No. 4 Huskies to Host WWU, Simon Fraser
April 20, 1999
Coming Up
In The Poll (Apr. 14, 1999)
Husky Quick Facts
1999 Overall Record: 31-11
1999 Pac-10 Record: 7-6
1998 Postseason: 3rd, College World Series
Head Coach: Teresa Wilson
Record at UW/Years: 317-125 (.717)/7 years
Career Record/Years: 521-286 (.645)/13 years
1999 Husky Honors
Jamie Graves: NFCA all-tourney team
Jennifer Spediacci: NFCA all-tourney team;
Pac-10 Pitcher of Week (2/9)
1999 Tournament Recap
Pepsi Arizona Classic 2nd (4-1)
Louisville Slugger Classic 1st (5-0)
NFCA Leadoff Classic semifinalist (4-1)
Easton Showcase Tournament t2nd (5-1)
Kia Klassic quarterfinalist (3-2)
Husky Statistical Leaders
Bat. Avg. (min. 1 ab/g): .473, Becky Newbry
Runs: 34, Rosie Leutzinger
Hits: 61, Becky Newbry
Doubles: 13, Becky Newbry
Triples: 4, Becky Newbry
Home Runs: 4, Kim DePaul
RBI: 38, Becky Newbry
Slug % (min. 1 ab/g): .705, Becky Newbry
Walks: 19, Jennifer Spediacci
OB % (min. 1 ab/g): .531, Becky Newbry
Stolen Bases: 19, Rosie Leutzinger
ERA (min. 1 IP/g): 0.67, Jamie Graves
Wins: 17, Jamie Graves
Saves: none
Innings Pitched: 136.1, Jamie Graves
Strikeouts: 137, Jennifer Spediacci
Miscellaneous Stats
At home: 5-4
Pac-10: 7-6
On Thu.: 2-0
On the road: 5-3
Vs. top-25: 16-9
On Fri.: 11-1
Neutral: 21-4
In 5-6 innings: 6-0
On Sat.: 11-6
In the day: 25-10
In extra innings: 1-3
On Sun.: 6-4
At night: 6-1
In shutouts: 18-2
On Mon.: 1-0
Last year at this time: 35-7, 10-3
UW IN MIDST OF BUSY SCHEDULE: The fourth-ranked Washington softball team, in the midst of a 12-day stretch in which it will play eight doubleheaders, will host twinbills against Western Washington and Simon Fraser this Tuesday at 3 p.m. and Wednesday at 2 p.m., respectively, before taking on No. 10 Stanford and No. 13 Cal in the Bay Area this weekend. Both the Stanford and Cal matchups will begin at 1 p.m.
RADIO & TV SCHEDULE: Fox Sports Northwest will air the first game of the Oregon twinbill, played on Sunday, on Tuesday, Apr. 17, at 1:30 p.m. Also, the first game against Oregon State on May 1 will be broadcast live on KSRB-AM 1150, with Mike Brown providing the play-by-play.
ALL WEEKDAY DATES ARE DOUBLEHEADERS: The Huskies' home outings against Western Washington and Simon Fraser next week and Portland State Apr. 27 all will be doubleheaders.
UW SPLITS PAC-10 WEEKEND IN A DIFFERENT WAY: After splitting doubleheaders with their first five Pac-10 opponents, the Huskies still came away with a weekend split but was involved in two sweeps. No. 12 Oregon State handed UW a pair of losses on Saturday (1-0 in nine innings, 2-1) before the Dawgs did the same to No. 14 Oregon the next day (8-5, 5-2). Junior Jamie Graves pitched a no-hitter through eight innings, facing just two over the minimum. But the Huskies were unable to score despite six hits and fell in the bottom of the ninth off two singles. In the second game, OSU went up 1-0 in the fifth. Washington tied it in the top of the sixth, but a Beaver homer in the bottom of the frame game them the 2-1 advantage. The Dawgs found their bats against Oregon for the sweep, but not without a scare and some drama. The Ducks jumped out to a 5-0 lead after two innings before the tides turned. UW scored five runs in the third and three more in the next two frames, and junior Jennifer Spediacci entered the game in the bottom of the third to record 11 strikeouts and allow just one hit to shut down the Duck offense. The nightcap was a back-and-forth affair. UW jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a Kim DePaul homer in the first, but UO followed suit in the fourth. Both teams scored again in the fifth, but the Dawgs added another in the sixth and two in the seventh for the win. Spediacci threw nine more strikeouts in the complete-game win in addition to hitting 4-for-8 with four RBI. Sophomore Christie Rosenblad, who got the ball rolling in the first game, went 5-for-7 on the day.
