ARCATA, Calif. – The Humboldt State softball program visits Chico State this weekend for its last road trip of the regular season. The four-game California Collegiate Athletic Association series begins with a doubleheader Friday starting at 1 p.m.
 
HSU is riding a conference-best 17-game winning streak and sits atop the CCAA standings with a 22-6 league mark. The Lumberjacks also rank 12^th in the nation in the latest National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll and third in the first West Region poll of the season.
 
The Wildcats are coming off a series split with Sonoma State and are fighting for the right to make the trip to Stockton for the conference tournament. With a 15-13 league record and occupying the fifth spot in the CCAA standings, Chico State is in must-win mode this weekend.
 
"The Wildcats are kind of an up and down team. They win some and they lose some," said HSU Head Coach Shelli Sarchett. "Chico's a good squad, and is an even better squad on its own home field. We just have to go in there with the same mentality as we did against UC San Diego. We need to take it game by game. We are a hitting team – Chico's a pitching team. The Wildcats are trying to earn a spot in the CCAA Tournament, and it's not going to be easy. They have their backs against the wall right now."
 
The key to the Wildcats success this season has been its consistent pitching led by Haley Gilham. The freshman from Norco, Calif., is tied for first in the conference with a 1.81 ERA and has compiled 11 victories. Gilham struggled mightily early in the season against Cal State East Bay, San Francisco State and Cal State Stanislaus but rebounded with solid outings versus UC San Diego, Cal State Monterey Bay and Sonoma State.
 
Chico currently boasts the league's top pitching ERA with a 2.10, and the Wildcats have yielded the second fewest free passes (86). HSU currently paces the conference with the lowest total of walks allowed (79).
 
Consistency from the top to the bottom of the lineup has helped the Jacks maintain their current winning streak and conference dominance. Nine-hole batter Cyndi Chavez hit .500 last week against the Tritons, and Alison McKibbon continues to provide a steady bat in the bottom half of the order and timely hitting for the Green and Gold. McKibbon is batting .286 in the last 10 games.
 
Freshman Hanna Holland continues to leave her mark in the program and conference record books. Holland broke the CCAA record as she reached base for the 45^th consecutive time in Saturday's series finale against UC San Diego. She and Sonoma State senior Keeley Ray both passed Cori Reinhardt's previous mark of 44 games over the weekend.
 
The Oakdale, Calif., product also leads the conference with 45 stolen bases after adding five more versus the Tritons. She currently ranks fourth all-time in program history with her total and is one behind Kathryn Hutchings (46) and third place.
 
"Hanna has made an immediate impact on our lineup," said Sarchett. "She is really setting the tone for our offense. She makes the defense think, whether she reaches base via a hit or a walk. She has the ability to create havoc on the bases and, on top of that, opposing pitchers have to worry about the 2, 3 and 4 batters of our lineup."
 
The Jacks continue to get a boost from their reserves, and Sarchett knows the team's success hinges on more than its nine starters.
 
"I want to give a shout out to our bench," said Sarchett. "This is a team, and it's not just about our starters. Everybody has to be willing to give all their effort and, right now, the confidence on the team is riding high from starter to non-starter."