SAN MARCOS, Calif.— The top ranked Cal State San Marcos softball team will hit the road Saturday for a doubleheader at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps before returning to San Marcos Sunday for their 2013 home opener against conference-rival La Sierra. The Cougars— coming off back-to-back NAIA Final Four appearances— appear to be in fine form once again this season after going 4-1 in the Best of the West tournament hosted by Cal State Stanislaus in which the Cougars were competing against all NCAA programs.

Sunday's home opener will be at 12:00 pm at the CSUSM Softball Field, just below the Clarke Fieldhouse. Parking is free for all fans in Lot Z, the dirt lot accessible from Twin Oaks Valley Road just across the street from Player's Sports Bar.

Schedule
Games 6 & 7
Saturday, February 9 – 12:00 pm / 2:00 pm
Cal State San Marcos (4-1) at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (1-2)
Claremont, Calif. – CMS Softball Field

Games 8 & 9
Sunday, February 10 – 12:00 pm / 2:00 pm
La Sierra (1-3) at Cal State San Marcos (4-1)
San Marcos, Calif. – CSUSM Softball Field
Live Stats

Weekend Preview
If history is any indication of future success, the Cougars are looking in good shape heading into the weekend. Cal State San Marcos has not lost to either Claremont –Mudd-Scripps or La Sierra in program history. The Athenas from CMS gave the Cougars a tough matchup last year, but CSUSM pulled off a tight 2-1 victory in the teams' first and only meeting. The Cougars duo of 2nd team All-American outfielders Kaitlin McGinley and Alex Miller each drove in a run in the sixth inning to give the Cougars the game-tying and winning runs.

Things look especially good for the home opener Sunday. The Cougars have won 21 straight contests at the CSUSM Softball Field dating back to the 2011 A.I.I.Conference Tournament. Furthermore, Cal State San Marcos is 10-0 lifetime against La Sierra, with the most recent meeting ending in a 19-0 victory in which the Cougars pounded out 19 hits and Katie Wilkinson and Jourdan Lamoureux combined to throw a two-hit shutout. 1st Team All-American pitcher Cortney Allen was just one hit away from a perfect game in the the meeting before that, which resulted in an 8-0 win.

Quick Thieves
You would think the key to the Cougars success would be strong pitching and the ability to mash the ball, which the Cougars can certainly do, but CSUSM also excels on the base paths. CSUSM is batting .313 on the season, but has made up for not having hit a homerun yet by stealing plenty of bases. The Cougars are 13 of 14 in stolen base attempts in just five games thus far, and had the second most stolen bases in all the NAIA last season with 147 in 61 games.

The Cougars are led by speedsters Kaitlin McGinley (5-for-5, 46-for-47 in 2012) and Patricia Banda (3-for-3 on the year). Alex Miller went 23-for-25 as a freshman in 2011 and 9-for-10 in stolen bases last year.

Top Dogs
The Cougars are ranked No. 1 in the preseason NAIA Coaches' Poll, which is reflective of the Cougars recent run of success. CSUSM has not been ranked outside the top 4 since the 2011 preseason poll, and finished the last three seasons ranked No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5. The 2013 preseason poll is the second time the Cougars have held the No. 1 ranking. The other time the team has received the NAIA's top billing was in the Mar 20, 2012 coaches' poll.

Cougars in the News
The softball team was featured prominently during Wednesday's broadcast of San Diego 6 News In the Morning with SD 6 feature reporter Ruben Galvan. Highlights from the broadcast can be found on the CSUSM Cougars Facebook page.
 
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.