UW'S POLL POSITION: The Huskies have a few impressive streaks going in regard to the national poll. Washington has been ranked in the top five in the country in the last 22 polls. The past 47 polls have listed the Dawgs among the top 10, including three weeks at No. 1 late in the 1996 season, and UW has been in the top 25 for 54 consecutive weeks.
USA Today/NFCA Poll
Rank/Team 1998-99 Pts. 1. UCLA (25) 38-1 625 2. Fresno State 43-7 590 3. Arizona 34-8 566 4. Washington 27-9 552 5. Southwestern La. 37-5 529 6. Michigan 35-5-1 501 7. Arizona State 31-11 471 8. Oklahoma 33-10 405 9. Louisiana State 32-6 394 10. Stanford 32-11 384 11. South Carolina 37-12 360 12. Oregon State 31-12 344 13. California 31-10 311 14. Oregon 30-13 292 15. Texas 30-12 286 16. Illinois-Chicago 50-13 264 17. Southern Mississippi 36-5 239 18. South Florida 39-13 199 19. Texas A&M 33-10 174 20. New Mexico 32-8 145 21. Massachusetts 26-8 138 22. DePaul 31-10 107 23. Missouri 31-14 57 24. Iowa 25-14-1 45 25. Minnesota 28-13 32
Pac-10 Standings/Coaches Poll
Team (Rank) Records Poll Pts
1. UCLA (1) 12-2, 45-2 1 48
2. Arizona (3) 9-5, 37-9 2 42
Oregon State (12) 9-5, 38-13 8 11
4. Washington (4) 7-6, 31-11 3 39
5. Arizona State (7) 5-9, 34-14 5 24
Oregon (14) 5-9, 32-17 7 15
7. California (13) 4-9, 33-14 6 17
8. Stanford (10) 4-10, 32-15 4 28
ABOUT WESTERN WASHINGTON: The Division II Vikings (29-9, 13-3) swept No.
1 Humboldt State in league action last weekend, 6-2 and 1-0 in nine
innings, to run their winning streak to 10 games. WWU has won 18 of its
last 21, last losing a doubleheader to Humboldt State. The squad is
hitting .305, with seven over the .300 mark. Andie Greenen is at .379.
Freshman Hope Truitt has a 0.80 ERA and has pitched 21 scoreless innings.
The staff has a 1.09 ERA. Head coach Art Phinney is 119-76 in his fifth
year.
ABOUT THE SERIES: UW leads the series 5-0, with all of those games played in Seattle. The Huskies have shut out the Vikings in three games and allowed just one run in each of the other two.
4/9/95: H 4-0, 7-0
4/25/97: H 5-1
4/7/98: H
3-1, 1-0
ABOUT THE SIMON FRASER SERIES: UW has won all 10 games against the Clans, shutting SFU out six times and allowing one run in three games.
4/1/93: H, 7-4, 6-1
4/4/95: H, 8-0, 9-0
4/29/97: H, 13-0,
9-1
4/26/94: H, 11-0, 7-0
4/30/96: H, 7-1
4/21/98: H,
15-0
ABOUT STANFORD: After dropping just four of its first 30 games, the No. 10 Cardinal (32-15, 4-10) has lost 11 of its last 17 outings, including sweeps by Arizona and Arizona State last weekend. Stanford has split with UW and Cal and swept Oregon but lost two to UCLA and Oregon State. At the plate, Jessica Mendoza paces the team with a .443 average and 45 RBI; the squad is at .300. Marcy Crouch (18-7) leads the staff (1.23 ERA) with a 0.93 ERA in 157.2 innings, and Becky Blevins (14-8, 1.41 ERA) has 149 strikeouts. Coach John Rittman, in his third season, is 103-60-1. He and assistant Sara Pickering were integral components to UW's early success as an assistant coach and All-American second baseman, respectively.
