2012 Softball NCAA West Region Notes: It's "GO" Time

CARSON -- The 10th-ranked CS Dominguez Hills Toros make their eighth trip to the NCAA regional, and first since 2008. Qualifying for its first trip to the NCAA post-season appearance in four years, CSUDH enters the 2012 postseason as the No. 1 seed and will face PacWest's Grand Canyon in game 2 of the Carson Regional, scheduled for a 2:30 pm first pitch on Friday, May 4.

Below is a list of teams that qualified for the West Region tournament, their records, CSUDH's record against them this year and a series capsule, if applicable. Bolded teams compete in Carson this weekend.

1. #10 CS Dominguez Hills (41-13)
2. #7 CS Monterey Bay (45-12)
3. Dixie State (36-11)
4. #21 Chico State (35-16)
5. Sonoma State (35-17)
6. #24 UC San Diego (35-19)
7. Montana State-Billings (32-16)
8. Grand Canyon (34-19)

Against No. 2 Cal State Monterey Bay (2-1): The Toros took both regular season games against the Otters, but suffered a loss in the CCAA Tournament that knocked them out of the tournament. Khryssi Steele hit .400 against CSUMB with Alyssa Cruz notching a team-best 3 RBI. Pitchers Lauren Harper and Stephanie Jimenez combined for a 1.05 ERA, with 28 strikeouts against a single walk.

Against No. 3 Dixie State: The Toros and Red Storm hooked up one time at the Tournament of Champions, with CSUDH handing DSC a 3-1 defeat. In the contest, Stephanie Jimenez and Daisy Beltran each roped two hits, while Dixie's defense helped CSUDH's cause by committing three errors. Lauren Harper took the win, scattering three hits and fanning 9 without any walks in the victory.

Against No. 4 Chico State (2-2): CSUDH split its four road games against the Wildcats, though were handled by pitcher Sam Baker in her two starts after Baker tossed a perfect game against the Toros, with her other effort resulting in just one hit. Veronica Vazquez batted .286 in the games, with Khryssi Steele knocking in a team-best 3RBI. Stephanie Jimenez earned both wins, fanning four against two walks.

Against No. 5 Sonoma State (4-0): Lauren Harper out-dueled All-American Samantha Lipperd as the Toros swept the Seawolves in Carson. Harper posted a 0.45 ERA with 13 Ks against 3 walks in picking up two wins and a save, with a trio of Toros tying for the team lead with 5 hits in the series, led by Veronica Vazquez's 6RBI that including going yard against Lipperd.

Against No. 6 UC San Diego (1-4): Senior All-American pitcher Camille Gaito had the Toros' number this year, leading the Tritons to a 4-1 record against the Toros. Khryssi Steele had the most success against UCSD with her .333 batting average, with Jessica Hall and Veronica Vazquez going yard in the series. Lauren Harper posted a 1.53 ERA in 4 appearances, fanning 12 batters against a single walk.

Against No. 7 Montana State-Billings: The GNAC Champion Yellowjackets boast five players hitting at least .340, led by Rose Harrington's .395 average, 68 hits, 32 RBI and 11 doubles. Meg Harasymczuk and Bobbie Lee have combined for 25 of the team's whopping 59 home runs. In the circle, MSUB boasts four pitchers with at least 11 wins, led by Amanda Todd's 17-13 record and 88 Ks.

Against No. 8 Grand Canyon: The 'Lopes visit Carson having lost three of their last four games to No. 3 Dixie State to close the 2012 regular season. Kelsey Barak leads GCU with a .426 batting average, 72 hits and 8 home runs. The pitching duo of Kiley Raica and Kiki Sepulveda has combined for a 27-13 record, adding 73 strikeouts as well as 96 walks.

Toros Against the West's Best: The Toros went just 10-7 against the teams represent the West Region, including a 9-5 against teams in the CCAA. Khryssi Steele led the offense with 16 hits, while sophomore Veronica Vazquez produced like a seasoned veteran after stroking two home runs and driving in 13. In the circle, Stephanie Jimenez boasted a 5-2 record and 1.94 ERA, while Lauren Harper posted a 5-4 record with 53 strikeouts against just seven walks.

