On The Record With Megan Wong, Part VII

What a “Bar Fight” it was for us this weekend first against No. 3 Cal State San Bernardino Friday night then against the No.18 Cal Poly Pomona. No wonder why the Coyotes are No. 3 in the nation for division 2, they were ready for us from the first whistle. It was not one of our best performances of the year, but it was an actual game vs. Cal State San Bernardino. Although we were tied 7 all in the first game and up 6-1 in the third game we still didn’t play our best and we all knew it. It was our first lost at home putting our home record 12-1, overall record 20-6, and CCAA 11-4.

Despite the fact that we lost respectfully 3-0, we had to put that game behind us since it was done and over with and we had to focus on our next “Bar Fight” vs. Cal Poly Pomona. We knew it was going to be a fight for us to survive this battle. The Broncos had beaten us at their home gym 3-1 the first round in conference and now it was our turn to beat them in OUR HOUSE.

During the whole match every game was close. They had brought their fire the first game to let us know that they were here to play and not planning on going home anytime soon. We then made a turn around and took game 2. The Broncos were a dangerous team and we knew it, but we weren’t expecting them to take game 3 from us. Game 4 seemed like a breeze for our team winning 25-16. We knew game 5 was ours, so we went on our merry way and took it. It was 14-12 with one point left in the match. We served it then they hit it back at us and we dug it like it was pie then Junior Setter Lindsay Brown set Senior Outside Hitter Kristy Sather for the game winning point, but Pomona’s Middle blocker and Opposite, put up a huge block and basically it said, “Not this time, we’re still here and want to play. You’re not winning that easy.” Next they served it to us and we passed it right on target and Brown and Sather connected one last time and BOOM it was over. We had won the match. It was so exciting!!!

Our engine had been on for games 1-3, but we were just cruising, however, games 4 and 5 we finally burned some serious rubber and brought home a “W” for victory giving us another win for our record of 21-6 overall and 13-5 CCAA. This is the best record in school history for the volleyball program and with just 2 more games left we’re not giving up to go 23-6. We play Humbolt this Wednesday away and UCSD Saturday home. It’s going to be an interesting finish.

On The Record With Megan Wong, Part VI

Hey! Sorry I haven't been able to update you on our season lately. I've been busy with school. Anyway, as you can see, it's been a roller coaster ride for our team this year as it has been for many of the other teams in the CCAA. Teams have been beating and losing to other teams unexpectedly. Counting down the final games of the season 1st-5th place are up for grabs. It's going to be a dog fight for this last stretch.

This year seems to have been a tough one for us on the road. We lost to all the BIG teams in away games: CSULA, CSUSB, CPP, and UCSD. This past weekend were crucial games for us against CSUMB and SF State. Down 2-0 vs. the Gators, we managed to come back and take the victory going to 20-5 overall.

Our defense is what is keeping us in the games. As the saying goes "Offense sells tickets and Defense wins championships!" However, Junior Setter Lindsay Brown has been able to connect with Junior Middle Blocker Rikki Buckshins and Senior Outside Hitter Kristy Sather to make our offense unstoppable.

And on a side note Congratulations to Rikki (1st team) and Kristie(2nd team) for being ESPN The Magazine All-Academic Scholars.

Lately at practice we've been playing the error game, which puts in real game situation and it shows who and how our team is making errors when it comes to the real deal.

We face CSUSB Friday night and CPP Saturday @ 7pm. These games will determine if we can play with the BIG DOGS!

Sablle's Cross Country Report, Part V

Hey there,

Sablle again! This weekend was a really successful weekend for the Sonoma State cross country team. Our athletic sport is generally overlooked by most of the population, but for this race we had our chance to travel and get recognition. We flew out on Thursday to San Bernardino
for the CCAA Championships. The first day we found out when we ran that it is very very dry in San Bernardino which is definitely a change in weather for our team but come race day our team came through. We hydrated a great amount the days before our races because it is was greatly needed for this weather.

As far as the course goes it was awesome in my opinion. It was not repetitive which most races have been this year and it went by pretty fast while also having a beautiful view of this regional park. Come race day our team felt ready to run but it was very nerve racking since it was such a large race. Everybody competed at their best and did great. This trip was a lot of fun for our team and we are looking forward to next years CCAA Championships as well.

This week we are leaving on Thursday to the finest city in the world, San Diego. This is the race many of us have been looking forward to because it is in San Diego and we are traveling pretty far. This race is our last race of the season and pretty exciting for our team to compete with such a variety of teams. This meet we are racing our top seven women on the team with one alternate, so it is a run for the race right now between some girls. We have lost our number two runner Jacqui Trenkwalder. But, that just means our team has to try that much harder. I really believe in our top seven girls for this race and I know we will go to San Diego and perform.

Until next time,
Young Sablle

The Bailey Blog: Hitting the Home Stretch

It has been a long week for the team. After a nice break the week before last, we are heading down the home stretch and are gearing up for playoffs.

On Tuesday we played a non-conference game against a formidable opponent in Fresno Pacific. The plan was to give most of the team a good rest, while getting some of the young guys some minutes and a chance to prove themselves. They put together an inspired performance, but could not find the back of the net in the first half. Then trouble struck and Fresno Pacific showed why they are ranked in the top twenty five for NAIA, by putting us behind with a well finished opportunity. We hit the post several times, in the second half, but it was Scott to the rescue with about 4 minutes left in the game. Scott headed home a corner kick to put us into overtime. The game looked as though it was going to go the distance, but we pressured and got the ball back. Nate found me streaking down the middle, and as I penetrated through their defense I laid the ball off to my right, where Cam flew in and scored his first goal of his career. Nice way to start your scoring career, and a nice win for us, even if it was harder than we wanted it to be.

While Tuesday was supposed to be a day off, Friday sure felt like it. We traveled down to Monterey Bay for a very crucial game. After a draw in the first leg of the season, we could not afford to give away any more points at this point in the season. We showed up sharp, and turned what could have been a hard game into one that they will soon try to forget. About five minutes into the game, Lafon found the back of the net on a cross from Cam. It would take about twenty more minutes and many chances to find the next, Nate found Ross who sliced his way through the defense and slotted the ball to the back post. The half concluded with Davide blasting the ball into the back of the net from Ross, right before the whistle. Monterey pressed hard in the second half, but when Nate found Davide, who blasted another shot home, the game was all but over. The starters slowly found their way off the field, and we started to warm up the bus. Cam would get in on the scoring, along with Taylor Jones, who has to be SSU’s all time leading goal scorer as a goalie, now having score two on the year.