ABOUT THE SERIES: Washington has an 19-4 advantage over the Cardinal, with all three losses coming in the past two seasons. The teams split a Pac-10 weekend in Seattle earlier this season, and UW posted an early-season win on the Cardinal. The Huskies established several school records for runs and hits in a game against SU in 1993, but five of the last nine games have been decided by two runs or less. Sixteen outings have been shutouts, with all but one in UW's favor.
3/22/93: A 22-0, 24-0
3/26/96: A 7-0, 3-0
3/28/98: H 2-1, 3-0
4/30/93: H 28-0, 15-0
5/5/96: H 6-0, 9-1
4/25/98: A 1-2, 0-1
3/30/95: A 8-3, 11-0
4/20/97: H 9-8, 9-0
2/27/99: N 3-0
5/6/95: H 9-0, 10-0
5/3/97: A 0-1, 2-0
3/27/99:
H 1-4, 6-0
ABOUT CALIFORNIA: The 13th-ranked Golden Bears (33-14, 4-9) split against the Arizona schools last weekend after splitting with UW, Stanford and Oregon, and being swept by Oregon State. The team has a .284 batting average and a 1.32 ERA. Leading five hitters over .300 is Kirsten Drake at .324. Jocelyn Forest's 1.06 ERA in 132.0 innings and 137 strikeouts are best on the staff. Coach Diane Ninemire, 476-246, is in her 12th year.
ABOUT THE SERIES: The series is tied at 14 apiece after UW downed the Bears earlier this season. The second game was called because of rain with the game scoreless in the seventh inning. The Huskies are 5-6 in Berekley but have won the last four games there.
3/24/93: A 0-3, 1-2
3/29/95: A 1-2, 1-5
4/19/97: H 9-1
5/8/93: H 2-9, 2-3
4/2/95: H 1-3, 14-15
5/4/97: A
5-3, 5-6
3/30/94: A 2-4, 6-4
3/16/96: N 7-2, 5-0
3/29/98: H 4-6, 0-3
5/7/94: H 3-2, 7-2
3/19/96: A 0-1
4/26/98:
A 3-0, 2-0
2/19/95: N 1-6
4/13/96: H 3-0, 3-2
3/28/99: H 2-1
3/18/95: N 3-2
5/24/96: N 9-7
PAC-10 DOMINANCE: Amazingly, softball teams in the Pac-10 represent eight of the top-14 teams in the nation, according to the NFCA/USA Today poll this week, including three of the top five spots and five of the top 10. Despite the rigors of the league schedule, all eight teams are guaranteed to post overall winning records for the first time ever. Not only will all eight teams meet the first criteria for a berth into the NCAA tournament, but a rule prohibits league schools from competing in the same regional.
HUSKIES HAVE TOUGH SCHEDULE: With all of UW's conference opponents ranked in the top 14, the strength of the Husky schedule is staggering. Washington already has played 25 of its 42 games against teams ranked at the time, more than two-thirds of its outings. With the Dawgs in Pac-10 play, 14 of their next 20 games will be against foes currently ranked in the top 14.
JUST MISSING NO-HITTERS AND PERFECT GAMES: Junior aces Jamie Graves and Jennifer Spediacci lead a UW pitching staff which ranks as the second-best in the nation, with a 0.85 ERA. The pair have turned in several impressive performances over the season. Spediacci was one out away from a perfect game against Portland State on Apr. 16 but gave up two doubles in the bottom of the seventh. Graves threw a no-hitter through eight innings against No. 12 Oregon State the next day, facing just two over the minimum, but two singles in the ninth gave the Beavers a 1-0 win. Spediacci then pitched 12 innings against Oregon on Apr. 18, striking out 20 to pick up both wins.
