March 26, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

Upcoming Schedule

Sunday, March 31
LMU vs. Cal State Bakersfield (12-14) 12:00 p.m./2:00 p.m.

* All games can be followed on Gametracker at www.LMULions.com.

Briefly
Winners of 12 of their last 14, the Lions close out March with a Sunday double header against Cal State Bakersfield. LMU has not played since March 20 and will be taking the field for its final non-conference double dip of the season before Pacific Coast Softball Conference play opens up next week.

Follow The Lions Live On The Web!
All LMU home games will be available for fans on Gametracker through the LMU website at www.LMULions.com. Select road contests can also be followed on Gametracker. Notice will be given for these games.

Media Guide
The 2008 LMU softball media guide is available for download at www.LMULions.com. This is the only source of copies for the guide.

LMULions.com Gets Facelift
Be sure to visit www.LMULions.com for all the up-to-date information on the Lions. The site recently underwent an overhaul and visual upgrade. Log on for the latest news, stats, scores, photos, and player bios for your Lions.

Last Week Recap: Lions Go 3-1
LMU hosted a pair of midweek double headers last week, welcoming UNLV and New Mexico State to Smith Field. The two days of play could not have been more different as Wednesday featured seven home runs in a Lion sweep while Thursday's affairs were battles in the circle between the pitchers.
Game one against UNLV was shaping up to be a pitcher's duel as the teams were scoreless through 4 1/2 innings. The Lions did all their damage in the fourth inning, sending 11 runners to the plate in an eight-run frame. Junior Megan Ackerman broke the deadlock with a two-run homer and the hits kept coming, capped by junior Chelsie Tysdal's grand slam that made it 8-0 in support of sophomore Melissa Dykema. Game two was also a slugfest, with Ackerman and sophomore Darcy Pagnini each going yard twice and Tysdal adding another in a 9-4 victory. Senior Tiffany Pagano struck out a career-high 14 in the win.
LMU's seven-game winning streak came to an end in the opener against New Mexico State as the Lions could only muster four hits in a 2-1 loss. Pagano and Tysdal carried the day in game two, with Pagano's 13 strikeouts making Tysdal's solo home run in the fourth stand up in a 1-0 win.

About Cal State Bakersfield (12-14)
Cal State Bakersfield has lost three in a row, having dropped contests last week at Pacific and Cal State Northridge. The Roadrunners have already faced four common opponents with LMU, losing to UTEP, Portland State, and UNLV and going 1-2 against Saint Mary's. CSUB travels to UC Santa Barbara on Wednesday and hosts San Diego on Saturday.
Last season, at the Division II level, Bakersfield went 31-27-1 overall and 20-16 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association. They advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Division I Independent tournament. LMU and CSUB have faced each other eight times, but none since 2001, when the Lions recorded a home sweep, both via shutout. The Roadrunners lead the all-time series 5-3.

Homer Happy
LMU certainly teed off against good UNLV pitching on March 19, blasting seven home runs in the double header sweep, including five in game two. The seven total homers on the day was one short of the school record of eight hit on March 7, 2006 against the University of Pennsylvania while the five dingers in game two tied the single-game record set in the second game of that double header against UPenn. Even more remarkable was that the seven homers were hit by only three players, as junior Megan Ackerman crushed three while junior Chelsie Tysdal and sophomore Darcy Pagnini each had two. Ackerman and Pagnini each went deep twice in the second game, marking the first time that two Lions had homered multiple times in the same contest.

Tysdal Takes Home PCSC Weekly Honor
Junior Chelsie Tysdal earned her second career PCSC Player of the Week honor on March 25 after hitting .500 (5-10) with three home runs and seven RBI in four games for the Lions. She hit her first career grand slam to cap LMU's win over UNLV, then opened up the second game of that doubleheader with a two-run shot. In the finale against New Mexico, her solo homer in the fourth proved the difference. For the week, she slugged 1.500 and had an on-base percentage of .545.

Dynamic Duo
In senior Tiffany Pagano and sophomore Melissa Dykema, the Lions have arguably the best pitching combination in all of Division I. Last season, the pair combined for all 47 LMU victories and were one of five sets of teammates nationwide to win 21-or-more games. This year, only two teams return a pair of 20-game winners.
Neither disappointed coming out of the gates in 2008. Dykema went 3-1 over the season's first weekend and Pagano was 1-0 with a 0.94 ERA. Both were virtually un-hittable as Dykema set a new single-game record with 16 strikeouts against Rhode Island and Pagano twice had a dozen strikeouts in the season's opening weekend.
Together, the duo are numbers 1-2 in the PCSC in wins, ERA, and opponent batting average. Both have also racked up the awards in the first month, with Dykema earning PCSC Pitcher of the Week honors for February 11 and Pagano following suit the next two weeks and four times total.

No-No for Pagano
With two career no-hitters under her belt, senior Tiffany Pagano recorded the hat trick by holding North Dakota hitless on March 8. Despite some first inning wildness that saw her walk two batters and hit two more, resulting in a 2-0 deficit, Pagano settled down to retire 14 of the last batters she faced. It was her first no-no since February 12, 2007 (Northern Colorado) and she also had one on March 23, 2005 against UC Santa Barbara. Pagano's no-hitter helped earn her PCSC co-Pitcher of the Week honors for March 11 as she also tossed a two-hitter against Loyola-Chicago. She also won back-to-back awards for February 18 and 25 and was lauded again on March 18 after picking up four of LMU's five wins on the week. She has four Pitcher of the Week honors this season and 14 for her career, extending her PCSC record.
The PCSC Pitcher of the Year in two of her three seasons at LMU, Pagano has been making her case for a third honor this season. The senior is 14-4 with a 1.33 ERA and 186 strikeouts in 137.1 innings, all of which lead the conference. She is also the PCSC leader in opponent batting average, stifling foes at a .159 clip. She has nine double-digit strikeout games on the year and 21 for her career, including a career-best 14 against UNLV.
Already LMU's career leader in shutouts (31) and strikeouts (732), Pagano tied the record for complete games (74), is second in saves (six) and wins (63), and is third in innings pitched (674.0).

