2017 Easton InvitationalFeb 6, 2017 by Chez Sievers
What To Watch For At The Easton Invitational
What To Watch For At The Easton Invitational
Easton Invitational February 10-12, 2017 at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, Calif. features Ole Miss, Cal State Fullerton, NDSU, LMU, Utah State, and Pacific
The college season is ready to swing back into action on FloSoftball for the Easton Invitational at Anderson Family Field in Fullerton, California, on February 10-12. Drawing from a variety conferences, the Easton Invitational's field of six teams includes squads from the SEC, Big West, West Coast, and Summit League.
Cal State Fullerton assistant coach Tori Tyson said, "It's competitive. It's a good start. It's your opening weekend. It gives you taste of postseason right out of the gate. And of course it's sunny California."
The invitational gets started with a premier matchup on Friday, featuring the host Titans taking on Ole Miss. Both teams have top 25 potential and have knocked off their share of ranked teams. North Dakota State, Utah State, Loyola Marymount, and Pacific will also be playing on the first day.
WHY: Ole Miss is on pace to have another epic year. Although the Rebels lost some key starters, their young talent will be eager to raise the bar once again. Ole Miss brought in four Hot 100 players in the 2016 class: No. 35 catcher Kennedy Legg, No. 76 infielder Kaylee Horton, No. 85 corner Gabby Alvarez, and No. 91 first baseman Alyssa Garcia. After combining for 51 stolen bases last year, you can expect that returners Elantra Cox and Miranda Strother will once again be challenging the basepaths. Ole Miss picked up a huge transfer last fall in Oklahoma pitcher Brittany Finney. A down-ball pitcher, Finney did not log a ton of innings for the Sooners, but we should see Finney and Elisha Jahnke get the ball plenty of times this weekend.
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WHY: The buzz around Fullerton is the ammo the Titans have added to their pitching staff. Last season, Sydney Golden emerged as an ace, posting a 1.97 ERA and 18 wins. Tyson said, "(Golden's) poised and attacks the strike zone in any count." The most notable transfers are pitchers Trisha Parks and Kelsey Kessler. Parks was one of the most sought-after transfer recruits after leaving Arizona. She adds another dimension to the pitching staff, throwing pure gas and mixing in her off speed. An Arizona State transfer, Kessler is craftier with her pitches and can throw her changeup on command. Other key returners include leadoff Sam Vandiver, Delynn Rippy, and cleanup Lexi Gonzalez. The Titans added seven freshmen, so expect players to be competing for starting positions.
WHY: Did you know that in 2016 NDSU beat Arkansas, UNC, Stanford, Cal, Alabama, and Hawaii? The Bison went undefeated in the Summit League and advanced to post season before being eliminated by Minnesota. Key returners for NDSU include outfielder Katie Shoultz, catcher Alyssa Reina, and pitcher Jacquelyn Sertic. Last season, Sertic was No. 26 in the nation with 216 strike outs. On the bases, Shoultz and Reina combined for 40 steals. Reina will add pop to the order in RISP situations posting 40 RBIs in 2016. Expect the six freshmen to bring speed, power and versatility.
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WHY: Key returners for Utah State are infielder Victoria Saucedo and pitcher April Brown. Saucedo led the team in RBIs (44) with 12 jacks on the year. Brown recorded the lowest ERA on the team last season with a 3.79 ERA, 57 strikeouts and an opponents' batting average of .272. Last season, the Aggies posted notable wins against Maryland, Wisconsin, UNLV, and San Diego State.
WHY: LMU takes the field led by returning outfielder Amanda Dirks, who batted .329 BA with 37 RBIs and 12 home runs last season. Another key component to the offense is infielder Alex Finie, who batted .316 with 30 RBIs and 12 doubles. The Lions have a 1-2 punch in the circle with southpaw Rachel Farrington and Hannah Bandimere. Last season, Farrington recorded a 3.15 ERA and Bandimere was not far behind with a 3.17 ERA. Expect Bandimere to get her share of strikeouts this weekend after tallying 125 Ks last season.
WHY: Pitcher Marissa Young returns to the circle for the Tigers after posting a 3.06 ERA with 63 strikeouts last year. Key hitters returning to the lineup for Pacific include catcher Rachel Sellers and Sydney Lahners. Sellers recorded the team's second-highest batting average .354 and 29 RBIs in 2016. Lahners will add pop to the order after batting .320 with 26 RBIs last season. The freshman pitcher to watch is Hailey Reed, a first-team All-American at Seaman High School who recorded 393 strikeouts with a .539 batting average. Freshman infielder Starr Vang will be a big hitter to watch this season. She was named her team's offensive player of the year all four years at Buchanon High School.
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Cal State Fullerton assistant coach Tori Tyson said, "It's competitive. It's a good start. It's your opening weekend. It gives you taste of postseason right out of the gate. And of course it's sunny California."
The invitational gets started with a premier matchup on Friday, featuring the host Titans taking on Ole Miss. Both teams have top 25 potential and have knocked off their share of ranked teams. North Dakota State, Utah State, Loyola Marymount, and Pacific will also be playing on the first day.