CLUTCH HITTER: Sophomore Kelly Hauxhurst, hitting in the No. 2 slot, has a .284 batting average...UNLESS: UW has runners in scoring position (.433), bases are loaded (.500), with two outs (.400), and with runners in scoring position (.450). Ten of her 14 RBI have come with two outs. She also has a perfect fielding percentage in left field.
ROSENBLAD STRONG IN PAC-10 PLAY: Sophomore Christie Rosenblad has had an effective bat against Pac-10 opponents. Her .409 (9-122) average in league play leads the team. That mark was bolstered against Oregon on Apr. 18, when she went 5-for-7 and started the five-run rally in the third inning to tie the game. The second baseman has made just one error against league opponents.
DAWG BITES: Graves sports a 0.67 ERA, good for first in the Pac-10, and the pitching staff ranks first in the league with a combined 0.85 ERA...Newbry's .473 batting average is tops in the league...Spediacci has 137 strikeouts in 128.2 innings pitched...UW has registered 18 shutouts in 42 outings...The Huskies have stolen 74 bases this season in 92 attempts, compared to 18 of 30 by their foes...UW has held opponents to one hit six times...Graves threw a no-hitter against No. 9 LSU...Newbry has 15 two-out RBI...UW's 13 runs against Oregon ties their second-best output in a doubleheader since sweeping No. 5 Michigan the second week of the season.
HUSKIES HAND NO. 1 UCLA FIRST LOSS OF YEAR: UW handed the Bruins their first loss of the season, ending the second-longest winning streak in NCAA history at 35 games, in the first game of a doubleheader on Apr. 3. After UW took the first game, 4-1, the Bruins came from behind in the second to win, 7-3. The difference of the day, on which an outstanding Washington pitching staff faced the stellar Bruin bats, proved to be the defense. In each game, the loser made three errors while the victor played flawlessly in the field.
JAMIE GRAVES--GIANT KILLER: When junior Jamie Graves allowed six hits but just one run in the complete-game win over UCLA on Apr. 3, she made it two straight years in which she has defeated the No. 1 team in the nation. The Huskies, behind Graves' pitching, downed Arizona last year in Tucson, 9-0.
ALREADY THERE: After a 1998 season in which the success of the Huskies primarily rested in the pitching and defense, as opposed to round-trippers, UW already has matched last year's home run total of 19 in 42 games.
MO' DOWNS: Husky junior Melissa "Mo" Downs has elevated her play to another level this season. After making 14 appearances last year, the versatile Downs has forced coach Wilson to find a spot for her in the lineup. Downs is second on the team in hitting this season, with a .327 batting average. In 107 at-bats, Downs has 35 hits and 21 RBI with only six strikeouts. She has started 23 games at first base after starting 15 at third early in the season.
TWO MILESTONES IN TWO WEEKENDS: UW head coach Teresa Wilson reached two milestones in two consecutive weekends of competition. The seventh-year Husky coach won her 300th win with the program on Mar. 5 with a 9-0 win against Portland State in the Easton Showcase Tournament. The previous Friday she registered her 500th career victory on Feb. 26 in the NFCA Leadoff Classic against Missouri, her alma mater. UW defeated the Tigers, 3-0, in pool play against the school at which Wilson earned All-America honors as a pitcher in 1983.
GRAVES, SPEDIACCI EARN NFCA HONORS: Junior aces Jamie Graves and Jennifer Spediacci filled two of the 12 NFCA all-tournament spots. Graves maintained a 0.00 ERA, pitching two shutouts to go 3-1 in helping UW reach the semifinals of the Gold Medal bracket. In 16.2 innings, only four runners crossed the plate, none of them earned. She struck out seven and walked none. Spediacci went 4-for-9 (.444), including two doubles, and she walked twice, was hit by a pitch and had two sacrifices for a .583 on-base percentage. She also pitched a one-hit complete game and struck out seven to defeat Stanford.
