This weekend San Diego State softball (20-12, 3-0 Mountain West) will head out to face Boise State University (8-25, 0-3 MW) in their first road trip of the MW schedule.
The Aztecs, who are coming off a three-game sweep against University of Nevada, Las Vegas (14-17, 0-3 MW) look to remain perfect in conference play and put themselves in great position to clinch a berth in the Women’s College World Series.
The Broncos, on the other hand, are looking for their first win in conference play after being swept by San Jose State University (22-11, 3-0 MW) last weekend.
In the past, weather and travel schedules have given the Aztecs some trouble when they leave sunny southern California for Idaho.
“Last time we went there they had terrible weather,” redshirt-senior utility player Lorena Bauer said. “We had to play two games back-to-back and we were only there for a day.”
However, this time neither should give the Aztecs much trouble. The forecast this weekend in Boise is mostly sunny with an average high of 74 degrees. SDSU will also have three days in Boise and won’t have to play any doubleheaders.
The opposing Broncos may not give the Aztecs much trouble, either.
Boise State has lost their last 10 games, all of which were on the road. While the Broncos will be looking to get their season back on track with an upset win over the reigning MW champs, there are two good reasons to think that the Aztecs will continue to dominate.
The first is the way the Aztecs prepare for conference competition.
“We play these teams three times every year, so we know what to expect,” Bauer said. “We have scouting reports on every hitter, every pitcher.”
The second is the way that SDSU translates that preparation into on-field success against their conference opponents.
Since the start of conference play, senior outfielder Kayla Jordan has helped to spark SDSU’s offense, winning her second MW Player of the Week award in three weeks. She now leads SDSU in many offensive categories including batting average (.413) and stolen bases (10).
Sophomore pitcher Erica Romero has also shut down opposing offenses as of late. She struck out eight batters in the series against UNLV and won in all three of her appearances. Romero has yet to give up an earned run in conference play.
This combination of preparation and on-field success has fueled a winning attitude and swagger that the Aztecs will take with them to Boise when they face the Broncos this weekend.
“Everyone is confident going into the games,” Bauer said. “We know we are better than them and we can win.”
This confidence could guide SDSU to victory and help the Aztecs break the three-way tie for first place in the conference standings with San Jose State and California State University, Fresno (22-10, 3-0 MW).
