After coming off a huge series win against San Jose State, the Colorado State University softball team returns home to clash against Mountain West foe University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The Rams look to stay atop the Mountain West, and get back into the win column.
The amazing win streak of 20 games came to an end last Sunday, but the Rams are ready to begin another streak.
“We did lose the streak, but we still won the series and that was a big series to win,” senior Bridgette Hutton said. “Losing gives us the motivation to start a new streak and to go all out the rest of the season.”
The series is set to begin Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. on Ram field. The second game will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday and the series will conclude Sunday at noon.
UNLV holds a 26-9 record on the season with a 7-4 record in the Mountain West. The Rebels are a solid team that is barely trailing the Rams in multiple statistical categories. The Rebels are coming off a series loss to Fresno State and they are looking to get back on track.
In order for the Rams to get back to their winning ways, they will need to get off to a hot start and put a lot of runs on the board. The Rams still lead the nation in doubles and are ranked eighth in the country in scoring, with 7.24 runs per game.
The Rams are also ranked 14th in the country in batting with a .328 average. Amber Nelson leads the team with a .398 average. The Rams are at their best when they are sending the ball all around the yard, suffocating the opposing teams with runs and shutting them down on defense.
The Rams have outscored their opponents 246-92 and have posted nine shut outs on the season. Getting back to playing their game will lead to success for the Rams.
With 14 games left this spring, the Rams boast a 29-5 record and are 11-1 in Mountain West play. This is the best record any Rams team has ever had and their conference record is the best the Mountain West has seen since 1999.
For four weeks, the Rams have been ranked in the top-25 by Softball America. The Rams have moved down from No. 23 overall to No. 25. They are still receiving votes from USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, with a total of 33.
This series is important for both teams who are trying to grab the top spot in the Mountain West.
Junior Guerrero can be reached at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @juniorg45.
