Just one weekend of conference play is in the books, but the eight Big West softball teams are vying for early position as they look to get off to fast starts in the league standings.
Early pole setter Cal State Northridge will look to extend its 11-game win streak this weekend as the Matadors hit the road for their conference series against defending Big West champion Long Beach State. A year ago, the 49ers took two out of three at Matador Diamond, upping their all-time record in the extremely competitive series to 45-39. The last time that CSUN took a series from LBSU was 2002, a sweep in the final conference series for both teams that season.
Cal State Fullerton, fresh off a series win against one of the hotter teams in the country in Cal Poly, hits the road for its second Big West series of the year, destination UC Riverside. The Titans, who have not been over the .500 mark since February 20, are 23-2 all-time against the Highlanders. UCR will look to buck that trend in the friendly confines of Amy S. Harrison Field where the club is 6-4 this season.
The other 2-1 conference team is also on the road this weekend as UC Santa Barbara packs its bags for a short trip north to San Luis Obispo to tangle with Cal Poly.
Entering the weekend, the Mustangs are half a game behind Cal State Northridge for the league's best record and have lost three out of six following a 13-game win streak. Meanwhile the Gauchos are riding a hot streak with seven wins over their last nine outings, including a victory over a top five foe in UCLA. Look for a tight series between the two Central Coast rivals as UCSB swept the series a year ago by a total of six runs.
The final Big West series of the weekend pits Northern California rivals against each other as Pacific heads to Davis to take on the Aggies of UC Davis.
UCD’s second year of full Division I membership has gone well as the club is 16-16 entering the second weekend of conference action. Meanwhile, a sweep would put Pacific back at the .500 level, a plateau the club was at prior to its three straight losses to Cal State Northridge last weekend. Expect a battle of strengths at LaRue Field as Pacific bats .298 as a team while UC Davis has a 1.06 team ERA.
There will also be three non-conference games over the next seven days, all of which involve Fresno State. Pacific takes on the Bulldogs at home in a single game Tuesday, while FSU hosts UC Santa Barbara for a doubleheader the following Monday.