A battle for first place is on the horizon as the red-hot Cal State Northridge Matadors make the trip to the Central Coast to take on league-leading Cal Poly. Just one game separates the two as the second half of the Big West softball schedule kicks off this weekend.

NOTEWORTHY

DOWN...UP...DOWN...UP
To say that the Cal State Northridge Matadors have been streaky this season would be a serious understatement. The club started off 1-9, then won 12 of 16, then dropped three out of four, then won three in a row, then dropped four in a row and is now  riding a season-high seven game win streak. The current victory string has the Matadors within a game of first place in the Big West standings and has them a season-best four games over .500. The positive streak comes at a great time for CSUN as it heads to the Central Coast to take on league-leading Cal Poly.

SO...HOW ABOUT THAT PRESEASON POLL?
Now that we’re halfway through the conference schedule, its time to take at how the preseason poll is holding up to reality. The preseason order was Cal Poly, Long Beach State, Cal State Fullerton, UC Santa Barbara, Cal State Northridge, UC Davis, Pacific and UC Riverside. Well Cal Poly is in first so that has been correct, but the rest of the league is a jumbled mess. The two teams expected to push the Mustangs, LBSU and CSF, are sixth and seventh in the standings and the fourth place team in the poll is languishing in last place. Conversely, the team expected to finish last, UCR, has spent time in first place and is currently in fourth, while Cal State Northridge, which was placed fifth in the preseason poll, is just a game out of first place.

NOW WE CAN FINISH THIS
If you’ve noticed in the Big West standings, UC Davis and Pacific have been one game behind everyone else. Back on April 11, Mother Nature washed out the finale of the conference series after the two clubs split the doubleheader the day before. The two teams will play the make up game Wednesday afternoon in Stockton in a game that has importance for both sides. An Aggie win puts them just a game behind Cal Poly and tied with second place Cal State Northridge prior to those two teams meeting over the weekend. A Tiger win puts them at .500 in the conference and just three games behind the leaders with nine games to go.

WATCH OUT WHEN SHE MAKES CONTACT
Pacific's Megan Allen is having a tremendous power season with seven homers, 24 RBI and a pair of doubles. The problem for her has been connecting on a consistent basis as she has just a .208 batting average and 30 strikeouts. In fact of her 25 total hits, 28% of them have left the yard and 36% have been for extra bases. Which explains why her slugging percentage is a solid .400 but her on-base percentage is just .258.

WELL...THAT WAS WEIRD
The doubleheader last weekend between Cal Poly and Long Beach State probably won’t be making any defensive highlight reels anytime soon. In Cal Poly’s 5-0 game one win, the Mustangs scored four unearned runs thanks to a pair of 49er miscues. The script was flipped in game two as LBSU won 4-0 thanks to four unearned runs on four Mustang errors. So to recap...thats nine runs, one earned run and seven errors over two games.

UCR ACHIEVES MORE HISTORY
Even though UC Riverside had a down weekend thanks to a series loss to Pacific, its game two win delivered another high to a continually historic season. The Highlander victory have them their 22nd win of the year, tying the DI high the club established in 2006. The team also tied its Division I best with its seventh Big West win, a high that was established last season. In addition, the 14 conference wins between last season and this one are the best two year stretch for UCR as a member of the league.

CSF, UCSB NOT QUITE USED TO THIS
A pair of traditional Big West powers have struggled in 2010 as Cal State Fullerton and UC Santa Barbara are enduring seasons they never have before. The Titans will finish with 30+ losses for the first time since 2004 and two more defeats gives them the most the club has had as a member of the Big West. Meanwhile, the Gauchos’ seven-year run of winning seasons will come to a close this year and the team has recorded 30+ losses for the first time since 2002.

AGGIES NEARING THEIR BEST
UC Riverside isn’t the only club having a bounceback season as UC Davis is nearing its DI high for conference victories. Two more Big West wins will equal the output the Aggies put up in their inaugural Division I season in 2008. The turnaround from a six-win league season a year ago can be traced to the potent pitching staff. The UCD pitchers have collected a 2.24 ERA in conference play, have struck out 48 batters and have allowed just 15 walks in 75.0 innings. The staff has also shown an ability to come in and lock down opponents with three saves in Big West games.

TITANS PICK UP THE OFFENSE
After struggling most of the season, Cal State Fullerton has picked up the offense against Big West opponents. The Titans lead the league in batting (.303), hits (99), home runs (10), triples and total bases (149), while ranking second in runs (55) and RBI (49). CSF has also been a terror on the basepaths with eight steals in as many attempts.

RPI REPORT
The NCAA released its first RPI report of the new season and the Big West ranks among the best conferences in the country. The league has three teams ranked in the top 100 in Long Beach State (77), Cal Poly (87) and Cal State Northridge (89). Toss in Pacific (122) and UC Davis (130) and five of the eight clubs rank in the top 150 in the country.

NEW (OLD) VOICE IN THE DUGOUT
Cal State Northridge has a new voice at the helm of the program as associate coach Roni Sparrey takes over. Sparrey is a veteran of Big West battles as she played and coached at Cal Poly before joining the CSUN coaching staff prior to the 2007 season. In her three seasons as an assistant with CSUN, the Matador defense has posted an average fielding percentage of .966 and has finished among the top fielding teams in the Big West Conference and Division I. Sparrey also helped the 2009 Matadors lead the Big West in stolen bases, finishing the year with 62 stolen bases. She has also overseen several Matadors receive All-Big West Conference honors, ranging from First Team awards to Conference Freshman of the Year honors.

GROMACKI NEARS COACHING MILESTONE
A year ago, Cal State Fullerton head coach Michelle Gromacki became just the fourth coach in league history to win 350+ overall games and 150+conference outings during Big West membership. This season, Gromacki might not only lead the Titans to its 1,000th win as a member of the conference, but the 11th-year coach is also just 23 wins from 400 for her career.