CSUDH Against the Nation's Best: The Toros posted a 7-6 mark against nationally-ranked teams this year, including 5-5 in CCAA Conference games. Senior Khryssi Steele belted a team-best 7 hits in those contests, with Veronica Vazquez (8) and Brittany Brenner (7) leading the RBI charge. In the circle, Lauren Harper went 4-4 with a 1.95 ERA, including 44 strikeouts against 6 walks, while Stephanie Jimenez posted a 3-1 mark and 2.07 ERA, fanning 29 batters against 9 walks.

Toros in the NCAA Playoffs: This 2012 Toros squad is entering unfamiliar territory as it begins the NCAA Playoffs after having last made the postseason four years ago, but the NCAA postseason itself isn't unfamiliar to the Cal State Dominguez Hills softball program.
   Beginning with the program's first NCAA postseason appearance in 1982 when CSUDH was in the North regional and played its game at the University of Nebraska Omaha, CSUDH qualified again for the regional in 1989, and then from 2003 through 2006 during which the Toros enjoyed their greatest success as a program.
   In that epic 2006 campaign, CSUDH won four games in advancing to the regional Championship Series in which it was eliminated by host Cal State Bakersfield. Prior to that contest, however, the Toros made history by sending the top-ranked and top-seeded Humboldt State Lumberjacks home in dramatic 7th-inning fashion off All-American Lizzy Prescott, starting a string of six-consecutive wins against the HSU softball machine.

History Making: Cal State Dominguez Hills made its third appearance in the CCAA Championship Tournament last weekend with its first No. 1 seed, but was eliminated after just two games after No. 4 seed UC San Diego took the CCAA Tournament Title. In fact, the Toro wins have lessened by one since their inaugural appearance, earning two wins in 2010, one win in 2011 and none this year en route to an overall 3-6 mark in three CCAA tournament appearances.

Record Setting: The Toros have created many indelible images during the regular season, capped by earning a share of the CCAA regular season title. CSUDH posted a perfect 24-0 regular season home record, enjoyed the best start in program history at 24-3, and posted the best winning streak in program history at 17.

Deja Vu?: This marks the first time the Toros will enter the NCAA postseason as the top seed after its previous No. 2 seeding in 2005, the last time CSUDH hosted the regional. In the then-8-team tournament, the Toros went 1-2, falling to Chico State in the opening game before a dramatic extra-inning win over Hawai'i-Hilo in an elimination contest, which preceded a defeat to Montana State Billings that knocked them from their own tournament.

Five Toros Receive Six All-CCAA Awards: The co-CCAA Champion Toros were well-represented in the All-CCAA awards banquet, earning four All-CCAA awards and two of the five individual honors. Junior Jessica Hall was the lone Toro to earn 1st-team All-CCAA honors, with Christina Chavez, Lauren Harper and Khryssi Steele being named to the 2nd-team. Chavez also picked up the program's first CCAA Newcomer of the Year award, while head coach Jim Maier earned his second CCAA Coach of the Year honor, and third in the program's history.

Clutch: A big key to the Toros' success this season has been producing when it counts. CSUDH is winning 62.5% of its extra inning games (5-3), 81.8% of its 2-run games (9-2) and 73.9% of the games in which one team is the victim of a shutout (17-6). Additionally, the Toros boast winning marks against both right- and left-handed pitchers, in conference and non-conference contests, and at home and on neutral sites. However, CSUDH is an even 7-7 in one run games, illustrating the need for CSUDH to score early and often to keep the pressure on the opposing pitching staffs.

Toros Among the CCAA's Statistical Best: Here's how CSUDH fared with the rest of the CCAA after the regular season. Hitting: Hits - Jessica Hall (T5th, 63); RBI - Christina Chavez (9th, 44); Triples - Veronica Vazquez (T4th 3); Sac Bunts - Vazquez (3rd, 14); Pitching: ERA - Lauren Harper (4th, 1.64), Stephanie Jimenez (5th, 1.72); Opposing BA - Jimenez (2nd, .184), Harper (3rd, .190); Innings Pitched - Jimenez (3rd, 175.0), Harper (4th, 170.1); Batters Struck Out - Harper (2nd, 179), Jimenez (3rd, 160); Batters KL - Harper (2nd, 62), Jimenez (4th, 44); Wins - Jimenez (2nd, 22), Harper (5th, 18); Saves - Jimenez (T1st, 4), Harper (T7th, 2).

