ARCATA – The two hottest teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Association – Humboldt State and CSU Dominguez Hills – will play in the opening game of the CCAA Softball Championship Tournament at 3 p.m. on Friday.
 
The Toros have won nine in a row and 14 of their last 15. The Lumberjacks have won eight in a row and 11 of their last 12.  The tournament will be held at Arnaiz Stadium in Stockton and also feature Sonoma State and UC San Diego in a four-team double elimination format.
 
“Any one of these four teams can win it,” said HSU head coach Frank Cheek. “The heat will be a factor. It's expected to be in the 90s. We're used to 58.”
 
All four teams are expected to advance to the NCAA West Regional tournament May 10-12, so the main thing on the line is to maintain momentum.
 
The Jacks have played the Toros five times this year, and have won four of those games. But Dominguez Hills won the most recent game, 2-1, with its ace, Stephanie Jimenez.
 
“Jimenez doesn't walk many. She is a senior with good control. She hits her spots. But we can hit her,” Cheek said. Jimenez and HSU's Katie Obbema are the top two pitchers in the CCAA. In CCAA-only games, Jimenez leads the league with a 1.35 ERA and Obbema leads in won-loss record with a perfect 18-0 mark. Obbema has a 1.55 ERA in CCAA-only games.
 
Senior Chrissy Stalf, who leads the nation with 24 home runs, has three homers against Jimenez. The big bat for the Toros belongs to Adriana Sanchez who has 16 home runs and a .407 batting average. Stalf was named the Worth/CCAA Player of the Week for the third time this season. For details, click here.
 
“Sanchez presents a problem. She hits .407 with power. The rest are good hitters, bunters and slappers,” Cheek said.
 
Live Audio / Live Stats
The game will be broadcast live on ESPN Radio/KATA 1340 am and at
http://socialstreamingplayer.crystalmedianetworks.com/radio/kataam
 
Associate Athletic Director Tom Trepiak will be doing  the play-by-play with Maggie White providing analysis. Trepiak did all postseason softball radio broadcasts during the 1994 and 1995 seasons when HSU finished third and second in the nation, respectively.
 
Live stats will be available at
http://www.goccaa.org/championships/sball/2013_sball_championship
 
Tournament Schedule
Fri., May 3
Game 1 at 3 p.m.: Humboldt State (#1 seed) vs. CSU Dominguez Hills (#4 seed)
Game 2 at 5:30 p.m.: UC San Diego (#2 seed) vs. Sonoma State (#3 seed)
 
Sat., May 4
Game 3 at 1 p.m.: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
Game 4 at 3:30 p.m.: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (loser eliminated)
Game 5 at 6 p.m.: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 (loser eliminated)
 
Sun., May 5
Game 6 at Noon: Championship Game (Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5)
Game 7 to follow, if necessary.
 
CSU Dominguez Hills Notes
Jimenez has started eight of the last nine games and pitched four shutouts in that span. ... The Toros won the Tournament of Champions at Turlock in April and beat the Jacks at that tournament, 2-1. ... Dominguez has been ranked as high as sixth in the nation.  ... The Toros are sixth in the region in the latest NCAA rankings.
 
Humboldt State Notes
Sophomore Dani Randall has a 13-game hitting streak. She is hitting .595 during the streak. ... Stalf's 53 career home runs are an HSU and CCAA record. Her 24 home runs this season are an HSU and CCAA record. The NCAA record for home runs in a season is 28, held by Florida Gulf Coast University's Carmen Paez (2007). ... Humboldt leads the nation with 97 home runs. The NCAA record for home runs in a season by a team is 112, set by Metro State in 2010.