Softball Stays Put at No. 9 in Latest NCAA West Region Poll

Stephanie Jimenez has been part of a potent 1-2 pitching punch for the Toros

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Despite dropping three of four to Chico State last weekend, Cal State Dominguez Hills remained just one spot from making the NCAA postseason as it stayed at No. 9 in this week's NCAA west region poll.

The Toros, currently 25-20 overall and 23-20 in in-region games, are led by All-American and reigning CCAA Player of the Year Emiley McEwen, who boasts a .344 batting average with nine home runs, 31 RBI, 42 hits and 21 runs scored, all team bests.

The sophomore pitching duo of Stephanie Jimenez (pictured) and Lauren Harper has combined for 24 of the wins, with 213 strikeouts and just 69 base on balls allowed.

Just eight teams will qualify for the NCAA postseason, with the top two ranked teams in the final poll next month each likely hosting one of two four-team sub-regional tournaments, with the two sub-regional champions playing a best-of-three series for the region title.

Following the Vikings atop the poll is UC San Diego, with Hawai'i Pacific and Sonoma State moving up one place each, and Chico State dropping two to the No. 5 spot. CS San Bernardino, Dixie State and Hawai'i-Hilo round out the top eight, with the Toros and Central Washington holding steady at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively.

CSUDH, which boasts Jimenez as tied for the 2nd-most saves in the nation and is 27th nationally in fielding percentage, will lock horns at Sonoma State this weekend to conclude the regular season.

The Toros remain .00446 of a point ahead of CS San Bernardino for the fourth and final berth in the upcoming CCAA Championship tournament set to begin April 29. CSUDH faces a Sonoma State team that boasts a winning percentage of .656, but has won just three of its last six contests.

Conversely, the Coyotes travel to Arcata to face a Humboldt State team on the upswing after winning three of four and five of eight games to push its winning percentage to .42307.

The Seawolves currently sit in second place in the CCAA standings and four games ahead of the Toros, with the top four teams qualifying for the year-end league tournament. Both double-headers can be folllowed live, via live stats or live audio.

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