There's No “I” in Team: Here's a look at how the Toros fare as a team at the end of the regular season on the offensive end: Batting Average (7th, 287); Slugging % (7th, .394); On-Base % (7th, .369); Runs (5th, 250); Hits (6th, 402); RBI (T5th, 216);Walks (8th, 139); Home Runs (7th, 20); Strikeouts (9th, 170). And on defense: ERA (1st, 1.72); Opposing BA (1st, .190); Innings Pitched (3rd, 358.0); Batters Struck Out (2nd, 345); Batters KL (1st, 108); Wins (2nd, 41); Saves (T1st, 6);Hits Allowed (1st, 247); Runs Allowed (1st, 106); Earned Runs Allowed (1st, 88); Fewest Walks Allowed (1st, 69); Fewest HR Allowed (4th, 26); Fielding % (2nd (.974); Fewest Errors (2nd, 35).

Perfection Achieved: The Toros set a program record by going a perfect 24-0 on Toro Diamond, surpassing the previous best home record of 23-5 in 2005, the last time CSUDH took the league title. The Toros were dominant in Carson, out-scoring their opponents 157-40 en route to a .335 batting average compared to just .165 for the visitors.
   Juniors Jessica Hall and Christina Chavez flourished at home, boasting respective .458 and .450 averages and combining for 29% of the team's hits, 57% of the home runs and 39% of the RBI. Junior aces Lauren Harper and Stephanie Jimenez, meanwhile, split the wins with 12 each while combining for a 1.60 ERA with 178 strikeouts against just 34 walks in 157.1 innings of work. In the home games, eight ended early via the mercy run rule, with two going extras as CSUDH averaged 6.5 runs a game and allowed just 1.7 in Carson.

The Road Less Traveled: A key for opponents in getting into the win column against the Toros is to play them in their own stadium. In road games this season, the Toros are just 9-8, including 9-7 in league play. In those games, Jessica Hall leads the offense with 17 hits and 10 runs scored, belting a pair of home runs in those games. Stephanie Jimenez has been the road warrior for CSUDH, posting a 7-2 record with 4 shutouts and 48 Ks against just 14 walks allowed.

Even-Steven: Making themselves at home while neither at home nor on the road, the Toros boast an 8-5 mark at neutral tournament sites, led by senior Khryssi Steele and her .415 batting average and team-best 17 hits. Junior Daisy Beltran follows with a .361 mark, with Jessica Hall and Veronica Vazquez each chipping in 7 runs scored, with Hall driving in a team-best 6 RBI. In the circle, Stephanie Jimenez is 3-3, but boasts a 0.76 ERA with 55 strikeouts against just 4 walks, while Lauren Harper is 4-2 with a 1.51 ERA, 41 strikeouts and 6 walks.

Nerves of Steele: Senior Khryssi Steele is the lone Toro with NCAA postseason experience, participating in the 2008 postseason as a true freshman, and is someone the Toros will look upon to lead them in the tournament. In that season, Steele started all four games as the flex at third base, scoring the lone run in CSUDH's 8-1 loss to eventual NCAA Champion Humboldt State.

A Winning Voice: While junior newcomer Ciara Campos has made just 30 appearances off the bench with just 5 plate appearances, she has been a major contributor to CSUDH enjoying a perfect record at home. In the 12 double-headers leading to a 24-0 mark, Campos has sung the National Anthem before each game, setting the tone for what has proved to be a winning result.

Handle With Care: Errors were a major cause for concern for the Toros after ending last season with 46 miscues. CSUDH, however, has vastly improved its defense this year to the tune of ranking 7th in the nation in best fielding percentage.   Daisy Beltran in left field tops the regulars with just one error made in 92 chances, followed by center fielder Khryssi Steele's 3 miscues in 64 chances, 5 each by Veronica Vazquez at 2B and Jackie Reyes at 1B, 6 by Jessica Hall at 3B, and 9 by Christina Chavez at SS.

