Even if the Long Beach State softball team wins every game left on its schedule, it won’t earn a Big West Conference title unless Hawaii starts losing.
“We would have to play a big part in it,” head coach Kim Sowder said.
The 49ers (30-19, 12-6 Big West) will travel to Hawaii (37-8, 14-1 Big West) for a series this weekend that could be determine a postseason and real shot for the conference title.
“I certainly believe that we can beat Hawaii, so that’s what we’re going there to do,” Sowder said.
But in order to do that, the ‘Niners will need to oversome some major obstacles.
Hawaii has three standout players who are not only anchoring their team atop the conference standings, but are among NCAA Division I leaders in several statistical categories.
Starting pitcher Kaia Parnaby has an NCAA-best 34-4 record this year. She also has 299 strikeouts, a mark that is good for second in the country and stands just one shy of the national lead.
Reigning Big West Player of the Week Jessica Iwata and center fielder Kelly Majam power an offense that ranks 13th in the nation in home runs per game.
“They are obviously getting great leadership and performance out of them,” Sowder said. “They happen to have a really strong team this year.”
The Rainbow Wahine may have one of the country’s best starting pitchers, but Sowder said she feels confident that her lineup can stack up evenly against Hawaii’s.
That includes Hannah De Gaetano, whose batting average of .374 leads the conference, and Shayna Kimbrough, who ranks second with a .359 batting average.
Hawaii enters its most competitive stretch of conference play this weekend. In its final three series of the season, Hawaii will play the three teams trailing them in the standings. They will face Santa Barbara after LBSU and will end the season against Pacific.
“We definitely have to give them some losses,” Sowder said, “and put a little pressure on them to do really well towards the end of the season.”
Following Sunday’s loss to UC Santa Barbara, pitcher Amanda Hansen said that the weight of this weekend’s series is definitely on her mind, but she recognized it as a tremendous opportunity to earn a postseason.
After studying video of Parnaby and seeing her pitch at the Louisville Slugger Classic in February, Sowder said the team is prepared and ready to be challenged.
“Numbers-wise… yeah, it’s definitely possible,” Sowder said. “Like I said, we’re going to need some help at this point. It’s not completely in our control, but a good amount of it is.”
The 49ers will open the series with a 6 p.m. game on Friday before playing a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 2 p.m.