SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Heading into the final week of the season, Santa Clara softball travels down the street to face San Jose State on Tues., April 28 at 4 p.m. in the final non-conference game of the season. The Broncos then return home to face BYU Fri., May 1 at 4 and 6 p.m. and Sat., May 2 at 12 p.m. for Senior Day. After the game there will be the annual Senior BBQ in Alumni Park. Santa Clara is 14-32 on the season and 4-8 in WCC play.
"We're looking to bounce back after last weekend and finish the season strong," said Santa Clara head coach Lisa Mize. "We played BYU tough last year at their place and ended up taking a game. We've played close games with them in the past so we're expecting the same. We're just looking to move forward."
Santa Clara is hitting .259 as a team with 48 doubles, four triples, and 19 home runs. They post a 4.38 ERA with 99 strikeouts and 99 walks in 281.0 innings.
Ellie Fisher leads Santa Clara in hitting with a .343 batting average and a .452 OBP thanks to a team-best 26 walks. She also leads the WCC with 21 steals in 26 attempts and is tops on the Broncos with 25 runs scored. Fisher has added a double, a triple, and nine RBI. Jordan Newell is hitting .295 with five home runs and 21 RBI. Newell has added seven doubles to go with 16 runs scored. Breezy Bernard is leading the team with 24 RBI and is tied for the conference lead with 13 doubles. She is batting .319 with a home run and seven runs scored. Gianetta France leads the team with six home runs and has added four doubles to go with 18 RBI and 12 runs scored while hitting .250.
Ciara Gonzales leads Santa Clara in wins (11), ERA (3.31), appearances (34), games started (24), complete games (12), shutouts (2), innings pitched (144.0), and strikeouts (45). McCall James has picked up two wins in 24 games including 10 starts and three complete games. She has tossed one shutout and picked up a save in 72.1 innings pitched with 32 strikeouts. Briana Rios has pitched in 21 games and made nine starts to go with two complete games and one shutout. In 63.2 innings she has fanned 12 batters.
San Jose State is 33-16 on the season and 8-2 at home. The Spartans are hitting .347 as a team with 76 doubles, six triples, and 28 home runs. They post a 3.75 ERA with 181 strikeouts and 159 walks in 308.0 innings. They are outscoring opponents 311-199.
Michelle Cox leads the team with a .428 batting average and 50 runs scored. She is also tops on the team with 10 steals and three triples while adding six doubles and 11 RBI. Jessie Hufstetler is hitting .428 as well and leads the team with 11 home runs and 62 RBI. She has added 14 doubles and scored 39 runs. Jessica Madrid is batting .424 with a team-best 16 doubles. She has scored 45 runs and knocked in 33.
Allison Lang is 13-8 with a 2.64 ERA in a team-high 159.1 innings. She also leads the team with 34 appearances, 26 starts, 15 complete games, four shutouts, seven saves, and 79 strikeouts. Madison Fish is 14-5 with a 3.54 ERA in 22 games and 17 starts. She has thrown six complete games with three shutouts. IN 99.0 innings Fish as fanned 74.
BYU is 34-9 on the season and 9-0 in conference play. The Cougars are hitting .341 as a team with 54 doubles, 10 triples, and 37 home runs. They post a 3.03 ERA with 256 strikeouts and 180 walks in 281.2 innings. They are outscoring opponents 272-148.
Gordy Bravo leads the team with a .460 batting average and 43 runs scored. She has hit four home runs, two triples, and eight doubles while knocking in 26. Lacey Hofstedt is hitting .456 with a triple. She has scored 33 runs and driven in 14 while leading the Cougars with 20 steals in 26 attempts. Ashley Thompson is tied for the team lead with eight home runs and leads the way with 39 RBI. She has added six doubles and 27 runs scored while hitting .331.
McKenna Bull leads the team in every pitching category. She is 30-6 with a 1.99 ERA in 214.2 innings. Bull has appeared in 38 games, made 35 starts, thrown 24 complete games, including five shutouts, and struck out 207 batters.