400 and Counting: Head coach Jim Maier earned his 400th career victory after Saturday's double-header sweep over San Francisco State, and received a celebratory ice water bath for his accomplishment. Entering the NCAA regional, Maier sits at 419-247-2 and 232-154 CCAA, good for a .629 winning percentage overall, and .601 in league play, and needs just 81 more victories for his next milestone.

Rank and File: CSUDH was a familiar fixture in both the NFCA National rankings and NCAA regional rankings, staying in the NFCA top 10 the final six weeks of the regular season, and maintaining its No. 1 seed in each of the NCAA's four polls. CSUDH reached its highest NFCA ranking of No. 5 on March 7, the second-highest ranking ever following a No. 2 ranking on March 8, 2006.

Final Stand: Two seniors in Khryssi Steele and Jackie Reyes will conclude their stints in Cardinal & Gold this year, but don't plan on making this trip to the NCAA postseason a short one. The duo has seven years of Cardinal and Gold experience under their collective belts, and each has battled through injury en route to contributing significantly to this year's success after combining for 71 hits, 14 doubles, 20 RBI and just 8 errors in 285 chances in the field.

What a Difference a Year Makes: After finishing 4th in the CCAA last season with little offensive firepower returning this year, the Toros have posted much better overall numbers this year, led by the known strength in the circle.
   Here's a look at how this year's stats compare to last year's figures in key categories: Batting Average (2012-.282/2011-.251); Runs (250/193); Hits (407/331); HR (20/24); RBI (216/170); Fld%(.975/.968); Strikeouts (176/200), Walks (144/148); Errors (36/46); ERA (1.71/2.57); Saves (6/8); B/A Against (.191/.272).

Topsy-Turvy: The two co-CCAA Champions in 2012, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State Monterey Bay, both were picked to finish 6th in a pre-season poll conducted amongst league head coaches. Defending NCAA National Champion UC San Diego was picked to win the title, followed by Chico State, Sonoma State, CS San Bernardino and Humboldt State rounding out the top five slots.
   At the end of the regular season, the Toros led the way based on a tie-breaker, followed by the Otters, the Wildcats and then the Tritons.

Home Grown: This year's CSUDH roster has an influx of local talent, with four players from the city of Carson, and two from neighboring Torrance. Carson natives Jackie Reyes and junior Christina Chavez both attended Banning High School, with fellow Carson residents Veronica Vazquez prepping at Carson HS, and Alyssa Cruz attending San Pedro HS.
   The Toros welcomed a couple of Torrance natives in freshmen Stephanie Hua and Rachel Guldbrandsen, who attended North and West High Schools, respectively.

Streaking: The Toros posted a program-best 17-game win streak beginning in early February to set the stage for its current No. 10 NFCA ranking and top seed in the NCAA West Regional. During that stretch, Jessica Hall was one of three Toros to bat over .400, with her .483 average coming on 28 hits with 7 doubles and 2 home runs. Christina Chavez followed at .469 with 6 doubles and 19 RBI, with Veronica Vazquez's .423 average, 19 hits and .545 on-base percentage contributing to the cause.
   In the circle, both aces in Stephanie Jimenez and Lauren Harper posted 8-0 records, boasting a combined 134 strikeouts against just 25 walks as opponents hit just .160 against the Toros. Sophomore Melissa Pacheco earned the other win after tossing 1.1 innings in a single appearance.
   Of those 17 games, 12 were at home, 3 were neutral and 2 were on the road, with the Toros out-scoring their opponents 112-30 in the process.

Good Eye, Good Eye: One facet of a successful team is being selective the plate, and this year's Toro team has proven itself to have a good eye. Six players in Jessica Hall, Veronica Vazquez, Melissa Pacheco, Jackie Reyes, Brittany Brenner and Rachel Guldbrandsen all have walked more times than they have struck out, with Paige Rhodes evening out with a 1:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and Stephanie Jimenez and Lauren Harper both just one walk away matching Rhodes' ratio.

Walk This Way: Sophomore Melissa Pacheco has demonstrated the eaglest of eyes this year, walking 16 times to tie her for the team lead, and fanning just seven times to lead all regulars in that category. Pacheco has appeared in 40 games with 27 starts, and boasts a .446 on -base percentage, aided by getting plunked a team-best 9 times.

