid realistic.

Balls And Strikes
When freshman pitchers Jennifer Davis and Lindsey Sommer combined for three strikeouts in a win over Utah State on May 2, they helped move UCSB past its previous school record for pitching strikeouts in a season. The Gauchos enter this weekend's series with 320 strikeouts as a team, 23 more than the previous record of 297 recorded last year. On the flip side, the UCSB staff has also allowed a school record 210 walks. The Gauchos also surpassed that school record during their series against Utah State. The previous record of 183 was set in 1985.

Flying And Falling
The longball has not been something that UCSB fans have really seen since the 2000 season...until now. Currently second in the Big West after tying the Gauchos' single season homerun record two weeks ago, junior Lindsey Herrin's nine home runs in 2004 are just one shy of the conference lead and a new school record. Nipping at Herrin's heals is freshman Kendra Singley who has seven home runs, fifth in the Big West and seventh all-time. The 16 home runs that Herrin and Singley have combined for makes them the second most powerful one-two punch in Gaucho history. In 2000, Mandy Edwards and Jessica Ziese combined for 17 circuit clouts. Singley has also gotten the job done on the base paths as well, currently second in the Big West with 13 doubles, she needs just one more to tie the Gauchos' single season record. Also within striking distance for Singley is the school record for total bases in a season. Singley has 83 total bases, seven shy of the record set last season by Jami Trinidad.

Adding To It
Every now and then you need to be reminded just how successful senior Leslie Simien's career has been. She enters the weekend with 29 stolen bases on the season and if she can steal one more, she would possess the top three single-season stolen base totals in UCSB history. In addition, Simien's career total of 115 steals ranks as both a Gaucho record and a Big West record. She also ranks 25th in NCAA history and needs just three more to move into the 24th spot. Simien is third all-time at UCSB with 106 runs scored and 190 hits. She enters Friday's game with 55 hits on the season, seventh in the Big West and just four shy of the school record of 59 set by Tonya Dias in 1998.

Davis Does It Again
When freshman Jennifer Davis faced 18th ranked Long Beach State twice last weekend, she squared off against two of the best pitchers in the nation. Despite striking out four and allowing just three hits, Davis suffered a hard luck 1-0 loss. In fact that loss is Davis' only loss against a ranked opponent in her last four contests against a Top-25 team. The Gauchos' offense came alive in the series finale and Davis allowed just an unearned run in picking-up the win. The freshman from Whittier has now won five of her last seven decisions, including wins over then 19th ranked Pacific, No. 11 Fresno State, and 18th ranked Long Beach State. In her last five decisions she has allowed just one earned run and 13 hits in 31.1 innings of work. In fact, going back a bit further, Davis has allowed just one earned run in her last 35.2 innings of work, a microscopic 0.20 ERA.

Like a Veteran
Although all of UCSB's outstanding freshman class has performed exceptionally well, catcher Shelby Hensler has been playing like a veteran behind the plate. Eighth overall and third among starting catchers in the Big West with a .992 fielding percentage, she has committed just three errors in a total of 361 chances, the most chances of any Big West catcher. Hensler also thrown out 18 potential basestealers, the second most in league.

Playing The Field
UCSB ranks 27th in the nation in fielding percentage at .968. The Gauchos have recorded just 58 errors in 1,830 total change. Jessica Hejna has yet to commit an error this season in 54 total chances.