Dixie State Trailblazers (39-12, 24-8 PacWest) at:
NCAA Division II West 1Â Regional - May 11-13, 2017
Seaside, California
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Game Times:
Thursday: No. 4 Dixie State vs. No. 5Â Sonoma State - Noon PT (1 p.m. MT)
No. 1 Cal State Monterey Bay vs. No. 8 Western Washington - 2:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. MT)
Friday-Saturday:Â See bracket (links provided below).
WEST 1 REGION BRACKET (PDF)Â
FULL BRACKET (PDF)
Click HERE for directions to the CSUMB Softball Field (4113 2nd Ave, Seaside, CA 93955)
PARKING INFORMATION
Daily parking permits are $4
Permits available at entrance to parking lot
Click Here to purchase your parking permit online prior to attending event.
TICKET INFORMATION
Single Day Tickets, On Sale Game Day Only
Adult - $10
Students | Youth - $5
LINKS
Tournament Central Page
Live Stats
Live Audio
Twitter: @DixieAthletics | #DixieBlazers #PacWestSB
No. 23 Dixie State softball opens the 2017 NCAA Division II West Regionals on Thursday, taking on Sonoma State in a first-round matchup at Noon Pacific Time (1 p.m. MT) on the campus of Cal State Monterey Bay in Seaside, California.
The Trailblazers (39-12, 24-8 PacWest) were selected to their ninth consecutive West Regional on Monday, and are tied with the Seawolves for the longest current streak of West Regional appearances.
DSU received the No. 4 seed in the West 1 Regional, while first round opponent Sonoma State (36-18, 26-14 CCAA) was tabbed as the No. 5 seed. Cal State Monterey Bay, host of the West 1 Regional, earned the No. 1 seed and will match up with No. 8-seeded Western Washington in game two on Thursday.
The winners of the first two games will advance to play in game three at 11 a.m. Pacific Time (Noon MT) on Friday. The losers drop to the one-loss bracket and will meet in the first elimination game (game four) on Friday at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (2:30 p.m. MT). The winner of game four will advance to play the loser of game three on Friday at 4 p.m. Pacific Time (5 p.m. MT), with the winner advancing to play the winner of game three in the West 1 Region championship (game six) on Saturday at Noon Pacific Time (1 p.m. MT). The if-necessary game will follow immediately should the one-loss team win game six.
Live video will not be provided at the West 1 Regional. Links for live stats and live audio will be available at DixieStateAthletics.com.
ALL-TIME VS. SONOMA STATE: Thursday's game marks the 13th meeting between Dixie State and Sonoma State. The teams first met on April 4, 2009, in Turlock, California. The Trailblazers earned a 2-1 victory in the inaugural meeting, before the Seawolves responded by winning four of the next five matchups. Since then, DSU owns victories in five of the last six matchups, including a sweep in the 2015 NCAA West Super Regionals. Dixie State and Sonoma State have met four different times in the postseason (2010, 2011, 2013, 2015). The Trailblazers hold a 4-2 record in those matchups, and a 7-5 overall series record. However, the Seawolves hold a 3-2 advantage in the series in neutral-site games.
ALL TIME IN WEST REGIONALS: Dixie State played its first NCAA Division II West Regional game on May 8, 2009, earning a 7-6 win over Cal State Monterey Bay. The Trailblazers went on to win the 2009 West Regional, and since then, have advanced to the Super Regionals in 2014 and 2015. DSU has hosted a West Regional four times (2009, 2013-15) and holds a 16-10 record in West Regional games, including a 4-8 mark away from Karl Brooks Field.
KNOW YOUR FOE: Sonoma State enters the West 1 Regional with a 36-18 overall record and a 26-14 mark in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) action. The Seawolves finished fifth in the CCAA, and missed the conference tournament, but still received their ninth consecutive NCAA West Regional bid. Five different Sonoma State players average .300 or better at the plate, led by sophomore infielder Alex Flores (.349/12 RBI) and sophomore Lindsey Calcany Blair (.344/20 RBI/7 2B/3 HR). Sophomore Brielle Vidmar (14-8) leads the Seawolves in the pitcher's circle with a 2.44 ERA and 76 strikeouts in 129.1 innings pitched.
LAST TIME OUT: Dixie State closed the regular season with a Senior Day sweep (15-0, 10-2) of Academy of Art on April 29, wrapping up both games in five innings.
LEADING THE LEAGUE: Dixie State leads the PacWest in batting average (.333), RBI (311), on-base percentage (.420), walks drawn (184), runs scored (358), and stolen bases (126). Additionally, Janessa Bassett (Stansbury Park, Utah/Stansbury HS) leads the league in on-base percentage (.534), while Mallory Paulson (Fruita, Colo./Fruita Monument HS) leads the conference in runs scored (48).
MAKING HISTORY: Janessa Bassett (Stansbury Park, Utah/Stansbury HS) became Dixie State's career stolen bases leader on February 10, stealing second in the top of the first vs. UC Colorado Springs. Bassett eclipsed former DSU player Bailie Hicken's (2009-10) mark of 87 on the play, and has added 24 more stolen bases since then for a career total of 112 stolen bases on 124 attempts (.903). Bassett also currently sits atop the career triples (20), batting average (.449), and on-base percentage (.531) lists.
Additionally, Josey Hartman (Mapleton, Utah/Maple Mountain HS) sits atop the DSU career games played and games started lists after appearing in and starting in the series finale at Concordia-Irvine on April 15. The senior shortstop has started in every Dixie State softball game (223 games) from her freshman year to the present day.
