Revenge is bittersweet, and although the No. 25-ranked Long Beach State softball team has no intentions of exacting that, its kill count this season would indicate it.
A team that was seemingly shafted out of postseason play last season by the NCAA selection committee is out to make amends this year by beating some of the best that college softball has to offer (six ranked teams, to be exact). No. 4-ranked Florida, No. 5-ranked Texas A&M, No. 12-ranked Northwestern, No. 16-ranked Hawaii and No. 23-ranked San Diego State have all becomes legitimate victims to the 49ers’ path towards becoming what it believes the NCAA should consider them as — national championship contenders.
It starts with the players — 20 runs scored by senior leftfielder Lacy Tyler, senior shortstop Jessica Beaver’s team-high 22 RBI and two home runs, senior catcher Brooke LeSage’s .351 batting average and junior third base Jennifer Griffin’s team-leading 65 assists. The hitting of this team has been consistent, with five players recording 20-plus hits. What’s been better is the outfield of this team, which averages a .975 fielding percentage and has held opponents to a .216 batting average throughout the season.
As much as freshman pitcher Brooke Turner (13-3 record, 126 strikeouts) has dominated some of the nation’s best, it would be wrong not to mention sophomore pitcher Bridgette Pagano, whose 7-5 record this season has shown the pitcher’s circle has belonged to the 49ers. Pagano has won her last four starts and has struck out 17 hitters during the streak.
When talking with head coach Kim Sowder about the team before the season, she was more than elated to say, “Getting a team back is a coach’s dream.”
Experience is a major edge in college sports, but the confidence and motive to win are just as critical. When watching this team trail late against previously undefeated Florida at the 49er Softball Complex, it looked as if the Gators were going to be another ranked team that gets by against our university.
But the 49ers were not going to let them or the NCAA committee take a victory from them, and I served witness to one of the best games I had ever seen in LBSU athletics.
They had the motive to prove they are capable of beating any team and, after the 49ers’ 2-1 victory over the Gators (Florida’s only loss of the season so far), began a campaign to be the best on any field they compete on.
As impressive as its home victory over Florida was, LBSU has simply been ruthless away from the Softball Complex. Just ask Hawaii, UNLV and SDSU, teams that hosted tournaments against LBSU this season, only to watch The Beach ruin their fun and fanfare by beating them and winning those tournaments. Unranked and picked to finish third in the Big West before the season started, the 20-8 49ers are dismantling the national rankings by themselves. Teams are being blindsided by this dark horse-turned-powerhouse, and Big West Conference play hasn’t even begun yet.
UC Santa Barbara (15-12 this season), CS Northridge (9-15), CS Fullerton (14-13-1) and Pacific (15-16) were selected ahead of LBSU for the 2007 NCAA Regionals. The 49ers haven’t only become the favorite to win the conference, but they could also be the most dangerous team in the west region as well. I don’t believe any team wants the Big West more than LBSU; it’s been three years since the team has been conference champions. Conference champions automatically earn a postseason berth, and why not kill two birds with one stone?
28-25 last season seems long forgotten. The 49ers have ensured that, and will make sure the NCAA remembers them all season long.
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