Sunday was a different game all together, as San Francisco always plays us tough. Joe Hunter, their coach, and Marcus are best friends, and thus love nothing more than to win against each other. That added to the fact that it was their senior day, we knew it was going to be a battle. I have to give props to SF State, as they honored our seniors too, which was really classy, but about the last classiest thing that they did. The game was really physical, as there were forty fouls, five yellow cards and a red card on the day. Nate started us off, and man does he love scoring at this place. Lafon slipped a ball into Nate as he streaked through, and Nate, with little angle on goal ripped a shot that had the post shaking for a couple minutes. About ten minutes later, Cam crossed the ball on a corner kick, and I headed the ball home from the near post to put us up by two. Alas the lead would not last too long, as about two minutes later, off a free kick from midfield, Brook came out to get the ball and was fouled, causing him to drop the ball. The ball bounced around for a couple of moments and was deflected up in the air to the other side of the net, where a SF State player was standing. I think Brook lost his temper, as he came out of nowhere and clobbered the guy, giving up a PK. The second half was pretty ridiculous; SF battled hard, but came up short. The game was turned into a slug fest, and we were just happy to get out of there with the three points, and our bodies not too banged up.

'Till next time this is Bailey signing off.

On The Record With Megan Wong, Part V

Why us? Why on road trips? Does it really make a difference whether we’re home or away? Well it looks like it does to me. The last 3 away matches we've been unable to come up with a “W.” We were still 'low percentage' like Coach Bear wants us to be (well not quite vs. UCSD). That game we couldn’t seem to find the court. We were hitting and serving balls out of bounds and into the net; not our normal style of volleyball. With Freshman Libero Taylor Krenwinkel out early in the first game with a sprained ankel, we knew it was going to be a tough night for us.

We traveled down south knowing that UCSD was a very strong serving team. That’s how they beat CSUSB. They weren’t afraid of missing, but it didn’t matter. They were not going to let us take away the match from them on their home court. Their crowd was big, loud, and crazy, bigger than Cal Poly Pomona. We’re so used to a low key crowd, not big, loud, and crazy, so of course if affected our game. Coach Bear kept saying that we were scared because of the atmosphere and that we needed to find a way to play like we usually do. We lost games 1 and 2 with no questions asked, however, we put up a fight in game 3, but sadly lost 24-26 and we were back on the plane early the next morning. Like Coach Bear said, “When we’re on fire and playing our game, nothing can go right for our opponent. (like we did to Humboldt Wednesday nigh), but now it’s UCSD beating up on us and nothing is going our way.”

I know our team is stressing about the losses on the road, but we’re not letting down because everyone in our conference is beating each other up, opening doors for us in conference and regionals. We are not finished when we lose, we are finished when we quit and our team is not quitting. We are half way done with conference and still wanting to fight. We start the 2nd round of league this weekend facing big rivals CHICO and Stanislaus. We need a BIG crowd!!!

Sablle's Cross Country Report, Part IV

Hey guys!

Its Sablle here! As you know, we ran in beautiful Golden Gate Park this weekend at the SFSU Invitational. This meet went really well for our team as a whole! Everybody on our team finished with a great kick at the end, and for the most part, we were pleased with our performance.

A lot of us are recovering from injuries and I think we all handled it very well. The course was a nice 6k with a couple hills, terrain and grass. As far as running in the late afternoon goes, it was actually very, very cold rather than what we were preparing for, heat. The end of our race was very rewarding too because Yvonne brought us a delicious spaghetti dinner. I know i can speak for the entire team and give special thanks to Yvonne for supporting us throughout our season and constantly cheering and helping out!!! THANKS YVONNE!

Now, our next two races are definitely the most important ones! On Oct. 25 we have our CCAA Championships in San Bernardino, Calif. and our coach really wants us to all to get PR's (personal record), so we will definitely be fighting for them. Our very last race is in San Diego for Regionals and it is also very important. We will be fighting for a good place there as well.

Also I would like to do a short Q and A on here because us cross country runners get
these questions ALL THE TIME...

1.)Do you like to run?
YES, we all love to run, despite it being extremely hard at times we love what we do.
"Our sport is your sport's punishment"

2.) How many miles do you run?
Our longest run this year has been twelve miles.

3.) Is that all you do for practice...run the same routes?
NO! we do a variety of workouts, here is a rundown of our week...
Mondays: 6:00 a.m. practice, drive to Annadel, Run 12 miles.
Tuesdays: 7:00 practice, drive to Crane Creek Park and do a variety of hills (it changes every week)
Wednesdays: 7:00 practice, 5-6 mile runs (of coaches choosing around Rohnert Park...usually Copeland creek trail)
Thursdays: 7:00 practice on the track, varies from mile break ups to pyramids
Fridays: 7:00 practice, usually 5 miles and then go into the Sonoma State pool and aqua jog for about 15-30 minutes.

So there you go, if you have any more just ask!
-Young Sablle

The Bailey Blog: Two W's Sure Feel Nice

Hi there again. You know, it has been too long since the last time Sonoma ended a weekend with two W’s. In fact, I couldn’t even remember the last time that it happened. This was a big weekend for us, because this is the time of the season you want to start gearing up for the post season and we needed to start taking care of business if we are going to get there. We have essentially used up our “oops” card, and need to go on a little run if we are going to do anything this season. This weekend was a great start to doing just that.

First off, this weekend was the type of 'D' we are going to need to play if we are going anywhere. Shutouts are like pouring gas on a fire...they just make it way better. So the D needs to get the props they deserve before we talk about anything else.

On Friday we showed up, and I don’t think it mattered who we played because it was going to be unfortunate for anyone who set foot in our house on that day. We wanted to wash the bitter taste out of our mouths from the Dominguez game, and what better way to do that than beating a team five nothing, and scoring two goal in the first ten minutes. Even though we scored five goals, what was refreshing was the defensive work that the team displayed. From moment one we were up to the task, and boy did we look good doing it. We truly were beauty and the beast on this day, making all the great stops on defense, and showing a little flair while we scored.

Ross probably wishes that he could have been in the movie Groundhog Day, living this one over and over again, and rightly so. He was on fire, four goals, on four shots, and worked his butt off and deserved every single on of them. The first goal was created by good pressure, and Cam found Ross isolated near the top of the box, chipping a ball into space, which Ross collected and then neatly placed in the top corner of the goal, a rather nice way to start the day. Ross would again find the back of the net, when Jack sent a long ball over the top to Ross, who spun his defender near the top of the box, collected the ball past the keeper, and put it home. When are people going to realize that you can’t just have one guy defend him? He is just on fire.

