LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO | LIVE AUDIO

ARCATA, Calif. – When the California Collegiate Athletic Association released its 2015 softball schedule the Humboldt State and Cal State Monterey Bay coaches expected the end-of-the-year series would decide the conference title. This weekend they will get their wish.
 
The Lumberjacks host the conference-leading Otters beginning Friday (1 p.m.) at the HSU Softball Field. The Green and Gold will celebrate Senior Day before Saturday's first game at 11 a.m.
 
"The second I looked at the schedule when I got it last year I knew this weekend was going to be for the league title," said HSU Head Coach Shelli Sarchett. "I've been talking to Monterey Bay's coach, and we both knew it would be for the CCAA championship. With senior weekend and a league title up for grabs this weekend there are a lot of things are on the line."
 
HSU split last week's road series versus Chico State. Breaking even against the Wildcats put the Jacks a game back of the Otters with a 24-8 CCAA record. HSU's series-opening loss against Chico State snapped the North Coast team's 17-game winning streak.
 
"I have to give credit to Chico," said Sarchett. "They are a good squad. They have good pitching, and their defense was solid. It's a compliment to our league when its fifth place team is one of the toughest teams we've played."
 
Sarchett said the Jacks will take some positives away from the Chico series but put it aside and focus on archrival Monterey Bay.
 
"Obviously, a lot of people are going to focus on the negatives when they see our split versus Chico, but going into postseason there were still some positives we need to focus on," said Sarchett. "The bottom of our lineup came up with some big hits, and our pitchers worked out of some tough situations."
 
The Otters are currently riding the CCAA's longest winning streak at 10 games. Monterey Bay dismissed Cal State Stanislaus last week and won three games in five innings. The Seaside, Calif., ball club is ranked second in the NCAA West Region and was fifth in last week's NFCA Division II poll.
 
Monterey Bay's Bianca Noriega and Cori Reinhardt swept the CCAA's weekly awards and are the Otters' top performers. Noriega is the squad's top run producer with 51 RBI and is batting a team-best .462. Reinhardt leads the conference with 25 wins and a 1.72 ERA. She was the CCAA's Most Valuable Player in 2014.
 
"The Otters return everybody from last year, and they have got a very experienced team," said Sarchett, "They've got pitching, hitting and they are experienced. That makes them a formidable foe."
 
HSU's Katie Obbema will take the circle for game one against the Otters. The Morgan Hill, Calif., native has regained her form after a rocky start to the 2015 campaign and re-captured her spot as the Jacks' ace. She went 2-0 with a 2.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 14.0 innings versus the Wildcats.
 
Another HSU player fans should keep their eyes on is outfielder Hanna Holland. The speedy freshman leads the CCAA with 46 stolen bases and has reached base in 49 consecutive games. Holland is also seven bases shy of tying former HSU star Jamie Peterson's single-season stolen base record (53).
 
The Jacks will also recognize their six seniors – Dani Randall, Hannah Williams, Kellsie Domnitz, Carrie Pitcher, Alison McKibbon and Katelyn Graeser – before Saturday's game.
 
"We hate to see our seniors go because they have been such a big part of our program the last four years," said Sarchett. "These six really helped with our turnaround after some rough years. These ladies are really a catalyst for our team, and we hate to see them go. We plan on sending them out on a high note in front of our hometown fans."