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LBSU's
softball team swings for the fences this
season
By
Matt Pearson
Online Forty-Niner
Staff Writer
Last
year, the softball team set a program record
for wins in a season with 51. This year,
they are picked to win the Big West championship
for the second straight time. With every
team in the conference gunning for the top
spot, the 49ers look to remain undeterred
as they swing for another NCAA bid.
"Our
goals and expectations are the same every
year in this program," Head Coach Pete
Manarino said. "This program has been
very successful for a long, long time."
Manarino's
description of the program's success is
no exaggeration. The team history includes
15 NCAA Tournaments, five College Word Series
and four Big West Championships.
This
year, Long Beach State is already ranked
as one of the top teams in the country.
The 49ers are ranked No. 19 in the ESPN.com/USA
softball preseason poll and No. 20 in the
USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association
(NFCA) preseason rankings. With expectations
high, Manarino's only real concern is that
the team stays focused and does not become
complacent.
LBSU
welcomes back senior pitchers Meredith Cervenka
and Marcel Torres. Cervenka and Torres were
named the league's co-pitchers of the year
for last season. Cervenka led the league
with 20 victories and Torres finished with
14-3 record. Both pitchers recorded earned
run averages of microscopic proportions.
Cervenka led the league with a 1.14 ERA
and Torres ranked second with a 1.26 ERA.
Also
returning for LBSU this season is the centerfielder
and team captain, senior Lauren Johnson.
Johnson posted a batting average of .296
with five homeruns and 22 RBIs last season.
Other
returning players to watch are junior Tiffanie
Wedell who will play second base, and junior
Melanie McCauley who will hold down third
base.
A
new addition to the team this year is three-time
first team All-American Oli Keohohou. Keohohu
transferred from BYU where she displayed
power at the plate, as she recorded 55 home
runs in her three-year stint with the Cougars.
Keohohou,
along with Cervenka are on the watch list
for the forth-annual USA Softball Collegiate
Player of the Year Award. This award has
basically become the equivalent to the Heisman
Trophy in softball.
The
veterans on this year's team will help lead
a team that lost six seniors from last season.
Manarino's 2005 roster will also include
eight newcomers, seven of which are freshmen.
"I'd
say we are a little inexperienced at this
point," said the coach who is stressing
patience and allowing time for the younger
players to develop. "As we play some
tough games we'll get better and better."
The
49ers have a loaded schedule this season
with games against nine ranked teams, which
includes Arizona (No. 2), Stanford (No.
5), Texas (No. 6), Georgia (No. 10), Florida
State (No. 11), Tennessee (No.13), Oregon
(No. 14), Oregon State (No. 16) and Texas
A&M (No. 23).
Manarino,
who has 774 wins is expected to reach the
800 win milestone this season.
For
all of his success, Manarino credits his
coaching staff, which in 2004 was named
the West Region Staff of the Year by the
NFCA.
The
49ers opens the 2005 season in San Diego
where they will compete in the San Diego
State Tournament on Feb. 4-6.
After
being eliminated last season by Alabama
in the NCAA Regionals, the 49ers look to
build off the experience gained and advance
further in the playoffs.
"It's
time to go play games to see where you are
at," Manarino said.
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