The second half the game was definitely more open, and Ross would tack on number three about twenty minutes into the second half. I received the ball at midfield and couldn’t feel any pressure on me. When I looked up it was like SFO, they were flagging me down the middle of their D and so I obliged them and went there. When a defender finally committed to me I only had to slot the ball off to Ross who one timed it home. About ten minutes later Ross would find number four when Cam brought the ball up the right side, I made a run through, and Cam found me with a beautiful ball. I chest trapped the ball off to Ross who would finish again, and I am pretty sure if I had left my dinner out Ross would have finished it too. Davide finished the day off for us off a ball from Wiedeman, and nothing tasted better.

Sunday was a game that we knew was going to be a tough one. Pomona always plays us tough. Last year we squeaked out of their place with a two to one win. Two years ago we won in overtime, the year before we tied, and the year before that we won in overtime. So we knew we were going to have ourselves an old fashion slobber knocker, and it was time to get stuck in. We controlled most of the play, we hit the post several times, and it looked like it might be one of those days where we might not hit water if we fell out of a boat, but not so. Late in the second half, I received a ball and faked a pass to the middle, looking up I found a seam in their D and slotted it to Cam, who was off to the races, playing the ball across the box. Ross was unable to get on the end of it, and just like Nate always does, hefound himself in the perfect place, and punched it home for us. I thought that the flood gates might open for us, but one was all we would get or need.

Two wins, ahhh it is nice to feel that for the first time in a long time. Well until next time, this is Bailey, love you Mom and Dad. I am out!

The Bailey Blog: Mixed Results In So Cal

Hey long time no talk. It has been a crazy couple of weeks for the team. We have had some big ups and big downs, and are looking just past the mid point of the season. We just got back from southern California, and we didn’t get the job done.

We took a bus down south with the girls team, and despite the fact that it was long hours we managed to have a good time watching movies and sleeping. On the day of the UCSD game, we just hung out because the game was at 7pm and we really didn’t want to do anything before the game.

I love night games and their field is beautiful. The atmosphere was awesome. We have a lot of guys on our team from San Diego, so it had the feeling of a home game. The game was a big one for us, we had just come off the biggest win of the season over Cal State Los Angeles, and were looking to put a streak together. San Diego was a good team, and the score didn’t tell how hard the game was. We came out a little shaky, but once we settled down we started to see most of the action start go our way. We didn’t find the net in the first half, but we were playing well and getting a lot of good play from our wingers.

Lafon went down early in the second half, and subsequently would miss the next game, but more on that later. Mark Wiedeman stepped up big for us in his place, and torched their defense to set up the first goal, which Ben slid in to get us on the board. It was Wiedeman again creating the second goal and hooking up with Ben on a great cross and header finish at the back post. Cam Vickers, who also played very well on the wing, set up the second goal, beating his man and crossed the ball to the back post. Wiedeman would head the ball back into the middle where Nate came flying in to put the nail in the coffin. At the very end Davide would slip in and drop the ball back to Alan who would cap the scoring for the day, but not before we celebrated with a dance party hosted by Alan. Their field is so beautiful, and will be the spot for the CCAA tournament later in the year.

Saturday we traveled up to Carson and trained on the David Beckham soccer academy field. Our training wasn’t super sharp, but we got a little 'loosen up' session in, and even got to see Sarah Palin drive by after her speech at the Home Depot Center.

Sunday was the day that I had circled on my calandar for a long time. We have built quite a rivalry with Dominguez Hills over the past few years, and it is always a slobber knocker of a game. As I mentioned before Lafon didn’t play, and I was limited in minutes because of an ankle injury from the previous game. We fought hard, but didn’t have a great game. Our intensity was on and then off for most of the game, and we turned the ball over an awful lot. Give them credit because they are a very good team, whose defense is probably one of the best in the nation. We never really got anything going on offense, but our defense played well and held us in the game. We ended giving up a soft goal, but the story of the day was the fact that we didn’t put any numbers on the board, and we are not going to win anything if we don’t score. We played well enough to tie, and they played well enough to win.

The drive back was long, but spirits were ok. Losing to Dominguez Hills is not a bad loss, but we could have put forth a better effort. This weekend is a big one for us, but then again when is a game not big for us? We play San Bernardino, and Cal Poly Pomona, who are both going to test us, but we are back at home ready to play some Noma Soccer.

I'll try to keep the blog going a little stronger, but until then this is Bailey signing out.

Sablle's Cross Country Report, Part III

Hey its sablle again!

I know it has been long... I apologize. I personally have not been running for two weeks due to injuries. Our team actually has two girls out for the entire season, Kiyara and Elizabeth, which are great losses to our team. We really miss having them at practice as well as in the scores for
races but we will be just fine :). Our team is actually seeing a new specialist. He specializes in ART (Active Release Technique for all of you athletes out there). It really has seemed to help those with injuries on our team and I really recommend him. Anyways, our race this weekend is held by USF in San Francisco and we are all very excited. It is another tough 6k race but coach Mark James has really been preparing the team for this race. It should be very interesting because it is our only Friday race and it is at 4:30. Our team is used to running at
7:00 in the morning with cold foggy weather and since this is later it will be hotter, obviously. We have been practicing during the day a lot, though, to prepare us. The entire team is also very, very, very, very excited for our two last races in San Bernardino and San Diego (@ UCSD). I will be writing again soon, until then good luck to all you athletes!!!
-Young Sablle

On The Record With Megan Wong, Part IV

The past 2 weeks have been black and white for our team. Last week when we played at home versus Academy of Art (Wed. Sept. 24), SF State (Fri. Sept. 26), and Monterey Bay (Sat. Sept. 27), it was a breeze for us. We took each team in 3 games (except SF State in 4) giving us a record of 14-1.

This past weekend we were on the road and it was a different story. We traveled down south to play Cal Poly Pomona, ranked 16th in division II on Friday, October 3 and lost in 4 games. It was a full crowd that night. The stands were full, the band was loud, and the fans were crazy. We knew we could win and wanted to win, but it didn’t seem like it when we got out on the court. Saturday, October 4, we drove to Cal State San Bernardino to play the 2nd ranked team in the nation. We came out slow in game 1, but gave them somewhat of a fight in games 2 and 3. It wasn’t our best performance; however, we did what we could do with what we had on the court. There’s only so much an athlete can do for the team, but it didn’t seem we could come together as a whole.