What To Watch For At The Easton Invitational
Ole Miss
WHEN: Friday, Feb. 10 (1:30 PM vs. LMU, 6:30 PM vs. Cal State Fullerton); Saturday, Feb. 11 (11 AM vs. Pacific, 1:30 PM vs. North Dakota State); Sunday, Feb. 12 (9:30 AM vs. LMU, 11:30 AM vs. LMU)WHY: Ole Miss is on pace to have another epic year. Although the Rebels lost some key starters, their young talent will be eager to raise the bar once again. Ole Miss brought in four Hot 100 players in the 2016 class: No. 35 catcher Kennedy Legg, No. 76 infielder Kaylee Horton, No. 85 corner Gabby Alvarez, and No. 91 first baseman Alyssa Garcia. After combining for 51 stolen bases last year, you can expect that returners Elantra Cox and Miranda Strother will once again be challenging the basepaths. Ole Miss picked up a huge transfer last fall in Oklahoma pitcher Brittany Finney. A down-ball pitcher, Finney did not log a ton of innings for the Sooners, but we should see Finney and Elisha Jahnke get the ball plenty of times this weekend.
[polldaddy poll="9660150"]
Cal State Fullerton
WHEN: Friday (4 PM vs. Pacific, 6 PM vs. Ole Miss); Saturday (6:30 PM vs. Utah State); Sunday (Noon vs. Pacific)WHY: The buzz around Fullerton is the ammo the Titans have added to their pitching staff. Last season, Sydney Golden emerged as an ace, posting a 1.97 ERA and 18 wins. Tyson said, "(Golden's) poised and attacks the strike zone in any count." The most notable transfers are pitchers Trisha Parks and Kelsey Kessler. Parks was one of the most sought-after transfer recruits after leaving Arizona. She adds another dimension to the pitching staff, throwing pure gas and mixing in her off speed. An Arizona State transfer, Kessler is craftier with her pitches and can throw her changeup on command. Other key returners include leadoff Sam Vandiver, Delynn Rippy, and cleanup Lexi Gonzalez. The Titans added seven freshmen, so expect players to be competing for starting positions.
North Dakota State
WHEN: Friday (11 AM vs. LMU, 2 PM vs. Utah State); Saturday (1:30 PM vs. Ole Miss, 4 PM vs. Pacific); Sunday (10 AM vs. Pacific)WHY: Did you know that in 2016 NDSU beat Arkansas, UNC, Stanford, Cal, Alabama, and Hawaii? The Bison went undefeated in the Summit League and advanced to post season before being eliminated by Minnesota. Key returners for NDSU include outfielder Katie Shoultz, catcher Alyssa Reina, and pitcher Jacquelyn Sertic. Last season, Sertic was No. 26 in the nation with 216 strike outs. On the bases, Shoultz and Reina combined for 40 steals. Reina will add pop to the order in RISP situations posting 40 RBIs in 2016. Expect the six freshmen to bring speed, power and versatility.
[polldaddy poll="9660152"]
Utah State
WHEN: Friday (10:30 AM vs. Pacific, 2 PM vs. North Dakota State); Saturday (2:30 PM vs. LMU, 6:30 PM vs. Cal State Fullerton)WHY: Key returners for Utah State are infielder Victoria Saucedo and pitcher April Brown. Saucedo led the team in RBIs (44) with 12 jacks on the year. Brown recorded the lowest ERA on the team last season with a 3.79 ERA, 57 strikeouts and an opponents' batting average of .272. Last season, the Aggies posted notable wins against Maryland, Wisconsin, UNLV, and San Diego State.
Loyola Marymount
WHEN: Friday (11 AM vs. North Dakota State, 1:30 PM vs. LMU); Saturday (2:30 PM vs. Utah State); Sunday (9:30 AM vs. Ole Miss, 11:30 AM vs. Ole Miss)WHY: LMU takes the field led by returning outfielder Amanda Dirks, who batted .329 BA with 37 RBIs and 12 home runs last season. Another key component to the offense is infielder Alex Finie, who batted .316 with 30 RBIs and 12 doubles. The Lions have a 1-2 punch in the circle with southpaw Rachel Farrington and Hannah Bandimere. Last season, Farrington recorded a 3.15 ERA and Bandimere was not far behind with a 3.17 ERA. Expect Bandimere to get her share of strikeouts this weekend after tallying 125 Ks last season.
Pacific
WHEN: Friday (10:30 AM vs. Utah State, 4 PM vs. Cal State Fullerton); Saturday (11 AM vs. Ole Miss, 4 PM vs. North Dakota State); Sunday (10 AM vs. North Dakota State, Noon vs. Call State Fullerton)WHY: Pitcher Marissa Young returns to the circle for the Tigers after posting a 3.06 ERA with 63 strikeouts last year. Key hitters returning to the lineup for Pacific include catcher Rachel Sellers and Sydney Lahners. Sellers recorded the team's second-highest batting average .354 and 29 RBIs in 2016. Lahners will add pop to the order after batting .320 with 26 RBIs last season. The freshman pitcher to watch is Hailey Reed, a first-team All-American at Seaman High School who recorded 393 strikeouts with a .539 batting average. Freshman infielder Starr Vang will be a big hitter to watch this season. She was named her team's offensive player of the year all four years at Buchanon High School.
How to Watch
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