April 10, 2000
This Week:
Friday, April 14 Oregon Levine-Fricke Field 2:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 15 Oregon State Levine-Fricke Field 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 16 Oregon State Levine-Fricke Field 1:00 p.m.
This Week in Cal Softball
Seventh-ranked Cal (39-11, 3-5) returns home to Levine-Fricke Field this week when the Bears host No. 22 Oregon (24-16, 1-5) and 12th-rated Oregon State (26-12-1, 0-6). Cal has already defeated the Ducks twice this year. The first time was a 12-1 rout at the Troy Cox Classic in New Mexico. The Bears then blanked Oregon, 3-0, in the championship game of the Capital Classic in Sacramento. However, Cal wasn't as fortunate in its only meeting with OSU, as the Bears dropped a 6-5 decision in the title game of the Troy Cox tournament.
Head Coach Diane Ninemire
Diane Ninemire, the winningest softball coach in Golden Bear history, is in her 13th year as head coach at Cal with a school and career record of 530-284. The 1991 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, she has led Cal to 12 NCAA Tournament berths and a three College World Series appearances (1992, '96, '99). Ninemire is assisted by John Reeves, who is in his seventh season, and 1996 U.S. Olympian Kim Maher, who is in her first.
Cal Goes 1-2 During Arizona Road Trip
Cal took on No. 2 Arizona and No. 4 Arizona State on the road last week and came away with a 1-2 record. On Friday, the Bears scored first against the Wildcats in Tucson, but UA rallied for a 4-1 victory. Cal then made the trek to Tempe for a pair of games. In the opener Saturday, P Nicole DiSalvio tossed a two-hitter, but one of those was a solo home run to Kara Brun that provided the only score in a 1-0 loss. The Bears had six hits in the game and left 11 runners on base. In the second game Sunday, Cal scored four times in the first inning on its way to a 4-0 win. DiSalvio scattered seven hits for the shutout, and C Courtney Scott delivered a key two-run double in the first.
Freshman Nelson Ties Pac-10 Walk Record
With three intentional passes at Arizona State Saturday and another walk against the Sun Devils Sunday, freshman 1B Veronica Nelson has tied the Pac-10 record for walks in a season. Nelson, who now has 64 walks, matched Arizona's Jenny Dalton (1996) and Oregon State's Tarrah Beyster (1999) for the conference mark. With 16 games left in the regular season, it's very conceivable that Nelson could double the old Cal walk record by the end of the year. Gillian Boxx set the previous school mark with 36 walks in 1995. In addition, Nelson has established a Cal season record for home runs with 12, passing the former standard of 10 set by Melanie McCart in 1997. For the year, Nelson is batting .351 with a team-high 35 RBI.
Bears Getting More from Morley in Leadoff Spot
Freshman Kristen Morley, who redshirted last year due to shoulder surgery, is making the most of her first active season with the Bears. Through Cal's 50 games, Morley ranks third on the team with a .350 batting average (35-100). Last weekend, at Arizona and Arizona State, she moved into the leadoff position in the order and responded by going 5-for-11 (.455) at the plate, including three infield hits. In the field, Morley has seen some action in right field, but she has assumed the designated player role the past several weeks.
Cal Takes First in Five Tournaments in 2000
Cal opened the year by playing in seven tournaments in the first seven weeks of the season. And despite all the travel, the Bears came through by winning or tying for first in five of them, placing second in one and taking third place in another. Cal began the year by going undefeated at the Early Bird Tournament in San Jose (3-0), the Seminole Classic in Tallahassee, Fla., (5-0) and the UNLV Softball Classic in Las Vegas (6-0). After finishing as the runner-up at the Troy Cox Classic, the Bears were 3-0 in the rain-shortened Easton Showcase Tournament in Fullerton. Cal lost in the semifinals of the National Invitational Softball Tournament in Sunnyvale March 12, but came back to win the Capital Classic March 19 (7-1).
Golden Bear Notes ...
Cal began the year at 19-0, the fastest start in school history ... the Bears are just 3-5 at home, but are 9-3 on opponent fields and 27-3 at neutral sites ... Nicole DiSalvio and Jennifer Deering combined for a no-hitter in a 6-0 win over Cal Poly March 22 ... Cal's weekly rankings in the USA Today/NFCA poll: preseason (12th), March 1 (7th), March 8 (6th), March 15 (5th), March 22 (4th), March 29 (4th) and April 5 (7th) ... the Bears are 12-4 in one-run games this season.