Despite the 2 straight loses over the weekend, we have Humboldt and UCSD to focus on for this coming weekend. Our current record is 14-3 overall and 6-2 in conference, putting us tied for 2nd place with Cal Poly Pomona and UCSD. CSUSB leads at 7-1 in 1st place. We’re not giving up on our goals of winning conference and going to Regionals.

On The Record With Megan Wong, Part III

We fly high no lie you know this, ballin!!! Our team is still going strong, beating every team that comes our way. We had an amazing week, first beating Notre Dame de Namur early in the week on Tuesday then beating the #15 ranked team, Cal State LA, and Saturday beating Cal State Dominguez Hills. This is the best start for the women’s volleyball team here at Sonoma State University in school history.

Our team is unbeatable right now. With setter junior Lindsay Brown out for Tuesday's game and knowing that the big match against the Golden Eagles was going to be a tough fight, she did all she could do to get her ankle healed for Thursday night's game. By Wednesday night at practice she looked as good as new and was ready to take on CSULA and so were the rest of us. That night our team walked into the gym ready to dominate. We are the underdogs!!! We surprisingly took LA in 3 straight games. It was a rather slow and dull game, but we came out on top.

Despite the fact that Coach Bear used 9 out of the 18 girls on the team during Thursday night’s game, all of us were happy with the win. All sports have to deal with politics and coaches favorites. It’s just the way the sports life is as an athlete. There are the starters and the bench warmers or also known as the 1st string and 2nd string players, but the ones who don’t play much complain about playing time and I figure, if a team is doing well with the people on the court or field, why ruin the flow of everything. Volleyball, along with all other sports, is a team sport and we need to do what is best for the team, keep the chemistry going.

Saturday was a different story. We were ready for a quick 3 games so we could send the Toros home early back to the LA County. We weren't joking either because we took care of business and got the job done. Coach Bear, shockingly, played every single one of us eligible players Saturday night against CSULA. It was a fun and exciting night for all of us. Not only did we all get playing time, but we all did well and worked as a team to make our record to 11-1!!!!

Our upcoming games will all be held at our home gym starting at 7pm on Wednesday vs. Academy of Art, Friday vs. SF State and Saturday vs. Monterey Bay. We are not planning on stopping our winning streak just yet!!!

How About Those Seawolf Netters?

The volleyball team is now floating in unchartered waters at 10-1, the best start in school history. After last night's dominating performance against No. 15 Cal State L.A., the Seawolves are a win on Saturday away from possibly being ranked for the first time since 1993. While that might be a nice little notch on the belt, the real prize would be a trip to the NCAA Pacific Regional Tournament for the first time since '93.

Santa Rosa Press Democrat writer Eric Branch has a great recap of last night's match in today's paper. By the way, the PD has been doing a great job covering the Seawolves over the last few months...probably the most coverage we've had in my seven years at SSU. Be sure to let them know that you appreciate the coverage they give SSU athletics.

It's been a one heck of a fall for the Seawolves so far. All the teams can definitely use your support to keep it going.

On The Record With Megan Wong, Part II

What can I say??? We walked into Notre Dame de Namur’s gym thinking we had it easy last night, but we thought wrong. They were ready for a dog fight and they weren't giving up. It had been almost 3 weeks since we’d last played them and they’ve been to 3 good tournaments: ours, the UCSD tournament, and the Billings, Montana tournament where they played teams such as Chico, UCSD, CSUSB, and Montana State Billings. They had improved since we last saw them at our tournament wheree defeated them easily in 3 games. It was a different story last night.

First off, we didn’t have our starting setter, junior Lindsay Brown, due to a sprained ankle from Saturday night's game at Chico, but sophomore Devin Scully, put out tons of effort on the court to make up for the absence of Brown. Scully did her best to get the job done as our setter last night and it wasn’t too bad. Knowing that Devin hasn’t set since her senior year in high school, we knew that everyone was going to have to help her out. As a team, we came out nervous, slow, and shocked. Coach Bear wasn’t kidding when he said, “They’re gunning for us.” We weren’t expecting balls to be slammed or tough floater serves, but we finally turned on our engine and started to burn some rubber and soon it was a race to the finish line. Despite the fact that we lost the first game 28-26, we came back strong and won games 2 and 3. We then lost game 4 with our errors, but in the end we defeated the Argonauts for the 2nd time this year, taking game 5 with a strong finish (15-7) , and driving home with a 9-1 record!!!

We play Cal State LA Thursday night at 7pm and they are also 2-0 in conference. We’ll see what happens with Lindsay Brown still injured, but hopefully we, as a team, will have faith, determination, and commitment to believe that no matter who is on the court we will find the power to win!!!

Sablle's Cross Country Report, Part II

Hey it’s Sablle here...

Well since I last wrote my blog we had two other races. Our first race went well but it was on the most non cross-country course of my life. The course was a really long dirt loop that we did three time to make a 6k. The race was in Davis, and it was really hot as well and in a real landfill. One of our good runners Kiyara actually sprained her ankle in the second loop but sucked it up and ran the entire rest of the race, which really takes some hard work considering she went on crutches. The good news though, she is now walking again and doing aqua jogging! In the race our team was in a really large pack, which is a good thing for our bigger races. We get all of those spots so our score goes up. Our training last week was probably the hardest week of my life. On Monday the team ran 8 miles. Tuesday, we did a ton of hills. Wednesday, we took it easy and on Thursday we did this really intense track workout. Friday, we did pick-ups on the Copeland Creek trail along with aqua jogging in the athletic pool. That whirlpool in the training office is really coming in handy these days with our team!

This past Saturday we competed in the Mills Invitational in Oakland. This race was a pretty cool course with a little of everything (hills, grass, concrete, trail) with some good weather as well. We showed up in our new workout suits which made us look really smooth not the mention the sweet buns we run in and I know everybody on the team would have vouched for me that they are so attractive. Katie Bolce, who is an amazingly dedicated runner on our team, came in 1st and received a medal. Sonoma State as a whole came in 1st as well in the team scorings and received a 1st place trophy. The team is proud of the trophy and is happy with the performance. Our score was 30 and the closest team to us, Pacific, scored 60.

Also, this Saturday at 9:00 am we are having our first alumni two-mile fun run. The cost to participate is ten dollars and all the proceeds benefit the Sonoma State cross-country team. If you would like to participate in the event contact head coach Mark James.

