ARCATA – Defending champion Humboldt State seeks its second straight title when it hosts the NCAA Division II West Region Softball Championships for the second consecutive year Friday through Sunday. The Lumberjacks enter the tournament as the No. 1 seed and begin their quest against No. 8 seed Sonoma State at 4 p.m., following a 1:30 game matching No. 4 seed Cal State Stanislaus and No. 5 seed Montana State-Billings.

Weather Report

Arcata's forecast for Friday is calling for a high of 56 degrees with mostly sunny skies. Partly cloudy skies and a high of 54 degrees are predicted for Saturday and Sunday.

Live Coverage

All of Humboldt State's games in the tournament will be broadcast live on KATA, 1340 AM radio and also audio-streamed through the hsujacks.com web site. Live statistics for all tournament games can also be accessed through hsujacks.com.

 

2009 Season Statistics
 
Lumberjacks Notes

The Lumberjacks look to finish with the same fate as in 2008, when they bounced back from a disappointing outing at the CCAA Championships to win the regional and national events. HSU enters this weekend tournament with a 37-18 overall record. …This is the Jacks 19th west region appearance in 20 years and 18th consecutive appearance. Last year the Lumberjacks ended a six-year string of losing in the West Region tournament with a come-from-behind effort, taking six consecutive games to earn its first national championship since 1999. …At last week's conference tournament Ashley Oltjenbruns was the only Jack to be named to the all-tournament team going 2-for-5 with one RBI in two games.

Opponents' Notes

Coming off a weeklong break, Cal State Stanislaus enters this tournament as the No. 4 seed. The Warriors post an overall mark of 30-18 and are 2-1 at neutral sites. CSUS, who took the 2007 title in Turlock, will be making its fourth straight appearance at the tournament and fifth overall. …The Warriors have four starters batting over .300 to contribute to the team's .281 batting average. All-CCAA first team selection Meghan Franksen leads the team with a .351 average 10 doubles, eight homers and 36 RBIs. In the circle the Warriors rely on the arms of Jessica Gaumnitz (1.74 ERA, 16-7) and Jennifer Arnold (2.79 ERA, 11-7). …Heading into its first west region tournament since 2005, the Montana State-Billings Yellowjackets have achieved a 39-15 overall record this spring. MSUB is led offensively by a pair of all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference first-team selections, Steph Gosselin and Terina Stacks. Gosselin has 11 doubles and 13 home runs, scored 41 runs, driven in 43 runs, stolen 14 bases and is hitting .379.  Stacks has 10 doubles, two triples and six home runs, scored 38 runs, driven in 34 and is batting .385. The Yellowjackets' pitching staff also has a pair of All-GNAC performers.  Kasie Conder, who made first team, is 16-3 with 145 strikeouts and a 1.54 ERA in 122 and 2/3rd innings.  Lisa Moore, who made second team, is 11-3 with 104 strikeouts and a 2.52 ERA in 100 innings. …The Sonoma State Seawolves are 34-23 on the season and will be making their fourth appearance ever in the NCAA Tournament.  Since Jaime Wallin became coach of the team four years ago, the Seawolves have gone to the event twice, the first time in 2007. Stealing 143 bases on 172 attempts, the Seawolves are known for their ability to effectively run the bases. As a team, SSU is hitting .268, led by Brittany Martinez's .343 batting average. CCAA Pitcher of the Year Lindsay Emmel is the Seawolves' leader in the circle with a 1.78 ERA and 17-10 record. She's struck out 172 batters in 168 2/3 innings. “Sonoma's a good ball club with a good pitcher in (Lindsay) Emmel,” Humboldt State head softball coach Frank Cheek said. “Pitching-wise, they have a great 1-2 punch. Last time we faced them they got to (Gracie) Perez. We'll need to keep them off the bases because they will run on you. SSU positions itself well against us. I believe whoever wins this game will have a good chance at taking the title.”

Head-to-Head

HSU leads CSUS 89-8 in the all-time serie. So far thus season, the Jacks have taken four of the two team's five meetings. …Humboldt State leads the Yellowjackets 10-1 in the two team's all-time series. HSU's last win against MSUB was a 3-2 victory on March 3, 2006. …The Jacks hold a 92-19 all-time series mark with the Seawolves. SSU evened this year's series mark at 3-3 with a 6-2 decision over HSU in the first round of the CCAA tournament.

Cheek's Thoughts

“Comparing this year to last year is like comparing apples to oranges. Last year we had Lizzy (Prescott) and good defense and this year we're hitting better.” … “All four teams this weekend are good teams. Winning your first game is key.”