Second in an 8-part series of WAC team previews.San Jose State Spartans
2011 overall record: 19-35
2011 WAC record: 5-16 (seventh place)
Returning starters: 9
There may not be a more veteran Division I softball team in the nation this season than San Jose State, which returns 19 players that have started games at one time or another in their Spartan careers.
San Jose State heads into the 2012 season looking a lot like it did heading into 2010, which turned out to be one of the better years in school softball history. The Spartans won 34 games that season (including a win over nationally-ranked Oklahoma) and appeared to be setting the stage for a strong, extended run of impressive seasons.
Things changed rather suddenly, however, just prior to last season.
Standout pitcher Amanda Pridmore, an 18-game winner in 2010 and a preseason all-WAC pick last year, was sidelined by a knee injury just prior to the 2011 season, dealing the Spartans a major blow. But there is good news in Spartan land in that the senior right-hander is expected back this season, along with virtually the entire team that finished seventh in the conference.
San Jose State had an up and down 2011, but still appeared headed for the WAC postseason tournament late in the year. After taking two of three at Louisiana Tech on the season's penultimate weekend, the Spartans needed just one win in a 3-game home series versus Hawai'i to qualify for the 6-team conference tourney. That win never came, and San Jose State sat home.
Things could be different this time around. The Spartans lose only one player of significance in pitcher Elyssa Fox, who led the team in appearances (28), strikeouts (73) and earned run average (4.48) last year. Aside from Fox, nearly everyone is back, including an eye-popping 18 different players who started at various times during the season. Adding Pridmore back into the mix makes San Jose State primed for a strong year.
To say that Coach Peter Turner spread the wealth around on this team last year is an understatement. Thirteen players who started at least 20 games a year ago are returning, including eight who started 40 or more contests.
The Spartans will need to improve on offense, especially in terms of hitting for power. In conference play, San Jose State hit a WAC-low .242 as a team and was the only squad not to reach double digits in home runs. The Spartans hit a total of just eight home runs in 21 conference games, and no player ranked among the top 25 players in the WAC in batting average.
Infielder Annica Wolfe is back as the top returning hitter (.309 overall, .286 in WAC play). She, along with infielder Alex Stange (.294 BA), infielder BranDee Garica (.260 BA), and outfielder Britney Helm (.253 BA), all started at least 50 games last season. Helm's 28 runs scored led the team.
Pridmore (18-12, 3.27 ERA in 2010) anchors the pitching staff, which also features Jennifer Ames (7-16, 4.51 ERA last season) and Janessa Gutierrez (5-4, 5.04 ERA as a freshman last year), along with four freshmen. The Spartans' staggering 29-member roster is one of the largest in the nation, meaning it could be difficult to find enough playing time to keep everyone happy.
The schedule is a favorable one, giving San Jose State a lot of chances to pile up wins. Combined with so many returning players, anything less than a 30-win season and a berth in the WAC postseason tournament could be considered a disappointment.
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