CHICO – With just a pair of non-conference games over the past couple of weeks, the Chico State softball team is itching to get back between the chalk lines. The Wildcats will definitely get their wish and then some, playing a minimum of 13 games scheduled over the next 15 days, including a four-game series this Sunday and Monday in Arcata against California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) rival Humboldt State.
The series was originally scheduled for Friday and Saturday, but due to rain in Arcata, has been rescheduled for Sunday and Monday. Sunday's doubleheader will start at noon, and the first pitch of Monday's double-dip is scheduled for 9 a.m.
Chico State enters the series 9-7 on the season, and tied for sixth in the CCAA with a 6-6 conference mark. The Wildcats split a home doubleheader last Friday with Oregon Tech, beating the Hustlin’ Owls 1-0 in the nightcap after dropping the first game 7-2.
Chico State’s .276 team batting average is fourth best in the CCAA entering the weekend, and the Wildcats are averaging 3.6 runs and more than seven hits a game – over two runs and two hits a contest better through the season’s first 16 games than last year’s Chico State squad. The ’Cats boast four .300 hitters in the starting lineup, with Sam Quadt’s .352 average leading the team; Charlotte Honciano has five multi-hit games and is hitting at a .346 clip; Bec Johnson is batting .333 for the year, while Courtney Brock checks in with an even .300 batting average. Rachel Failla, batting just under .300 entering the weekend, leads Chico State with 11 RBI.
Humboldt State is 9-9 overall and in ninth place in the CCAA with a 2-6 conference record. The Lumberjacks, off to an uncharacteristically slow start after winning three straight conference regular season titles and the 2008 NCAA National Championship, have won six of their last seven contests, including three of four this week in a non-conference series against Western Oregon. Humboldt State is second in the CCAA with a .303 team batting average, and the ’Jacks top two hitters, Giavanna Hampton and Chrissy Stalf, are both batting over .400 on the year. Righthanded freshman Vaneza Hoover ranks among the top 10 pitchers in the conference in both strikeouts and earned run average. The Lumberjacks are 5-1 at home this season.
Following the Humboldt State series, Chico State returns home March 19-20 to take on conference-leading Sonoma State in a four-game set. The Wildcats close out the month March 26-28, when they’ll play at least five games in the Mizuno Tournament of Champions at Pedretti Park in Turlock.