Don't You Forget About Me
Not to be overlooked by the performances of Pagano has been the play of her running mate, sophomore Melissa Dykema. Dykema is 9-6 with a 2.13 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 85.1 innings, ranking second in the PCSC in wins, ERA, and opposing batting average.
During the season's opening weekend, she was 3-1 to earn PCSC Pitcher of the Week honors. Against Rhode Island, she set a new LMU single-game record with 16 strikeouts, one of two outings this year that she has had double-digit strikeouts.
In less than two seasons, Dykema is already in the LMU top-five in strikeouts (282, fourth) while she is also fourth with 38 complete games and is one win away from that lists.

Slouber Sets the Table
You would want your leadoff hitter to get on base and, so far, junior Kirsten Slouber has obliged. The 2007 All-PCSC First Teamer hit safely in each of the season's first 12 games (the second-longest streak in the PCSC) and is leading the conference with 41 hits. She is third on the team among regulars with a .374 average and has delivered multiple hits in a game 15 times, tops on the team. She is third with 17 runs scored.
Slouber picked up her second PCSC Player of the Week award in her career when she got the season off to a blazing start, batting .455 (10-22) and hitting safely in all five games, including four multiple-hit outings, at the Red Desert Classic.

Tysdal Tees Off
Junior Chelsie Tysdal has provided much of the fireworks this season, leading the Lions with eight home runs and 31 RBI, both of which also lead the PCSC. Tysdal is among the league leaders in batting average (.385 - second), hits (40 - second), slugging percentage (.721 - first), runs scored (21 - tied for third), on-base percentage (.423 - sixth) and doubles (nine - second). Defensively, she has picked off four runners and thrown out four trying to steal. She has already tied or topped her career-highs in eight offensive categories.
Tysdal was on fire to gain her first Player of the Week recognition on February 26. The catcher batted .615 (8-for-13) and hit safely in all four of LMU's games to extend her hitting streak to a season-high eight games. For the week, she hit .615 with three home runs, six RBI, and three runs scored. She slugged 1.385 and had an on-base percentage of .643.

Hey J.J.
The breakout player of the year so far for the Lions has to be sophomore J.J. Hartung. As a freshman, Hartung hit .200 in just 40 at-bats and was used primarily as a pinch-runner. This season, she is LMU's starting third baseman and is leading the PCSC with a .424 average. She is tops on the team with eight stolen bases (in ten attempts) and is among the league leaders in batting average, hits (39 - third), and on-base percentage (.442 - fourth). She has 11 multi-hit performances, second on the squad, and is even slugging .543.

Mia not M.I.A.
Junior MiaSarah Cesena has taken on a definite leadership role with the Lions, both vocally and with her play. A career .254 hitter, on the field she is off to a hot start, batting .333 with 16 RBI. She has shown her willingness to do whatever the team needs by laying down a team-high six sacrifice bunts.
Cesena had a big weekend at UTEP, driving in three of LMU's four runs against UC Riverside and two more against Binghamton.

A for Ackerman
Junior Megan Ackerman broke out of her early-season slump with career-highs of two home runs and seven RBI against North Dakota on March 8. She also broke out against UNLV, homering three times in the double header, including twice in game two. After leading the team with nine homers in 2007, Ackerman now has five on the season, tied for second on the team. She has also driven in 14 runs and is slugging .527.

Foley, Foley, Foley, Foley!
Also beginning to come around at the plate is sophomore Christine Foley. The 2007 PCSC Player of the Year had the longest active hit streak on the team at 15 games before it was snapped against UNLV. The streak helped raise her average to .307. She has also driven in 16 runs, tied for second on the squad and eighth in the conference.
Foley doesn't hit many home runs but she does hit them in clutch spots as her second homer of the year was a two-run walk-off shot to beat Illinois-Chicago on March 16. Foley hit safely in all five of LMU's games that week to extend her hitting streak to a PCSC-best 15 games and earn PCSC co-Player of the Week honors for March 18. For the week, she hit .375 with a double, home run, four RBI and three runs scored.

Two-Bags for Pags
When you have seven regulars hitting .300 or better, it is a sign of consistency and depth. Much of that depth has been provided by the play of sophomore Darcy Pagnini. After redshirting last season due to injury, Pagnini is splitting time behind the plate with Tysdal, with both in the lineup everyday, either as catcher or designated player. That depth has allowed both to thrive, as Pagnini leads the PCSC with 11 doubles while also adding five home runs and 14 RBI to go along with a .303 average. She is second on the team in walks (13) and runs scored (20), ensuring her a vital role as the number three hitter. She has also done well behind the plate, throwing out four baserunners and picking two off.
Pagnini had her first career two-homer game against UNLV, finishing 3-for-3 with three RBI and three runs scored.

Freshmen Come Through
Head Coach Gary Ferrin started three freshmen in the season opener and they responded with Priscilla Satete driving in the year's first run and Amy Charpentier providing the walk-off hit against Southern Utah.
Charpentier has started every game at second base, leading the rookies with a .309 average and all Lions with 14 walks and 21 runs scored. Her gritty play was personified against Loyola of Chicago when the 5-1 Charpentier ran over the much bigger catcher to score the second of LMU's runs and start the rout. She also hit her first career home-run in the second win over Bucknell.