Young Sablle

On The Record With Megan Wong

This year has been a major turn around from the previous years for our team. We have 7 incoming freshman, 5 sophomores, 4 juniors, 1 grad student and 1 transfer student who is also a junior. We had a strong showing at the Annual Seawolf Spike (4-0) and the Central Washington Tournament (2-1).

This past weekend, we played against Cal State Stanislaus and won easily, beating them in 3 games. The following night, Saturday, September 13, we put up a fight against our big time RIVALS.... CHICO!!! The team made a statement on Saturday night with a 3-2 win on the road against No. 25 Chico State. It was the fourth straight win for us, which makes our record 8-1 overall, 2-0 CCAA and tied for 1st in conference. We are off to our best start since 2001, when we also started 8-1. We are also enjoying our first 2-0 start to the conference schedule since 2002.

This coming week we play at Notre Dame de Namur Tuesday night and Cal State LA Thursday night at home and Cal State Dominguez Hills Saturday night at home. We can't wait to show them what we've got because we are going to give them a run for their money.

Bailey Blog: So Far, So Good

This past weekend was a successful one. It is a strange feeling to start the season this well, and not because I didn’t think that we could, but because I have not seen us start this well since I have been here.

Seattle Pacific is one team that I have never beaten, and one opponent that our school has only beaten once. Now obviously with their legendary coach gone this season we knew that things were going to be different. However the bitter taste of last year's overtime loss to these guys was something that we desperately wanted to wash out of our mouths. The game was weird for the first half. We managed to score first and I think we could all smell blood in the water, but after giving away a goal there was a brief sense of "here we go again". After they pretty much gave us a goal back before half time and we went into the break ahead and we knew there was no looking back. We easily could have piled on more goals, but four to one is not a bad way to win.

Western was a different beast all together. We knew that this was really our first test of the season, and just like we had bad history with Seattle Pacific, these guys have bad history with us. They hit the post pretty early on and battled with us for the whole first half, but the heat must have gotten to them. They weren’t as sharp in the second half and we pushed them around to the point that they got into Jack really dirty and found themselves left wanting and having to play with only ten men the rest of the afternoon. It was pretty much academic from that point on, but it didn’t come easy. Our offense looked a little stagnant for the first time all season, but our defense played very well and picked us up.

Our team goal this week was to keep working hard, as we really have not done anything yet, and to focus on the defensive aspect of our game. The team is in a really good place right now; we are working hard and having fun while we do it. This weekend will be another test for us, Notre Dame and Stanislaus will be ready to protect their homes, but we just have to keep taking it one game at a time. Till next time this is Bailey saying good by and I love you Mom.

Andrew Bailey is a two-time All-American and the all-time leading goal scorer in Sonoma State history. He is a senior majoring in Communications.

Fun With Rankings

The Sonoma State men's soccer team awoke this morning to find that the powers-that-be have declared them the No. 2 team in the nation. Head coach Marcus Ziemer downplayed the accomplishment, stating that the only ranking that matters is the one at the end of the year. Very true.

The ranking got me thinking. Do you realize that in the past five months, three different Sonoma State teams have been ranked in the top two in the nation? Men's Golf was No. 2 heading into the national championship tournament (they were No. 1 for much of the season before that) and baseball was No. 2 going into the World Series.

Not many schools can claim something like this.

Sablle's Cross Country Report

Hey guys, My name is Sablle Scheppmann and this will be my first blog of the season. Cross Country has been going really well so far, if I do say so myself. We kicked off the season by going to Bodega Bay for our running camp. We ate at some really nice places because my coach Mark James is a HUGE LOCAL!!!

Anyways, we ran in the early morning hours and once at night. The weather was a bit muggy a couple days, but otherwise it was beautiful. This one run we did at the Bodega Head was amazing. We saw deer, and the AMAZING sunset!!! Before we left camp as, we got in a quick yoga session which was really hard because we were so sore from running. However, it was also very relaxing.

So far this season has been quite the ride. Waking up everyday and running at 7:00 am every morning is not an easy task...that is for sure!! But it keeps me and the other girls on track. By on track, I mean not becoming the typical "college kid" who wakes up at 10:00 every morning and goes to bed at 2:00. I feel like Mark and our assistant coach Chandra are really turning us into runners, whether with our hardcore nutritionist Marina or just giving us simple
things to do to improve.

Now I’ll let you in on how our first race went. Everyone was pretty happy with their first performance whether in the 20's or the 22's it did not matter. Everyone was proud to be a collegiate athlete and running for Sonoma State. Our course was pretty fast as well,
with little to no hills on it and a nice view of beautiful Golden Gate Park. Cannot wait for the next race, there should be some tough competition there just like there was at Golden Gate Park. We know the teams we want to beat this season and hopefully we will do so!

-Sablle

Bailey Blog: Mission Accomplished!

Mission accomplished! We have just landed and are back in Rohnert Park safe and sound. The final days of our trip were amazing and proved to be both a test of character and will.

The Chaminade game was a very interesting game to say the least. We dominated much of the play, but didn’t seem to be able to find the back of the net. The culmination of a solid defense effort on their part, slippery field conditions and a slight lack of sharpness found us down one goal midway through the first half. Scott was the first to find the back of the net for us, banging home a header off a corner. The game was a little chippy for the rest of the day, but we stayed sharp for the rest of the half and scored two more to give us a comfortable lead going into half. The second goal came from me, a shot from about the top of the penalty box that found its way past the goalie, and the third came from Nathan, a nice finish after a great cross from the left.

A comfortable lead going into the second half, and a tired opponent would see us not only sit on the lead but continue the fireworks. Not long into the second half Stu would step us and bend a shot around the wall on a free kick, pretty much crushing any idea that there would be a comeback. Ross would add two more on the day, one by penalty kick, and the other coming right off of their kick off. Ross would steal the ball from the defender near the corner of the penalty box on the left, take a touch inside and hit a wonderfully bended ball to the back post. An interesting game, which felt easy, but saw us have to fight for the first thirty minutes and lose Brook for the day because he was hit in the mouth, requiring stitches.

The final game of the trip was one we almost gave away. HPU were very determined to play the role of David to our Goliath, as they packed it in and brought their hard hats and lunch buckets. The field was pretty miserable, as was the wind and the fact that there were only two refs for most of the game. Despite all that we dominated the first half but could not find the back of the net. The second half saw our inspired reserves come in and give us a boost that we had been missing in the first half.

With the wind directly in our face Alan Grady would be the first to find the net on this day. A shot from Ross was saved by the keeper back out to Mark on the left side, who would bring the ball back in and lay it off for Grady to hammer home.

