By Alex Valle — Staff Writer
San Jose State (3-3) softball will travel to New Mexico and compete in the Troy Cox Classic for its second tournament of the 2018-19 campaign.
In five games, the Spartans are slated to take on the University of Montana, Texas State, Bradley and New Mexico State twice.
SJSU and UM are currently on losing streaks and hope to snap them in both programs’ first ever matchup.
Over the last four games, Montana has given up 27 runs with 21 of those runs coming in two games.
Its pitching staff has posted a poor 4.04 ERA, with a bright spot coming from senior pitcher Colleen Driscoll. She is 1-0 on the season and has a 2.17 ERA through 9.2 innings.
Texas State is a team that can swing the bat and has been effective on the mound. As a team, it holds its opponents to .191 batting average and 22 strikeouts.
The Bobcats have two players with a batting average over .400. Junior infielder Hailey MacKay leads the team with 6 RBIs and 4 walks and will be a big challenge for SJSU’s pitching staff.
New Mexico State will be the toughest team the Spartans will have to face. The Aggies are 4-0 and have scored 41 runs through these games.
They have a .362 batting average as a team, but post a lack luster 4.38 ERA. SJSU will have to be selective with its pitches and limit their errors on defense to win this one.
To close out the tournament, the Spartans will take on Bradley University.
Bradley has given up 41 runs in five games, resulting in a 1-4 record. The team has a .164 batting average, while their opponents have been able to dominant them with a .348 average.
San Jose State will need to continue its success on the mound to win this matchup.
It has a very good team-ERA of 2.55 with freshman pitcher Chrys Hildebrand posting a 2.52 ERA through 8.1 innings. She had a stand out performance against Mississippi Valley State, only giving up two runs and striking out nine batters.
Hildebrand looks to repeat this great performance against some teams that have been struggling at the plate.
On the offensive end, junior outfielder Makayla Englestad has led the team with a .583 batting average. She is also leading the Spartans in runs, hits, walks and stolen bases.
Although it is the beginning of the season, Englestad will want to come out aggressive in hopes to lead her team to victory.
The Spartans will need all the offensive power they can get to expose the poor pitching from Montana, while also continuing their efforts on the mound.
First pitch against Montana will be at 8 a.m.
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