ARCATA – Postseason play begins Thursday for the No. 1 seeded Humboldt State Lumberjacks, who open the California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships against No. 4 seed Sonoma State at 4:30 p.m. in Stockton. That game will be followed by No. 2 seed Cal State Monterey Bay taking on No. 3 seed UC San Diego at 7 p.m.

Weather Report
Stockton's forecast for Thursday is calling for a high of 79 degrees and partly cloudy skies. Cloudy skies and a high of 72 degrees are predicted for Friday, while Saturday mirrors Thursday's prediction.

Live Coverage
Fans will be able to follow along with all games of the tournament by accessing the livestats feature on the CCAA website or by going to: http://goccaa.org/Sports/softball/2009/09_sbchamp.asp. All of HSU's games will be carried live on KATA, 1340 AM radio, starting with the pregame show 15 minutes prior to game time. They will also be streamed via the hsujacks.com web site through the following URL: http://137.150.98.222:8000/listen.m3u.
 
Lumberjacks Notes
The Lumberjacks earned their third straight CCAA regular season title last week, finishing with a conference mark of 23-9 after taking three of their final four league games from Cal State San Bernardino. HSU enters the postseason with an overall record of 37-16 and a 6-4 neutral site mark. …HSU's coaching staff feels confident with its new defensive lineup of Nikki Ketteringham at center, Lindsay Warren in left and Felicia Viveiros in right field. The Jacks made one change in the infield recently, moving Ashley Oltjenbruns to third base and switching Francesca West to designated player. …Gracie Perez has taken over the No. 1 pitching spot after a stellar performance against CSU San Bernardino this past weekend. The junior transfer went 3-1 with a 2.92 ERA. “(Gracie) Perez has earned the No. 1 spot,” Humboldt State head softball coach Frank Cheek said. “She's the most consistent and can win those big games when needed.” …The Jacks have made an impact in the CCAA since joining in 2007. In its first year with the CCAA HSU won the tournament title, opening play with an 11-3 win over SFSU and then back-to-back victories over CSU Stanislaus. Last year the Jacks dropped out of the tournament early after falling to CSU Monterey Bay, 5-0, and CSU San Bernardino, 7-6. Being eliminated early turned out to be a blessing in disguise, providing the Jacks extra days of practice and rest to prepare for the region tournament, which they won, the following weekend. … Chrissy Motzny is currently out of the lineup with a hip injury, but will make the trip.

Opponents' Notes
No. 2 seed CSU Monterey Bay enters this weekend's tournament with a 34-25-1 overall record and 20-12 CCAA mark. As a team the Otters' are hitting .294 with seven batters hitting over .300, and two are hitting over .400. Shae Olds leads the team with a .407 batting average, 15 home runs and 43 RBIs. Olds tops the conference individual statistical categories' in slugging percentage (.741) and home runs. …In the circle Michelle Tating leads the team with a 2.18 ERA and 7-4 record. Jessica Boyle (3.04 ERA, 14-12), Shelair Rowell (3.45 ERA, 12-9) and Jessica Moon (3.52 ERA, 1-0) round out the Otters' pitching staff. …With a 27-22 overall mark and 17-14 league record, UC San Diego finished its regular season third in CCAA standings. Kristyn Levosky tops the Tritons with a .467 BA, followed by Jenni Habib (.367) and Nicole Saari (.303) to contribute to the team's .282 hitting percentage. The Tritons have a staff of five in the circle highlighted by Camille Gaito's 1.68 ERA. Lauren Chastain leads the team with 12 wins and 87 strikeouts, while posting a 3.46 ERA. …Behind the arms of Lindsay Emmel, Brittany Williams and Brittany Reynolds, Sonoma State enters the conference tournament as the No. 4 seed with a league mark of 17-14 and 33-21 overall record, including eight wins in its last 10 games. The team's 2.29 ERA lands the Seawolves second in the league's team statistical pitching category. Emmel posts a 1.70 ERA and 16-9 record, while Williams holds a 2.56 ERA and 11-4 record and Reynolds is 6-8 with a 2.94 ERA. The Seawolves have six players hitting over .300 to contribute to the team's .269 batting average.

Head-to-Head
The Lumberjacks hold a 13-4-1 all-time series lead against the Otters. HSU took three out four games from CSUMB earlier this season. …After taking three out of four games this spring, HSU improved its all-time series record over UCSD to 19-5. …The Jacks hold a 92-18 all-time series mark with the Seawolves. The two teams split their most recent four-game series.

Cheek's Thoughts
“We hit the same against good and bad pitchers so it all comes down to us out hitting our opponents,” Cheek said. “During practices we use pitching machines and set them at various speeds so our hitters can learn to adjust, which is key. Hitters have to adjust to what the umpire is calling and what the pitcher's best pitch is. If they don't adjust (your opponents) will get you.” … “I give our team credit. They're talented and can hit, but sometimes they try too hard,” Cheek said. “We're excited for playoff time again and we are as ready as we could be.”