SAN MARCOS, Calif.— The No. 8 ranked Cal State San Marcos softball team will look to add to its perfect 7-0 record as the team takes on a pair of local opponents in doubleheaders this weekend. The Cougars will square off against Vanguard on the road Friday before returning home to host the University of La Verne on Saturday afternoon. Admission is free to all CSUSM home softball games.

THE SCHEDULE
Games 8 & 9
Friday, February 7 – 1:00 p.m./3:00 p.m.
No. 8 CSUSM (7-0) at Vanguard (4-1)
Costa Mesa, Calif. – VU Softball Field
Live Stats and Video
 
Games 10 & 11
Saturday, February 8 – 12:00 p.m./2:00 p.m.
University of La Verne (0-2) at No. 8 CSUSM (7-0)
San Marcos, Calif. – CSUSM Softball Field
Live Video Broadcast
Live Stats

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LIVE VIDEO AND STATS
Fans that can't make it out to CSUSM Softball Field can now watch the game live for free on their computer, smartphone or tablet. Just navigate to ustream.tv/channel/csusmsports at game time to watch every pitch with live play-by-play.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW
The 7-0 Cougars head into the week red-hot after going winning all five games in the Mizuno Best of the West Invitational last weekend in Turlock, Calif. Competing as the only NAIA team in a field of talented NCAA II opponents, CSUSM outscored their opponents 38-5, shutting out four of the five and winning three games by mercy-rule.

Middle Infielders Melyssa Bellamy and Olivia Lucatuorto were each named to the All-Invitational Team, and junior hurler Katie Wilkinson was the Tournament MVP after going 3-0 with a a save and throwing 15 shutout innings. On the season, Wilkinson is 4-0 with a 0.32 ERA in 22 innings and was named the A.I.I. Female Athlete of the Week for the week of Jan. 27- Feb. 2.

THIS WEEK'S PREVIEW
While not ranked in the NAIA's Preseason Top 25, Vanguard received 54 points in the poll to sit at No. 30, and is 4-1 on the season thus far. The Lions went 34-24 last season, including a 1-3 record against the Cougars. Overall, CSUSM holds a 17-9 record in the all-time series, but has won 13 of the last 14 meetings dating back to the start of the 2010 season.

The University of La Verne is a NCAA Division III member that competes in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) along with the University of Redlands, where CSUSM Head Coach Laurie Nevarez spent the last ten years and won nine SCIAC titles. The Leopards went 25-16 last season before bowing out to Redlands in the SCIAC tournament, but have had winning records in each of the last eight years.

La Verne is currently 0-2 this season with a pair of losses to Whitworth, but is expected to be strong once again. The Leopards are 0-2 all-time against CSUSM with 8-0 and 4-1 losses to the Cougars back in 2011. Sarah Quiambao and Alex Miller each are 3-for-5 (.600) lifetime against the Leopards, with Quiambao having launched her first career homerun against La Verne.

As a team, the Cougars are hitting .347 thus far and getting on base at a .414 clip, compared to totals of just .206 and .251 for their opponents. Eight different Cougars (with at least five at-bats) are currently hitting .350 or higher— none of which are seniors Alex Miller or Kaitlin McGinley, former NAIA 2nd-Team All-Americans who have hit above .400 for three and two consecutive years, respectfully.

Furthermore, the Cougars are 14-for-15 in stealing bases, while holding opponents to just a 2-for-4 mark on the basepaths. However, the Cougars have been outdone on the long ball, being out-homered 3-2 on the year.

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CSUSM SOFTBALL LIVE BROADCAST
Can't catch a game this year? Now you can watch it live wherever you are! Navigate to ustream.tv/channel/csusmsports at game time, or find the link on the softball page of the csusmcougars.com website for play-by-play action and live game footage on your computer or tablet. All home games are schedule to be broadcast unless otherwise noted. As usual, live stats are available as well.

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