Lafon would join in on the scoring party that was our Hawaii trip blasting home a penalty kick after their goalie had fouled Cam.

There was about twenty minutes left at this point and we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Yet the story of the day was less how well we played, but the fact that we almost gave the game away. A rare mistake in the back saw HPU find its first goal less than ten minutes later which lit a fire under them. Coupled with their determination, and our lack of will to put this game away, we would watch as they would find the equalizer with little time to spare as they flicked the ball on from a goal kick and hit a volley past Brook. We were unable to end it in regulation, but I was sure that our team would find the winner in overtime.

Both teams fought hard in overtime, and we continued to dominate the run of play and buckled up for a bumpy ride. In the waning moments of the game we pushed forward for one last effort. Passing the ball around beautifully, Nate found himself in front of the goal only to be denied by their goalie. The ball was saved wide as Cam tracked it down and whipped it back post were I was waiting. Seeing a golden opportunity I leaped up and slotted the ball home with my head and pandemonium ensued. The winner was with only twenty five seconds left, and on this day we showed that we have the will to win close games, but we are not invincible.

Exasperated from the trip, with three wins tucked under our belts, we packed up and headed for home, but not after hitting the beach one more time. The flight home was a treat as well as Scott’s mom was our flight attendant and treated us to a wonderful time. She served us hot dogs and chips and helped bring a wonderful end to a wonderful trip. After getting in late we headed back to rest up and prepare for SPU and Western this weekend. Once again this is Andrew Bailey signing out.

Sweet 16

16-0. That's the Seawolves' cumulative fall record so far. When counting exhibition and regular season games for the three team sports (m/w soccer, volleyball), the Seawolves haven't lost in 16 contests.

Volleyball is 4-0 after sweeping the Seawolf Spike.
Men's Soccer is 3-0 in the regular season after a 3-0 pre-season.
Women's Soccer is also 3-0 in the regular season after a 3-0 pre-season.

Cross Country ran well at the USF Invitational, but we're not counting them in this report since it is not a 'team sport'. Yes, I know there is a cross country 'team' and 'team' scoring, but we don't compete head-to-head with other institutions and we don't record a win-loss record.

Yes, it's early, but this could be shaping up to be quite the season. How long can the department go without a loss? The soccer teams have some difficult games this weekend and the volleyball squad heads up to Washington for a few toughies as well.

The Catton Chronicles, Part II

FRIDAY 8/29

This morning I woke up a little stiff! I have a fat bruise on my leg, I guess from the game and I had not even realized it. We woke up and went to a local field and had practice. Man was it hot!

After practice we went to Safeway for some water and snacks, then rushed back to the hotel to get ready for the beach!! We went to the beach right next to our hotel. But before we hit the beach we had to get floaties and other intertubes of course! We then hit the beach where we met up with the men's team and had a blast! It was really windy today so the waves were crazy. They we tossing everyone around and dragging everyone every direction! We found it quite amusing that the mens team loved having the waves take them all the way to the sand..girls didn't like that as much because sand just kept going in not so comfortable places.

We then walked around and got ice cream and headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. The whole team split up, but the group of girls I was with decided to go to Chili's, but along the route to Chili's we ran into La Cucarachas. Yes... a Mexican grill in Hawaii. Weird because I didn't know if I was suppose to say mahalo or gracais. We left dinner looked at a couple more shops but had to be in early tonight because we have a game tomorrow at 11.

To be continued...

Hawaii Five-O

SSU senior Andrew Bailey

What a wonderful first day of class for the team. As we left beautiful Sonoma State to travel halfway across the pond to Oahu. Spirits were high that first day, with a sense of purpose that not only brought us together, but galvanized our resolve. We landed to beautiful weather and wonderful times as we played "four ball", which is very similar to four square in all but its name. Upon arriving at the hotel we dropped our bags off and cruised the beach, which is about two blocks from our hotel.

The first official day that we were here we caught up on some much needed sleep, and headed off to training at Hawaii Pacific. Despite the travel in our legs, and the laid back atmosphere, our training was very sharp and effective in gearing us up for our first official game. The weather has been interesting here, as was seen at the end of practice, which culminated with a down pour while the whole rest of the day prior and henceforth was gorgeous. The day ended with a wonderful dinner right on the beach at Shore Boards, as the sun set.

Game day brought about a sense of mixed emotions, excitement and anxiety, as our first test awaited. This game was a game that mom would be proud to put on the refrigerator. We won five to nothing and in convincing fashion. Ross had a hat trick, while Nate and Doug both chipped in with a goal a piece. Nate was first to score off a nice cross from Jack out of the back from the right side, that would carom off Ross and myself and trickle to the back post where Nate flew in to finish it.

Next, and by next I mean within fifteen seconds, Lafon stole the ball while they passed it back off the kick off and played the ball to me at the top off the box. I dropped the ball off to Ross whose shot would find the back of the net. It wouldn't take long for us to find the back of the net again as we had some great possession, and with Doug stepping out of the back the ball found his feet at the corner of the box where he blasted the ball into the top corner. To finish out the half Cam took the ball beating his defender and crossed the ball to a sliding Ross who would score his second of the day. The scoring would conclude in the second half with Casey dribbling to about the top of the box, playing the ball into me and me flicking the ball onto Ross who completed the day with a hatrick.

We had many more chances, but for our first game it was a job well done. We concluded the evening with some shrimp, shaved ice and some much needed beach action, as we finally can breath a little. As for tomorrow we will be back to business, as we prepare for our next game. Until then this is Andrew Bailey signing out, by the way, love you Mom.

Lindsay Catton from Hawaii

Women's Soccer star Lindsay Catton is doing a blog during the team's three-game road trip to Hawaii....

WEDNESDAY 8/27
On Tuesday night we arrived at the airport after a long, but fun four hour plane ride. We watched movies, took pictures, and of course had a little dance party to music on channel 2 of the radio stations too keep us busy on the plane. We were so excited to get to O'ahu! We got there at like 9pm so it was dark and really didn't get to see anything, so we got food checked into our hotel and feel asleep.

The next morning I woke up at like 6am and was in complete amazement with the beautiful scenery!! Kayce Brawley, Maddy Drake and I (and of course Luke and Dave) went and got breakfast for the whole team. But of course that was an adventure. Our van was to high for the parking garage so we had to sit in the back for weight while Dave had to help look for cars so we could back out, it was really quite entertaining! After breakfast, we headed to Hawaii Pacific to have a morning training. We had a great training; all the girls felt ready to play!! We were connecting well and had a great session overall. Although we probably all I
individually sweat out 5 gallons of sweat.