SPEDIACCI EARNS PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Junior ace Jennifer Spediacci maintained a perfect record during the Louisville Slugger Classic, picking up four wins in four appearances to improve to 6-0 and earn Pac-10 honors. In three starts and 18.2 innings, she had a 0.00 ERA with 20 strikeouts and five hits, none of them extra-base. In 7.2 innings in the doubleheader against No. 5 Michigan, she allowed just three hits and no runs, and struck out 13 batters to win both games.
UW PICKED THIRD IN PAC-10 RACE: Coach Teresa Wilson's squad is picked to finish third in the nation's most difficult softball conference--the Pacific-10--behind UCLA and NCAA runner-up Arizona, respectively. UW captured the conference title in 1996, ending an eight-year streak in which either Arizona or UCLA won the league, and was runner-up last year behind Arizona. The Bruins, which spent the 1998 on probation and was ineligible for NCAA postseason play, redshirted many of their players and return armed and ready for the 1999 campaign.
HEAD COACH TERESA WILSON: Husky coach Teresa Wilson enters her seventh season coaching the Husky softball team, excluding the year she spent in 1992 building the program from scratch, with records of 317-125 (.717) at UW and 521-286 (.645) overall. The Huskies began competing in postseason play in their second season, and by their fourth year they had advanced to the College World Series title game. It was the first of a current streak of three straight trips to the semifinals. The former All-American pitcher at Missouri has taken each of the programs she has coached--Minnesota, Oregon and UW--to the NCAA tournament and earned the 1989 NCAA and Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards while at Oregon. Wilson was an assistant coach of the 1998 USA national team at the ISF World Championships and will serve in the same capacity at the 1999 Junior World Championships in Taipei, Taiwan.
TOPPING OUT FOR THE SEASON: UW freshman Jenny Topping had surgery Feb. 26 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee. Dr. Roger Larsen of the UW Sports Medicine Clinic performed the surgery. Topping, who hit three home runs in the first five games this year, tore her ACL in the seventh inning in the second game on Feb. 19 against Michigan at the Louisville Slugger Classic and will redshirt the year.
AN ALL-AMERICAN CAST: UW boasts four All-Americans on its 1999 roster, more than any previous Husky team. Pitchers Jamie Graves and Jennifer Spediacci were named to the second-team last year as sophomores, while junior shortstop Rosie Leutzinger earned a spot on the third team. Senior outfielder/first baseman Becky Newbry was named to the second and third teams in 1997 and 1996, respectively.
HUSKIES ON THE RADIO...: Nine Washington softball games, plus as many postseason contests as possible, will air on KSRB-AM 1150 this season, including nine road games. All broadcasts can be accessed on the internet. Mike Brown returns for his second season of calling the play-by-play. To listen to the games via the internet, go to www.gohuskies.com and click on "Washington Audio" underneath "Husky Hype." Computers must be equipped with a Real Player, which can be downloaded free of charge at www.real.com. Following is a list of games to be aired.
UW Radio & Television Games
Feb. 20, 4 p.m. ET at Florida: Sunshine TV Network
Mar. 5, 6 p.m. vs. Auburn: KSRB-AM 1150
Mar. 6, 2 p.m. vs. Pacific: KSRB-AM 1150
Mar. 6, 6 p.m. vs. Santa Clara: KSRB-AM 1150
Mar. 7, 9 a.m. vs. Illinois State: KSRB-AM 1150
Mar. 7, 11 a.m. vs. Northwestern: KSRB-AM 1150
Mar. 27, 11 a.m. vs. Stanford (1st): KSRB-AM 1150
Apr. 3, Noon vs. UCLA (1st): Fox Sports Net
Apr. 18, 1 p.m. at Oregon (1st): Fox Sports Northwest
Apr. 18, 1 p.m. at Oregon (DH): KSRB-AM 1150
May 1, 11 a.m. vs. Oregon State (1st): KSRB-AM 1150
