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Date Posted: 16:08:42 05/16/02 Thu
Author: Jon Ralston
Subject: Regional Play begins today

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Originally Published Thursday, May 16, 2002
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A softball fan's dream and a nightmare for coaches

By Bob Highfill

Record Staff Writer

It might not have been fair, but the NCAA created a softball fan's daydream when it stacked Region 4 of the 2002 NCAA Softball Championships.

How loaded is the field?

Five of the six schools involved, including University of the Pacific, have combined to appear in 71 regionals and 26 College World Series.

Performing today through Sunday at Fresno State will be 32 all-conference players, at least 14 potential All-Americans, two conference pitchers of the year and a conference freshman of the year, who also owns the lowest earned-run average in the nation.

''It's going to be a great regional,'' Cal coach Diane Ninemire said. ''Every team is capable of winning it.''

The tournament will begin at noon today with top-seeded and ninth-ranked Cal State Fullerton (50-11) playing sixth-seeded and unranked Evansville (34-25). Pacific (42-15), ranked 17th and seeded fifth, will play second-seeded and eighth-ranked Stanford (43-18) at 2:30 p.m.; and third-seeded and fifth-ranked Cal (48-19) will play 14th-ranked Fresno State (49-18), the fourth seed, at 5 p.m.. The Cal State Fullerton/Evansville loser will play the Stanford/Pacific loser in an elimination game at 7:30.

Sunday's champion will advance to the College World Series in Oklahoma City. The regional will not be telecast or broadcast locally.

Fresno State, which is hosting its 17th regional and making its 21st postseason appearance, hopes to benefit from playing on its home field, where it's 24-3 this season.

''It is nice to be playing at home,'' said Fresno State coach Margie Wright, whose team earned the 1998 national championship. ''We feel comfortable. We've done a lot of traveling this year.''

Pitcher Jamie Southern, the Western Athletic Conference pitcher and freshman of the year, has the nation's lowest ERA -- 0.41 -- and is 31-7 with 361 strikeouts. She's been remarkable since missing all but two games last season because of a torn biceps tendon.

''She's a great competitor,'' Wright said of her ace. ''It's amazing she was able to come off the injury the way she did. She's really done phenomenal things for us.''

Cal, which will appear in its 18th regional, has standout senior pitcher Jocelyn Forest. The first-team All-Pac 10 selection is 20-12 with a 1.25 ERA and 309 strikeouts. Stockton native, senior third baseman Candace Harper, was a second-team all-conference pick after hitting .316 with seven home runs and 38 RBI. She also excels defensively with a .953 fielding percentage.

''We're making our 10th trip to Fresno for a regional, so it won't be a new site for us,'' said Ninemire, whose team finished fourth in the rugged Pac-10. ''We have a young team, so hopefully our veterans will get our young players adapted to the area.''

Stanford lost one of its top pitchers, Dana Sorensen, early to a knee injury, but junior Tori Nyberg has filled in nicely. She's 25-9 with a 1.45 ERA. Senior first baseman Sarah Beeson was a first-team All-Pac 10 selection with a .387 batting average, and outfielder Jessica Mendoza, another first-team All-Pac 10 pick, hit 372.

''Our team is as well-prepared as possible,'' said Stanford coach John Rittman, who will take the Cardinal to its fifth regional. ''We've played an awfully tough schedule, and we've dealt with adversity and overcome every roadblock we've come across.''

Cal State Fullerton, which won the NCAA title in 1986, has played in 18 regionals and has two first-team All-Big West players in junior pitchers Gina Oaks and Jodie Cox. Oaks is 20-3 with a 0.74 ERA and 177 strikeouts, while Cox is 16-4 with a 1.41 ERA. Junior catcher Jenny Topping, a first-team All-Big West performer, is hitting .476 with nine home runs and 32 RBI, and senior first-team all-conference outfielder Yasmin Mossadeghi is hitting .354 with 12 homers.

''We're very optimistic,'' Titans coach Michelle Gromacki said. ''Our whole goal has been to prepare every day and get the best out of every event, every practice and every game to be the best we can be.''

Evansville will be making its first regional appearance. The Purple Aces finished fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference, yet earned an automatic NCAA bid by winning their conference tournament.

''I don't know if it's old hat for schools like Arizona and Cal State Fullerton who have done it before,'' Evansville coach Gwen Lewis said. ''But that first one took our breath away. We knew something magical was going to happen and bring us to our knees.''

The Aces' ace, freshman Katie Markel, was 4-0 with a 0.79 ERA and was named most valuable player of the MVC Tournament.

''We hope to educate people in California about this small school,'' Lewis said.

Pacific will appear in its fourth regional in five seasons under 10th-year coach Brian Kolze, who said a little good fortune might come in handy.

''To win this regional, people are going to have to play well and get a little lucky,'' Kolze said. ''Just playing well isn't going to be good enough.''

The Tigers will rely on two-time Big West pitcher of the year Cindy Ball, who set numerous conference and school records this season. The senior is 27-9 with a 0.85 ERA and 273 strikeouts. The Big West's all-time strikeouts leader with 743 also is hitting .355 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI. Junior first-team all-conference outfielder Barbara Moody set the single-season school record with 70 hits and is batting .368. She set a school record with 28 doubles and needs two more to set the NCAA record.

''I don't think anybody has an advantage,'' Kolze said. ''Everybody's played everybody, so nothing will be hidden.''

Play ball.

* To reach reporter Bob Highfill, phone 546-8299 or e-mail bhighfil@recordnet.com

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