We then headed straight to the beach, and let me tell you it was so beautiful!!! We all ran into the water and had a blast! After that we got food, but then straight back to the beach! Some of us went snorkeling, but we weren't so successful in finding anything! Wait actually Kayce and I found a big thing of coral with little yellow and black fish near it. I'm still looking for Nemo.

After we left the beach, 6 of us went to Costco so we could buy food for the week. That was another adventure in itself. It took us about an hour total to travel there and back, but only about 20 minutes in Costco itself because we were on a mission to get out quick to shower! Oh and I even helped the checker guy.

We got back to the hotel and took fast showers and the team went to dinner at California Pizza Kitchen. It was nice and after dinner everyone kind of spilt up and walked around. That didn't last to long because we were so tired, and we have a game tomorrow. Hopefully we get fully rested and get the first counted win for the season.


THURSDAY 8/28
Well, everyone got a great night of sleep!! We woke up and got some breakfast in us then relaxed and mentally prepared for our game. Our game was on the big island today so we had to catch a flight to get there. It was seriously the quickest flight ever!

We got to the airport and were picked up by the other teams coaches. We played at a high school field and it was so hot! It cooled off though but the combination of gnats and the heat was not a good one! We played University of Hilo and beat them 2 to 0. Getting the win of the official season felt great! As a team we started slow in the first half but then we picked it up in the second and got the win. Freshman Kiley Brown scored both goals (unassisted). I got a yellow card, it was deserved, I went to make a tackle and the girl turned so I came in from behind. Overall, it was a good game and left the team feeling confident for our next game against BYU-Hawaii on Saturday.

After the game we showered and got more pizza and went straight back to the airport! This day seemed so short and we are all so tired, but the win made it well worth it!! I'm actually typing this as we are walking off the plane.. Thank you palm centro :) well I do believe we are just going to bed to rest up for nothing but fun in the sun tomorrow!! (oh and practice too!!)

To be continued...

Undefeated Since 1996

By Bill Fusco, Director of Athletics

They are selling a T-shirt in the University Bookstore that reads on the front “Sonoma State Football, Undefeated Since 1996.” A clever retail marketing strategy or cruel joke? Perhaps it’s a little of both. Since SSU dropped football in 1996 it is a given that the shirt will keep selling for years to come.

It is impossible to avoid this time of year. College football is in the air. A true American tradition that will again captivate millions of fans across the country. But in our great State of California, you might find a college football game more difficult to locate than you think. The reality is that the majority of all four-year degree granting institutions in California do not sponsor intercollegiate football on any level.

Yes, the obvious ones are very visible like USC, Cal, Stanford, UCLA and Fresno State. San Jose State and San Diego State round out the seven schools that compete at the highest NCAA Division I level. The next level is the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division IAA) and features schools like UC Davis, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Sacramento State and University of San Diego. The remaining 10 schools that sponsor intercollegiate football consist of only one school competing at the NCAA Division II level (where SSU competed) and that is the Lumberjacks of Humboldt State. Azusa Pacific is the lone NAIA school sponsoring football in California and then there are eight NCAA Division III schools, mostly in Southern California that field football teams every fall.

Out of approximately 70 four-year schools in California, only 21 sponsor a college football team. The question I am asked the most over the past 12 years is “When are we bringing back football?” The answer is simple. Unless Bill Gates shows up with a $100,000,000 endowment for SSU Athletics it will probably never happen. The reasons are simple. There are hardly any schools in NCAA Division II sponsoring football on the West Coast. Four to be exact. The travel required to play a competitive NCAA Division II schedule would be economically prohibitive. Title IX also is a major factor in this process. Add a football team of 85 male student-athletes, then gender equity would require you have to go out and find enough women’s teams to handle 125 new female student-athletes.

Since I enjoy college football and really dreamed about SSU having football again, perhaps the best I can do this fall is watch on TV or go over to Cal to see Pac-10 football. Or an even better idea is to save the gas and stay right on campus watching our top-ranked SSU “football” Soccer teams keep the winning tradition of Seawolves Athletics going strong.

Seawolves In Stripes

In case you haven't seen them yet, the men's soccer team is sporting a new look this fall. After talking to a few different people, I think the jury is still out.

What do you think?



Are they reminiscent of Scottish football power, Celtic.....


or old-fashioned prison garb.......



There is a poll up on the men's soccer page asking if you love or hate the new uniforms.
Either way, the new uniforms have been lucky...the Seawolves are 2-0 in stripes.

Soccer Debut Review

The soccer teams got their pre-season kicked off in fine fashion on Sunday afternoon. Though scores could not be publicized, it's safe to say both SSU teams looked very good in their debuts.

The women's squad got contributions from several impressive freshmen, including Taylor Colacion and Taylor Edmonds, against Santa Rosa JC. Tracy Webster also netted a couple of goals. The future definitely looks bright for the Seawolves.

On the men's side, it was Ross Middlemiss leading the way, finishing the game with a penalty kick goal and a pair of assists. The Seawolves have a phenomenal veteran core that has been playing together for quite a while now. In fact, all 11 starters on the Seawolves were on the team last year and 10 of the 11 have been on the team for at least two seasons. I can't think of another SSU team in recent history that can claim something like that.

It was great to see a bunch of former SSU players (Eric Larson, David Seidel, Tim Maycock, Brandon Boone, Chris Daly, and Jaime Rivera) suit up for the Sonoma County Sol on Sunday. Despite starting the game with just 11 players (three more joined the bench after the match had started), the Sol played very well.

Are You Ready For Some Football?

The 2008 football--- I mean, soccer--- season is here! Well, almost. The SSU men and women get their pre-season schedules underway this Sunday with a doubleheader at Seawolf Field. The women will host Santa Rosa JC (coached by former SSU All-American Emiria Salzmann) at 2:30 before the men host the Sonoma County Sol (coached by former Seawolf star and current assistant coach Benjamin Ziemer) at 5:00 pm.

The SSU men will enter the season ranked No. 6 in the nation. While a high early season ranking is nice, Coach Ziemer and his Seawolves will tell you what really matters....where you are at the end of the season. Will the Seawolves be playing in December? Only time will tell. For your first chance to see Bailey, Medina, Carr and the rest of the '08 Seawolves, come on out on Sunday!

Getting Back To The Show

Former Sonoma State pitcher Daniel Barone tossed a complete game three-hitter on Thursday for the Albuquerque Isotopes over the Portland Beavers. The Isotopes are the Triple-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins.

