San Diego State softball continues its string of early season Classic’s, heading up to Cathedral City, Calif. for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic from Feb. 22-25.
SDSU will play five games at the event, and will try to build on a two-game winning streak which improved their record to 3-8.
“I think we got over a slight hump this (last) weekend so we are feeling a little bit better going in,” head coach Kathy Van Wyk said. “Right now we are trying to continue working on us and on the process.”
The Aztecs most recently defeated Cal State Fullerton by a score of 2-1 in the finale of the Campbell/Cartier Classic, which the team hosted.
SDSU will have a shot at early season redemption against UC Davis and Northwestern University, whom the team already lost to this season in the Kajikawa Classic.
“I’m obviously looking forward to getting Northwestern and UC Davis so we can avenge those losses,” Van Wyk said.
The Aztecs will open up the classic against Liberty University, and the team will also play the University of Notre Dame and Bethune-Cookman University.
“It’s a nice range of teams that we don’t often see,” Van Wyk said. “We’re just excited to get out of California and play other schools.”
Junior catcher Molly Sturdivant said that she looks forward to this tournament, and is looking forward to some redemption as well.
“We’re just always super excited for this tournament. We usually do pretty well so I’m hoping that happens again,” Sturdivant said. “We get to play Northwestern again, so that’s a redemption game for us definitely. We’re going to try to come out with a dub on this one.”
Sturdivant leads the team in home runs, with three, but went hitless in four at bats during the teams 3-2 loss to UC Davis on Feb. 11.
“I feel like we should have beat (UC Davis) last time so this is a time to come back and really give it to them,” Sturdivant said. “I think we need to come with the same approach that we did this weekend, just be more aggressive at the plate and we’ll be fine.”
Senior pitcher Alex Formby pitched 5.1 innings of one-hit ball during the Aztecs loss to Davis, but said that the team has since gained confidence which should help them moving forward.
“I think as a team we are feeling a little bit more confident,” Formby said. “Everybody is a little more relaxed and can just kind of play the game like we know how.”
Formby said that she is personally excited for the event because it is one which she watched as a kid.
“I’m always excited about this tournament, its a tournament that I’ve been going to and watching since I’ve been growing up,” Formby said. “It’s cool to be on the other side of the fence and actually getting to play in it.”