As a team, the Trailblazers have set new single-season records in walks drawn (184) and stolen bases (126). Â
DSU IN THE RANKINGS: Dixie State dropped from No. 3 to No. 4 in the final NCAA Division II West Region rankings on Monday. The Trailblazers also moved to No. 23 in the NFCA Division II Top-25 poll last week.
TRAILBLAZERS LAND NINE ALL-PACWEST HONORS: Dixie State landed seven players on the 2017 All-PacWest Softball Team, while Janessa Bassett (Stansbury Park, Utah/Stansbury HS) and Kenzie Sawyer (Cedar City, Utah/Canyon View) earned additional honors. Bassett was named PacWest Defensive Player of the Year, and Sawyer earned PacWest Newcomer of the Year honors. Bassett and Mallory Paulson (Fruita, Colo./Fruita Monument HS) earned first team All-PacWest honors, while Brooklyn Beardshear (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro HS), Shelby Yung (Upland, Calif./Upland HS), Arista Honey (Bothell, Wash./Bothell HS), Jessica Gonzalez (Kingsburg, Calif./Kingsburg HS), and Bailey Gaffin (Glendale, Ariz./Mountain Ridge HS) landed on the second team.
GAFFIN, YUNG EARN COSIDA ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT HONORS: Bailey Gaffin (Glendale, Ariz./Mountain Ridge HS) and Shelby Yung (Upland, Calif./Upland HS) earned 2017 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District honors. To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. The Academic All-District teams are divided into eight geographic districts across the United States and Canada. First-team Academic All-District honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected later this month.Â
BASSETT NAMED NFCA PLAYER OF THE YEAR FINALIST: For the second consecutive year, Dixie State junior outfielder Janessa Bassett (Stansbury Park, Utah/Stansbury HS) has been named one of 25 finalists for the Schutt Sports/NFCA Division II Player of the Year award. Bassett leads Dixie State at the plate, hitting .420 with 17 RBI, and leads the Pacific West Conference in on-base percentage (.539), drawing 31 walks to go with 50 hits. Additionally, Bassett leads the conference and ranks in the Top-10 nationally in stolen bases (36). The Top-10 finalist will be announced on May 11, with the final three finalists to be announced on May 18. The 2017 Player of the Year will be revealed on May 24 at the NCAA Division II Softball Championship Banquet in Salem, Virginia.
DSU PICKED SECOND IN PACWEST PRESEASON POLL: The Trailblazers were picked to finish in second place in this year's PacWest Preseason Poll, receiving three first-place votes, but finishing behind California Baptist in the poll. Junior outfielder Janessa Bassett (Stansbury Park, Utah/Stansbury HS) was named to the Preseason All-PacWest team, after landing on the PacWest First Team last season. Bassett also garnered Fast Pitch News Preseason All-America honorable mention honors, after being name to both the NFCA and D2CCA All-America second teams last season.
THE SIMKINS FILE: Randy Simkins enters his ninth year as the Dixie State head softball coach in 2017, after a stint as head coach at DSU while competing in the junior college ranks. He led Dixie State to a program-best 49-6 record in 2004 while the school competed as an NJCAA program. In 2015, the Trailblazers recorded the most wins as a Division II program with 52 victories. Simkins has accumulated 338 victories to just 94 losses for a winning percentage of .782 in eight seasons as head coach. Simkins has led DSU to four PacWest championships, two West Region championships, two trips to the College World Series, and a national runner-up finish.
2017 ROSTER:Â Dixie State returns 12 starters from the 2016 squad, led by junior outfielder Janessa Bassett (Stansbury Park, Utah/Stansbury HS). A first team All-PacWest selection and second team All-American, Bassett was DSU's leading hitter in 2016, batting .474 with 82 hits, 28 RBI, 29 stolen bases, and 17 doubles. She ended the regular season as the PacWest leader in batting average, on-base percentage, and hits, ranking in the Top-10 nationally in batting average and the Top-15 in hits.
The Trailblazers return five other All-PacWest selections from last season, including Jessica Gonzalez (Kingsburg, Calif./Kingsburg HS), who earned PacWest Freshman of the Year in 2016. Gonzalez hit .393 with 44 hits, 37 RBI, and six home runs. Senior outfielder Shelby Yung (Upland, Calif./Upland HS) (.365, 57 hits, 32 RBI), senior infielder Mallory Paulson (Fruita, Colo./Fruita Monument HS) (.345, 48 hits, 34 RBI), and senior catcher Arista Honey (Bothell, Wash./Bothell HS) (.343, 23 hits, 18 RBI) also return in 2017.
Senior Brooklyn Beardshear (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro HS), who earned second team All-PacWest honors at third base last season, returns as DSU's top pitcher. Beardshear recorded a 12-4 record with 38 strikeouts and a 2.30 ERA in 2016.
Junior Kenzie Sawyer (Cedar City, Utah/Canyon View) joins the team as the only junior college transfer addition in 2017. Sawyer hit .456 with 167 RBI and 48 doubles in two seasons at Western Nebraska Community College. She holds the WNCC career home run record with 49.
Six freshman look to compete for playing time as Destiny Diaz (Camarillo, Calif./Oaks Christian HS), Kori Gahn (Phoenix, Ariz./Pinnacle HS), Brenna Hinck (Tremonton, Utah/Bear River HS), Kaycie Jensen (Springville, Utah/Springville HS), Kirsten Quigley (Othello, Wash./Othello HS), and Riley Tyteca (Farmington, Utah/Viewmont HS) join the team for the new season.
UP NEXT: The winner of the West 1 Regional will advance to play the West 2 Regional winner next week at a location to be determined.
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