Barone has battled a bad back this season, but looks to be returning to his 2007 form. Last season, after a tremendous minor league stretch, Barone was called up to the major leagues, where he pitched very well for the Marlins. A member of the Seawolves' 2004 NCAA West Regional runner-up squad, Barone became just the second player in school history to play in the Major Leagues. The first? That would be SSU Hall of Famer Marshall Brant, who appeared in a few games in the early 1980s.

With nine former Seawolves currently playing in major league organizations (by far the most in the CCAA), it's only a matter of time before SSU has another of their own in the "big show".

Here Come The Urban Knights

Take a look at the Seawolves' fall and winter schedules and you might see an opponent pop up that you haven't seen before. The volleyball, women's soccer, and women's basketball teams all have games scheduled against The Academy of Art University, an art school in San Francisco. Yes, it's the one you've seen in commercials.

The school decided to start an athletic department and they are jumping right into Division II. Along with athletic director Jamie Williams (the former 49er), AAU has been accepted into the Pacific West Conference. Nickname? The Urban Knights.

It might not be fair to expect a lot of success on the field this season, but with a bunch of fashion design majors walking around, I'd expect some nice uniforms.

For the record, the Urban Knights won't be the first art school to play against Sonoma State. A few years ago, the Savannah College of Art & Design, a very successful NAIA program, visited Seawolf Diamond for a baseball series.

Back To The Future?

By Bill Fusco, SSU Director of Athletics

Back in the 90's, Sonoma State University was a member of the Northern California Athletic Conference (NCAC), the only NCAA Division II conference in the country that did not offer athletic scholarships. Besides SSU, the NCAC membership consisted of San Francisco State, Chico State, Cal State Stanislaus, Humboldt State, UC Davis, Cal State Hayward and the College of Notre Dame.

For SSU, it was a great conference to be in because there were some intense rivalries and no air travel was required to complete a conference schedule. That was all well and good until UC Davis decided it was time to move to a scholarship conference. In 1997, UC Davis announced that the Aggies were moving to the Southern California based California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and would start awarding athletic scholarships for the first time in the history of their program. As soon as UC Davis announced their intentions, four other NCAC members (SSU, Chico, SF State and Stanislaus) climbed aboard the Aggie Express to the CCAA. College of Notre Dame and Cal State Hayward decided to move into the NAIA and Humboldt State moved north joining the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC).

12 years later, alot has changed, yet things look surprisingly similar. UC Davis has moved on to NCAA Division I and the Big West Conference. Humboldt State finally joined the CCAA two years ago. Last month we learned that Cal State Hayward (now known as Cal State East Bay) plans to move back into NCAA Division II and become a member of the CCAA starting with the 2009-10 academic year. With CSU East Bay joining the CCAA, six of the original eight NCAC members are now competing in the CCAA. With CSU Monterey Bay, there are seven CCAA schools in the north and five CCAA schools in the south.

In the not to distant future, you can count on Cal State San Marcos and CSU Channel Islands (both southern schools) declaring their intentions to join NCAA Division II and the CCAA. At that point, the CCAA will finally have some balance with seven schools each in the north and south. That won't nessarily make scheduling any easier than it is now, but having 14 schools in the CCAA will provide a great deal of stability and financial security.

By the way, College of Notre Dame changed their name too. Notre Dame de Namur University is just completing their requirements to return to NCAA Division II and have been a member of the Pacific West Conference for the past two years. The NCAC lives on.

The Calm Before The Storm

It's that time of year again. It's pretty quiet at Sonoma State right now, but within a couple of weeks, the campus will be filled with dozens of student-athletes making preparations for their fall seasons. Our first pre-season game is less than a month away and the regular season gets started in just over a month. The summer seems to get shorter every year.

People often wonder what we in athletics do during the summer. I'm sure they figure that a Sports Information Director just lounges by the pool all day... a three-month vacation. Unfortunately, that is far from the case. Though my hours are cut back (I get to work a 9-5 day!), I'm still at the office Monday through Friday, doing all the little things that we don't have time for during the year from publication production to research.

Fall and winter sports schedules are posted on the website. We've got another busy season coming up with quite a few non-conference soccer games at home, and of course, our volleyball tournament, the Seawolf Spike.

Side note: Our volleyball coach told me last year that "spike" is not a cool term any more. Apparently no volleyball player uses the word "spike". As you can tell by some of our other events, "Seawolf Splash", "Seawolf Sip", etc., alliteration is key with the Sonoma State Seawolves. Sorry volleyballers.

Seawolves In The Pros

In case you haven't seen it before, the athletics website has a list of former Sonoma State baseball players that are now playing professionally. It's a very impressive list and it seems to grow every year. I guess that's what happens when you win back-to-back league titles and go 102-27 over a two-year stretch.

Former Seawolves are scattered throughout just about every level of pro baseball, from the independent leagues all the way up to Triple-A.

There is one former SSU pitcher who is having a tremendous year, Bryan Oland (right). A two-year member of the Seawolves (2006-07), Oland is pitching for the Fort Wayne Wizards in the Padres' organization. He was drafted by San Diego last year and spent the remainder of his summer pitching in the Arizona League. Bumped up to the Low-A level Wizards of the Midwest League, Oland has been just phenomenal in relief. As of Saturday he is 3-1 with a 1.11 ERA in 25 games (24 of them out of relief). He's struck out 42 batters in just 32.1 innings of work. Not bad.

There are many other guys who are having nice seasons (for instance, Tom Everidge has 17 homers and 76 RBIs in Double-A right now). Be sure to check on their progress on the "Seawolves in the Pros" section of the website.

Welcome to the blog!

We've made it. The athletic department is now firmly planted in this decade with the start of "Seawolves" the blog. We thought this would be a great way to communicate with our fans and student-athletes in a more casual environment.

Over the last year or so, the Sports Information staff (that's me) has been able to talk student-athletes into writing blogs for the main athletics website (www.sonomaseawolves.com). The support for these blogs has been overwhelming, so we thought we'd make this a more regular feature. We hope to get a student-athlete from each sport to contribute to this blog, giving insights on their season, upcoming games, and student-athlete life in general. You'll also get 'behind the scenes' reports from myself and several other coaches and administrators on the SSU athletics staff. We hope you enjoy. Remember, for scores, schedules, game stories, etc., you'll still go to sonomaseawolves.com. This is where you want to come for all the inside Seawolf dirt. Enjoy!