By Sara Biela (@sarabielaa ):
The two best teams in the Mountain West face off in rivalry fashion as San Jose State softball hosts Fresno State for a three-game series in Santa Clara.
The Spartans (25-11, 9-2 MW) will face a hot Bulldogs (24-15, 7-2 MW) squad with a seven-game winning streak, which is the longest in the conference.
FSU also ranks 16th in the nation with a .495 slugging percentage. Catcher Hayleigh Galvan leads the FSU offense with a .404 batting average.
The sophomore is also rated 12th in the country with a .547 on base percentage.
Senior designated hitter Savannah McHellon tops the team with 33 RBIs and 12 HRs, which is good for 20th in the country.
On the mound, starter Danielle East takes charge with 20 starts in 39 appearances.
The freshman has a 3.37 ERA with eight complete games and three shutouts. She also leads the squad with 114 strikeouts in 101.2 innings pitched.
SJSU’s average of six runs per game looks to jump on FSU’s combined 3.89 ERA, which sits sixth in the conference.
Pitcher and first baseman Madison Aurin tops the Spartans with nine HRs and a 19th-ranked 43 RBIs. The junior also shines in the circle with a team-best 2.90 ERA and nine complete games.
Sophomore second baseman Cassidy Clark leads SJSU with a .393 BA, good for 10th-best in the conference.
The Bulldogs lead the all-time series 88-14, with a 7-5 advantage since the Spartans joined the MW.
After taking one of two games in Nevada, head coach Peter Turner now sits at 348 career wins with a chance to reach 350 after this weekend.
First pitch on Friday at Mission College is set for 12 p.m.
