California State University at Northridge
Idaho State
CSUN Set to Host Mizuno Classic, Illinois
3/17/2016 3:48:00 PM | Softball
Matadors Continue Homestand with Seven-Game Slate
CSUN Game Notes
COMPLETEÂ Mizuno Classic Schedule
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN softball team (13-12) hosts the Mizuno Classic this weekend, bringing four teams to the San Fernando Valley for a 10-game slate from Mar. 18-20. Coming to Matador Diamond this weekend are the Yale Bulldogs, the Idaho State Bengals, the LMU Lions and the UC Riverside Highlanders. The Matadors take on Idaho State and LMU on Friday, Mar. 18 at 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively, then faces Yale on Saturday, Mar. 19 at 4 p.m. CSUN concludes its time at the event Sunday with a doubleheader beginning with a 10 a.m. contest against Yale and a 12:30 p.m. finale against Idaho State. Following the tournament, CSUN will continue its homestand with a doubleheader against Illinois on Tuesday, Mar. 22 beginning at 10 a.m. at Matador Diamond. A full schedule of all games at Matador Diamond for the three days of the tournament can be found at the top of the CSUN Softball schedule page on GoMatadors.com.Â
Brandon Marcus will be on the call for all the CSUN games this weekend on the CSUN Sports Network and live stats will be provided for all games at Matador Diamond. Friday's games with Idaho State and LMU will also feature a live video stream with links available at GoMatadors.com. Fans are also encouraged to check with the CSUN Softball Twitter handle (@CSUNSoftball) for updates throughout the weekend.Â
Last week, the Matadors went 2-3 overall as it continued to play in front of their home fans. Despite setbacks to No. 24 Oregon State, Grand Canyon and Toledo, CSUN posted victories over Charleston Southern and San Diego. In the victory over the Toreros, junior Rebecca Bell tossed her first career shutout, scattering just two hits to go with a career-high four strikeouts over seven innings of work. At the plate, Karlie Habitz, Ariana Wassmer and Katie Hooper all had solid weeks and will look to build upon that momentum with the seven-game slate in the week ahead.Â
This week brings some talented teams to the San Fernando Valley for another busy weekend of softball. Idaho State enters the weekend 9-13 overall record and has only faced the Matadors once in the all-time series between the two schools. As a team, the Bengals are batting .328 in 22 games with 24 doubles, six home runs and 33 stolen bases. In the circle, Idaho State carries a team ERA of 4.70 with 68 strikeouts and a .316 opponent batting average in 143 innings of work. Idaho State posted a 4-1 victory in the only previous meeting between the schools, which came in 2013.Â
LMU comes into the weekend with an 18-8 overall record, having gone 9-2 in home games thus far. In 26 games, the Lions are batting .325 with 58 doubles, 30 home runs and 19 stolen bases. In the circle, LMU sports a 3.71 team ERA with 96 strikeouts and a .295 opponent batting average in 175.1 innings of work. CSUN leads the all-time series with LMU 23-7 and has won the past three meetings, including a doubleheader sweep at LMU in 2013.Â
Yale has been in California for a week or so already, having played UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton and San Diego among others since coming to the West Coast. The Bulldogs are 3-8 overall and are batting .243 with six doubles, 15 RBIs and seven stolen bases on the season. In the circle, Yale carries a team ERA of 5.73 with 47 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .337 in 66 innings of work. CSUN and Yale have never met in softball.Â
Illinois will participate in the San Diego Classic II this weekend before making the trek to Northridge for Tuesday's twinbill. At the event, the Fighting Illini will face Long Beach State, Weber State, Saint Mary's, San Jose State and Seattle. Illinois is 14-7 overall on the season and carries a .314 batting average, 37 doubles, 17 home runs and 44 stolen bases in 21 games. In the circle, Illinois sports a team ERA of 3.00 with 68 Ks and an opponent batting average of .270 in 137.2 innings of work. CSUN and Illinois have never met in softball.
Complete Weekend Schedule at CSUN
Friday, Mar. 18
Yale vs. Idaho State                        8:30 a.m.
Yale vs. LMU Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11 a.m.
Idaho State vs. CSUN Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 1:30 p.m.
LMU vs. CSUNÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4 p.m.
Saturday, Mar. 19
LMU vs. Idaho State                        8: 30 a.m.
Idaho State vs. UC Riverside          11 a.m.
Yale vs. UC Riverside                    1:30 p.m.
Yale vs. CSUNÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 4 p.m.
Sunday, Mar. 20
Yale vs. CSUNÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10 a.m.
Idaho State vs. CSUNÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 12:30 p.m.
Tuesday, Mar. 22Â Â
Illinois vs. CSUNÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10 a.m. & 12:30 p.m.
CSUN Team Notes
- Sophomore Savannah Horvath leads the Big West in slugging (.688) and total bases (53), second in runs (26) and doubles (10) and tied for fifth in SBs (10) as of Mar. 14
- Junior Katie Hooper has 30 career doubles, the eighth-most in program history; sixth in RBIs (110) and eighth in HRs (23)
- Junior Taylor Glover ranks second in the Big West in batting average (.463), triples (2) and total bases (49); fifth in slugging (.598) as of Mar. 14
- Senior Maylynn Mitchell is tied for team lead with two sacrifice bunts; sports a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 62 chances
- Senior Ariana Wassmer has homered against San Diego State, Syracuse and San Diego this season and has six career HRs
- Junior Karlie Habitz is tied for third in the Big West in home runs (4), eighth in slugging (.571) and tied for ninth in doubles (6)Â as of Mar. 14
- Junior Rebecca Bell sports a 2-2 record with a 3.71 ERA and an opponent batting average of .276 in 51 innings of work
- Freshman Taylor Troost leads CSUN with 38 strikeouts in the circle in 2016
- Junior Daphne Pofek struck out a career-high 10 batters in 2016 season opener against Creighton
- Junior Katie Chenault tossed a CSUN career-high 6.2 innings with seven Ks in win over Charleston Southern on Mar. 8
- In 2016, the Matadors have stolen 36 bases to rank fourth in the Big West as of Mar. 14
- In 2016, the Matadors have produced 38 multi-hit games and 24 multi-RBI games
- The Matadors have totaled 39 doubles in the 2016 season, ranking second in the Big West as of Mar. 14
- CSUN's win over Syracuse was its first over an ACC opponent since the 2007 season
Next Week
Following the two games with Illinois, CSUN gets its last weekend off of the 2016 season and returns to action with a non-conference doubleheader at CSU Bakersfield on Tuesday, Mar. 29 with a start time of 1 p.m.Â
