Games # 9 & 10
ART U (5-3) vs. CSU Monterey Bay (3-10)
Wednesday, February 23rd at 1:00 and 3:00pm
Brisbane, CA – Mission Blue Field
Games # 11 & 12
ART U (5-3) @ Humboldt State (7-4)
Sunday, February 27th at 11:00 am and 1:00 pm
Arcata, CA – HSU Softball field
What's next: The Urban Knights begin a tough week in which they play top CCAA conference schools. ART U starts things off by hosting CSU Monterey Bay in a double header on February 23rd. The Knights then hit the road for a short trip to face Humboldt State in a double header on Sunday, February 27th. Game times for Wednesday are set for 1:00 and 3:00 pm at Mission Blue Field.
Knights to Watch: ART U has been playing some very good softball and is putting up big numbers not only as a team, but in the PacWest conference as well. Jayme Stewart and Sierrah Garcia were named PacWest player and pitcher of the week respectively for their play during the week of February 7th. Garcia is leading the team on the mound with a 1.58 ERA, and a 4-1 record. In over 35 innings pitched, the junior has allowed just eight earned runs and posted 26 strikeouts. Andrea Hanchey leads the team with a .400 batting average with 10 hits, five runs, one home run a .500 slugging percentage and a .483 on base mark. Lauren Stover is right there with her with a .400 average including 10 hits, seven runs, one double, two home runs, 17 total bases, a .680 slugging rate, and a .500 on base percentage.
ART U re-cap: The Urban Knights recently competed in the Desert Stinger Tournament where they went 3-2 bringing their record to 5-3 overall. After dropping the first two games of the tournament, the Knights rallied to win the final three games of the weekend. ART U put up some big offensive numbers including a 14-4 win over Northwest Nazarene, and a 10-4 victory over New Mexico Highlands in the final game of the tournament. Jayme Stewart and Andrea Hanchey received All-Tournament team honors.
Scouting CSU Monterey Bay: The Otters are off to a slow start this season as they currently have a 3-10 overall record. The team has a large roster composed of five seniors, eight juniors, two sophomores, and five freshmen. They are led by junior Jessica Moon who currently has a .433 batting average with 13 hits, eight runs, four home runs, 26 total bases, an .867 slugging rate, and a .500 on base percentage. On the mound, freshman Kylie Linnane leads with a 3.03 ERA, a 1-2 record, and has 21 strikeouts in 30 innings pitched. Most recently, the Otters lost two out of three games against UC San Diego, winning 5-3 before losing the second game 1-6 on the final day of the series. Last year when the Knights and Otters faced each other, the teams split and ART U won the first game 1-0, before dropping the second game 2-3 in eight innings.
Scouting Humboldt State University: The Lumberjacks are off to a strong start this season. They currently have a 7-4 overall record. The roster is made up of four seniors, six juniors, seven sophomores, and seven freshmen. The Jacks are led by junior Felicia Viveiros who has a .485 average including 16 hits, 12 runs, two doubles, two home runs, a .727 slugging rate, and a .564 on base percentage. Right behind her is junior Kristen Nouzovsky who has a .457 average with 16 hits, 17 runs, two doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI's, 30 total bases, and a .857 slugging percentage. Vaneza Hoover has seen the most time on the mound for the Jacks and has a 5.65 ERA, a 7-6 record, has allowed 21 earned runs, and posted 30 strikeouts in 26 innings pitched. When the two teams faced each other last season, the Jacks won the first game 4-7, before the Urban Knights came back to take the second game with a score of 6-2.
Looking ahead: After the week, ART U will continue CCAA play when they host Sonoma State University in a double header on Wednesday, March 2nd. Game times are set for 3:00 and 5:00pm at Mission Blue Field in Brisbane, CA.
