California State University at Northridge
Baylor
CSUN Softball Opens 2017 at Hillenbrand Invitational
2/8/2017 10:20:00 AM | Softball
Matadors Face Five 2016 NCAA Tournament Teams in Tucson
Game Notes (PDF)
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. --- The CSUN softball team opens is 2017 season with a challenging slate of games as part of the Hillenbrand Invitational on the campus of the University of Arizona from Feb. 10-12 in Tucson, AZ. At the event, CSUN will tangle with five teams that participated in the 2016 NCAA Tournament and a pair of nationally ranked teams. On opening day, CSUN meets No. 21 Baylor for the first time in program history and then squares off against the host No. 10 Wildcats later in the day. Saturday's match-ups feature CSUN contests with Tulsa and Fordham, just the second-ever meeting between the two schools in both series. The Matadors wrap up play on Sunday, Feb. 12 with a contest against Northwestern out of the Big Ten Conference. All five games will feature live stats and live video with links available on the CSUN softball schedule page at GoMatadors.com.Â
Picked to finish third in the 2017 Big West Coaches Preseason Poll, the Matadors are coming off their third-straight 30-win season after posting a 34-22 mark in 2016. CSUN finished 14-7 in Big West action and returns 18 letterwinners, seven position starters and four pitchers to the roster from last year.Â
Leading the charge for seventh-year head coach Tairia Flowers is a contingent of 12 seniors looking to go out on top in their final season in the San Fernando Valley. Taylor Glover, a 2016 NFCA All-American, was named to USA Softball's National College Player of the Year "Watch List" to become the first Matador in program to achieve the feat. A three-time First Team All-Big West honoree, Glover ranks among the school's all-time leader in multiple offensive categories.Â
Also returning to the squad are 2015 Big West Player of the Year Katie Hooper, 2016 Big West Defensive Player of the Year Karlie Habitz and Daphne Pofek, a 2016 First Team All-Big West and Third Team All-NFCA West Region honoree. Taylor Nate, Madison Fleming, Katie Chenault, Rebecca Bell and Tara Kliebenstein are among other returning seniors.Â
Junior Savannah Horvath, a two-time First Team All-Big West selection, and sophomores Taylor Troost and Mackenzie Babbitt, both of whom earned 2016 Big West All-Freshmen Team honors, also return.Â
The team also features eight true freshmen to the squad looking to make an immediate impact in the world of Division I softball: Jessica Alexander, Ty Cueva, Pudi Hernandez, Cheyenne Noli, Alyssa Vazquez, Jessica LaPierre, Autumm Cauthron and Alejandra Rascon.Â
This Week's Game?Details /// All Times are Pacific
Friday, February 10 • CSUN vs. No. 21 Baylor • Hillenbrand Stadium • Tucson, AZ • 2 p.m.
Friday, February 10 • CSUN at No. 10 Arizona • Hillenbrand Stadium • Tucson, AZ • 4 p.m.
Saturday, February 11 • CSUN vs. Fordham • Hillenbrand Stadium • Tucson, AZ • 8 a.m.
Saturday, February 11 • CSUN vs. Tulsa • Hillenbrand Stadium • Tucson, AZ • 10 a.m.
Sunday, February 12 • CSUN vs. Northwestern • Hillenbrand Stadium • Tucson, AZ • 8 a.m.
Wild Pitches
- Taylor Glover batted an even .500 (56-112) in 35 Non-Conference Games in the 2016 season
- Glover checks in at seventh in Big West history with 69 career stolen bases, needing 12 to move into third
- With 37 career stolen bases, junior Savannah Horvath is already tied for sixth in program history
- Karlie Habitz caught 15 runners trying to steal a base and had two pickoffs last year to earn Big West Defensive Player of the Year
- Katie Hooper (123 career RBIs) needs 14 more to move into ninth in Big West Conference history
- Daphne Pofek entered 2015 with seven career wins, but posted 19 as a junior to earn First Team All-Big West honors
- The Matadors have stolen 245 bases over the past three seasons, an average of over 80 per year
- The Matadors have produced 142 doubles over the past two seasons, an average of over 70 per year
- CSUN has posted five wins over Pac-12 opponents since the start of 2013 season
- CSUN has 12 seniors on the 2017 roster and returns seven position starters from last year
Basepaths Beware
- In 2016, the Matadors stole 92 bases to lead the Big West Conference and set a new program Division I record
- Savannah Horvath led the team with 23 stolen bases in 2016 and has 37 for her career
- Taylor Glover was second on the team with 22 stolen bases and has 69 in her career, a CSUN Division I record and tied for seventh-most in Big West history
- Taylor Nate had 13 steals and now has 32 for her career, tying her for ninth in program history
- Mackenzie Babbitt had 15 in her rookie season while Katie Hooper had four to give her 11 for her career
- Aliyah Ricks finished with five stolen bases, matching her career high for a season
- The Matadors stole 84 bases in 58 games in 2015, setting a new Division I record at the time
- Glover led the team and Big West with 28 steals in 2015
- Nate was third on the team with 12 steals in 2015; tied school record with three in a win over Utah State
- CSUN stole 69 bases in 57 games in 2014, the second-most thefts in the Big West ConferenceÂ
- The 69 steals established a then-new program Division I single-season record, surpassing the 2009 squad's 62
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