SAN MARCOS, Calif.— The Cal State San Marcos softball team, ranked No. 1 in the country and winners of six of their last seven will head east to Phoenix for back-to-back doubleheaders with GSAC member Arizona Christian.

Schedule
Games 14 & 15
Friday, February 22 – 2:00 pm / 4:00 pm
No. 1 Cal State San Marcos (10-3) at Arizona Christian (0-10)
Phoenix, Ariz. – Rose Mofford Sports Complex
Live Stats

Games 16 & 17
Saturday, February 23 – 12:00 pm / 2:00 pm
No. 1 Cal State San Marcos (10-3) at Arizona Christian (0-10)
Phoenix, Ariz. – Rose Mofford Sports Complex
Live Stats

Weekend Preview

Once again, teams have had  trouble scoring runs off the deep and talented CSUSM pitching staff (1.75 ERA), led by 1^st Team All-American Cortney Allen. Allen (6-1) hasn't allowed a run or a walk in her last 19.2 innings pitched, and has given up just eight hits over that span. She is likely to see at least two starts against the Firestorm, who have scored just seven runs in 10 games this season.

The two teams have never met, with this being Arizona Christian's first season of softball, but will face off six times before March 3 as the Firestorm will participate in the 2013 Cougar Clash held at the CSUSM Softball Field.

Off to a Fast Start
Not only are the Cougars 10-3 so far this season, but they also have proven to be one of the quickest teams in the NAIA on the base paths. The most notable difference between last year's final four team and this year's squad is that the 2012 team was 7th in the NAIA with 1.15 homeruns per game. The current Cougars have not yet hit a homerun thus far in their 13 games, but have made up for it with speed.

Averaging three steals a game with 39 total stolen bases –the second most in the NAIA— CSUSM has taken the extra base successfully 92.9% of the time. In comparison, opponents have gone just 6-for-8 trying to swipe a bag off the Cougars. Kaitlin McGinley, a 2nd team All-American last year who was 6th in the NAIA with 46 steals, is at it again this season going 10-for-10 in the early going.

Making an Impact
A member of both NAIA Final Four teams, Patricia Banda has patiently waited for a chance to shine over the past two years, taking advantage of the opportunity thus far in 2013. The junior from Lakewood went 5-for-8 at the plate in a doubleheader Saturday at Biola, raising her batting average to a team best .444 while also leading the Cougars with a .516 on base percentage. To top it off, the speedster is 6-for-6 in steal attempts.
 
Reserved Seats Still Available!
Reserved seating for the 2013 Cal State San Marcos baseball and softball home games is now available. Guarantee yourself reserved individual seats with back rests directly behind home plate for all home games for just $100. Interested parties should contact Rachel McConeghy at rmcconeg@csusm.edu, call 760-750-7102, or click here in order to purchase.