SB Weekly Preview: NCAA West Region Super Regional

ST. GEORGE, Utah – The "Cinderella" season for the Dixie State softball team continues this weekend as they host the NCAA West Super Regional and No. 1 seed and the NFCA's No. 3 ranked California State University Monterey Bay on Friday and Saturday at Karl Brooks Field. The teams will compete in a best-of-three game series as they will alternate being the home team in the first two games and a coin toss will decide the final if-necessary game. Friday's game will begin at 3 p.m. and Saturday is slated for first pitch at 1 p.m. All three of the weekend's games will have live stats and live video streaming provided on DixieAthletics.com

NFCA Rankings
No new poll this week as the DSU softball team slipped one spot to No. 15 in last week's NFCA Division II final poll of the 2014 regular season.

NCAA West Super Regionals
Tournament Website – http://www.DixieAthletics.com/2014westsuper

While the Red Storm (47-8) needed just three-games to dispose of the West Region 2 opponents, the No. 1 seeded Otters needed the if-necessary game to dispose of PWC member California Baptist. The weekend matchup features the two teams with the lowest ERA in the West Region with CSUMB at 1.98 and DSU at 2.23.

WEST REGION 1 RESULTS (Seaside, Calif.)
GM 1 – Sonoma State 4 California Baptist 10
GM 2 – CSU Monterey Bay 3 Western Oregon 1
GM 3 – CSU Monterey Bay 13 California Baptist 1
GM 4 – Sonoma State 3 Western Oregon 3
GM 5 – California Baptist 10 Western Oregon 0 (F/5)
GM 6 – CSU Monterey Bay 5 California Baptist 13
GM 7 – CSU Monterey Bay 2 California Baptist 1

WEST REGION 2 RESULTS (St. George, UT)
GM 1 – Humboldt State 6 UC San Diego 10 (F/8)
GM 2 – Dixie State 8 Central Washington 6
GM 3 – Dixie State 5 UC San Diego 3
GM 4 – Humboldt State 1 Central Washington 5
GM 5 – Central Washington 10 UC San Diego 1
GM 6 – Dixie State 8 Central Washington 0 (F/5)

Tournament Schedule
May 16-17 at St. George, Utah (Dixie State, Host)

Friday, May 16
Game 1 – No. 1 CSU Monterey Bay vs. No. 2 Dixie State, 3 p.m.

Saturday, May 17
Game 2 – No. 2 Dixie State vs. No. 1 CSU Monterey Bay, 1 p.m.
Game 3 - If remaining teams each have one loss, 3:30 p.m.

No. 2 Seed - Dixie State (47-8)
With three victories in the West Region 2 Tournament, the Red Storm extend its winning streak to 24-games and maintained its No. 1 spot in batting average in the NCAA at .377. They are hosting super regionals for just the second time in school history, the last time in 2009 when they defeated CSU Stanislaus in three games.
Winners of 30 of their last 31, DSU needed two come from behind in their first two games to advance to the championship against Central Washington who they disposed of 8-0 in five innings.

The potent Red Storm offense ranks No. 1 in the NCAA in batting average hitting a cool .377. DSU also is eighth in doubles per game (1.93), sixth in on base percentage (.435), sixth in scoring (7.38), sixth in win/loss percentage (.855), and eighth in slugging percentage (.557).

Courtney Sherwin (Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain High School) enters with a 17-game hitting streak. Sherwin has also reached base in 32 consecutive games and Nicole Chavez (Chino Hills, CA/Ayala High School) 31.

The pitching has been just as reliable as the offense. The Storm have a team ERA of 2.23 and allows opponents to bat just .262 against them. The one-two punch of Aryn Feickert (Lancaster, CA/Highland ), 20-6 record with a 2.12 ERA and Michelle Duncan (Gilbert, AZ/Gilbert High School), 18-1 record and 1.40 ERA, has guided the solid staff to the postseason.

DSU has an all-time record of 15-11 that includes a 13-8 record during the first round of West Region games and is 9-2 at home when hosting the first round. They are 11-3 all-time at home in the postseason and 2-1 in the super regionals.

11 Red Storm members were named to the All-PacWest team, including Coach of the Year for Randy Simkins. Aryn Feickert (Lancaster, CA/Highland ), Courtney Sherwin (Mesa, AZ/Red Mountain High School), Nicole Chavez (Chino Hills, CA/Ayala High School) received honors in the Daktronics West Region awards and Feickert, Sherwin, Chavez and Sheila Gelter (St. George, UT/Dixie High School) were named to NFCA West Region team.

All-PacWest Release
Daktronics Release
NFCA Release

No. 1 Seed – CSU Monterey Bay (48-10)
The Otters are making their first appearance in the NCAA Super Regional after having been turned away four other times. They are 5-9 in the postseason, but none of their teams have been as talented as the 2014 squad.

CSUMB is led by the arm of Daktronics All-West Region Pitcher of the Year Lindsey Clarkson (25-3, 1.72 ERA) and Daktronics All-West Region Player of the Year Cori Reinhardt (.335, 5HR, 35RBI, 21-7, 2.07 ERA). The one two punch has put the Otters near the top of the NFCA rankings all-season long. Two other players were also joined them by being named to first team all-region (Casto, Noriega). The same four earned NFCA West Region honors as well.

Reinhardt was named the CCAA player of the year, with Casto, Noriega, Clarkson and Greenshaw all joining them in conference honors.

The team is hitting .335 with 23 home runs and averages 5.8 runs per game. Bianca Noriega leads the team in hitting at .436, home runs with 6 and RBI at 51. Clarkson follows with a .410 average.

DSU Series Record vs. CSUMB
Overall Series Record: 2-1 DSU
DSU Record in St. George: 1-0
DSU Record in Seaside, CA: 1-0
DSU Record at Neutral Sites: 0-1
DSU Record under Randy Simkins: 1-0
Longest DSU Win Streak: 2 (5/8/09 - present)
Longest CSUMB Win Streak: 1 (3/28/08 – 5/8/2009)
Largest DSU Margin of Victory: 2-0(5/5/12 at Seaside, CA)
Largest CSUMB Margin of Victory: 10-9 (3/28/08 at Turlock, CA)
Most Runs Scored by DSU: 9 (3/28/08 at Turlock, CA)
Most Runs Scored by CSUB: 10 (3/28/08 at Turlock, CA)

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