MORAGA, Calif. — Two WCC series down, two to go, and there's still very little separation between the five teams of the West Coast Conference. Currently, the Saint Mary's Gaels (24-20, 4-4 WCC) sit in a three way tie for second place with San Diego and Santa Clara, while sitting one game behind first place LMU. After taking three of four against the Gaels last week, Santa Clara holds the tiebreaker already over the Gaels, so a series win for the Gaels against San Diego is extremely important if they want to stay in the mix for their first WCC Title.
THE DETAILS
Saint Mary's Gaels at San Diego Toreros
May 3-5, USD Softball Complex – San Diego, Calif.
Friday, 5 PM | WATCH |
LIVE STATS
Saturday 1 PM | WATCH |
LIVE STATS
Saturday, 3 PM | WATCH |
LIVE STATS
Sunday 12 PM | WATCH |
LIVE STATS
A BIT OF A SHAKEUP
Head Coach Sonja Garnett tried out a new look lineup, with some solid success in the Gaels last series vs Santa Clara. Coach Garnett gave Marissa Nishihara a couple of starts in left field, Lindsay Cabral a pair of starts at third, and had both Odhi Vasquez and Avrey Wolverton hit for themselves. Nishihara went 2-6 at the plate, and was a perfect 9-9 in the field. Cabral went 2-4 with an RBI and 4-4 in the field. With Cabral getting the nod at third, freshman Sam Buckley got her first two collegiate starts at short and looked extremely comfortable, going 11-11 in the field. Combined at the plate, Wolverton and Vasquez went 2-9 with an RBI.
11 Straight 0s
Mia Nishikawa tossed 11 scoreless innings at Santa Clara this weekend, including a complete game shutout against the Broncos in game three. Nishikawa has totalled four complete game shutouts this season, fifth most by a Gael pitcher in a single season and most in the WCC this season.
26 in a Row
Sam Buckley has now successfully reached base in 26 consecutive games, double the next closest streak of any Gael, owned by Marissa Montelongo (13). Buckley has done it all for the Gaels this season, hitting for power and contact, demonstrating speed on the base paths, and showing off keen abilities in the field. It should come as no surprise that Buckley was recently named a top-25 finalist for the NFCA Freshman of the Year.
ABOUT THE TOREROS
San Diego has had a very rocky season, but still finds themselves in the mix of the very competitive WCC. With a 16-32 record, the Toreros hold a 4-4 conference record, good for a three way tie for second place with Saint Mary's and Santa Clara. With eight games to go in the regular season, fourth year Head Coach MJ Knighten is still in the hunt for her third consecutive 20 win season at the helm of the USD softball program. The Toreros offense has been explosive this season, led by sophomore first baseman Taylor Johnson. After batting just 0.248 in her freshman campaign, Johnson has exploded to the tune of 0.386 average this season with a league leading 18 doubles to go along with 21 RBI. Pitching has been more of a struggle for San Diego, with fifth year senior Courtney Rose being the most reliable option at 7-10 on the season with a 4.09 ERA. Rose is one win away from a new season-high. The Gaels lead the all-time series over the Toreros 71-53, however they have not won a series in San Diego since 2007.
#GaelsRise