Fast Starts: Out-scoring opponents guarantees wins, and the Toros have been successful doing just that, especially in the early going. En route to scoring 250 runs compared to 109 for their opponents, CSUDH has posted a +30 run differential in the 1st inning, +24 in the 2nd, +23 in the 3rd, +14 in the 4th and 6th, +19 in the 5th, and +13 in the 7th. It's the latter innings that have been cause for concern as CSUDH is just +3 from the 8th inning on.

Multiplicity: Jessica Hall leads the Toros with 18 multi-hit games, including two 3-hit efforts. Senior Khryssi Steele follows with 17 multi-hit games, with Veronica Vazquez (16), Christina Chavez (14) and Stephanie Jimenez (10) rounding out the quintet. Of the 13 Toros who have enjoyed at least one multi-hit effort, nine have had a 3-hit game this year.

Multiplicity, Take 2: Thirteen Toros also have driven home at least two runs in a game, led by Christina Chavez's 13 multi-RBI efforts, including two games with 4 RBI and two games with 3 RBI. Jessica Hall follows with 8 games with at least two driven in, with Veronica Vazquez next with 6, and Stephanie Jimenez with 4 multi-RBI games.

Future Returns: Regardless of how the Toros fare in the NCAA postseason, the team's future looks very bright with just two seniors finishing their eligibility in 2012. Next year will feature a senior class consisting of CSUDH's two aces in Lauren Harper and Stephanie Jimenez, along with All-CCAA honorees in Jessica Hall and Christina Chavez, giving head coach Jim Maier a deep and talented squad that will compete for a back-to-back CCAA crown.

Youth is Served: To go with the returning seniors in 2013, the Toros have a plethora of underclassmen returning to continue the Toro way. Six sophomores have a pair of CCAA Tournament appearances and this weekend's upcoming NCAA regional under their belts, with four freshmen adding last weekend's CCAA experience to the roster, giving head coach Maier a great deal of confidence when it comes to the 2013 and 2014 teams, when his sophomore class will be in its final season.

The Toros Are...: 8-12 when they score 2 or less runs ... 33-1 when scoring at least 5 runs ... 31-4 when holding opponents to 2 or less runs ... 10-9 when opponents score 3 or more runs ... 30-2 when leading after 4 innings ... 29-2 when leading after 5 innings ... 22-0 when leading after 6 innings ... 3-7 when trailing after 4 innings ... 3-7 when trailing after 5 innings ... 1-8 when trailing after 6 innings ... 8-4 when tied after 4 innings ... 5-3 when tied after 5 innings ... 9-3 when tied after 6 innings.

The Quiet Leader: Head coach Jim Maier enters the 2012 NCAA West Regional with a 419-247-2 record in this, his 12th year at the helm of the Toros program. Winning 62.9% of his games overall and 60.1% of his CCAA Conference games (232-154), Maier has claimed at least 30 wins in 10 of his 12 seasons as CSUDH head coach, further etching his name as the Toros' all-time greatest softball coach.
   Under his tutelage, 60 players have been selected All-CCAA, including 2 CCAA MVPs, as well as 11 All-Region and 2 All-Americans, with both the All-Region and All-American awards to be announced later this month. In his 11 years, Maier has two team title, one runner-up, three 3rd including 2010, one 4th, one 5th, three 6th and a 7th place finish in conference play.

Maier in the NCAA Postseason: Maier has not only made strides by bringing the CSUDH softball program to the national forefront, his teams have also made strides when it's counted the most ... in getting to the NCAA playoffs.
   Starting the string of four-consecutive appearances in 2003, the Toros won their first NCAA postseason game the following year, and then claimed another win in 2005 as it hosted its first every regional.
   One year later, CSUDH secured four wins in making its deepest run in postseason history, only to be blanked by host Cal State Bakersfield in the championship series, leaving the Toros just two wins away from the World Series. In its last NCAA postseason berth, CSUDH won its first two games over CCAA schools, but were shut out by WOU and then defeated by eventual NCAA Champion Humboldt State in Arcata.
   Overall, Maier is 8-14 in the postseason, good for a .364 winning percentage.

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2012 Softball NCAA West Region Notes: It's "GO" Time