San Diego State Aztecs’ Coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz knew what they were getting themselves into when the schedule came out.

The Aztecs struggled mightily against two top-five teams in all of college softball. Oklahoma defeated the Aztecs in five innings, 10-2, and Texas Tech bested the Aztecs 5-0. The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic started and ended with San Diego State losing to the top five teams.

The in between is where the Aztecs made or broke their weekend. SDSU beat the University of California, Riverside in run-rule fashion, 8-0 in six innings. The Aztecs then lost to Saint Mary’s in a very controversial fashion in extra innings, 9-5. Before losing to the Red Raiders, the Aztecs would defeat Seattle 8-7.

Before coming into the weekend, Nuveman Deniz mentioned how much of a doozy the Mary Nutter has been for the Aztecs.

Coach mentioned they like it that way. They embrace the challenge.

A challenge it was for them this past weekend; the Aztecs faced the best pitcher in all of college softball. NiJaree Canady went six innings, gave up two total base runners, and struck out 11 total Aztec batters. Between the Oklahoma and Texas Tech games, San Diego State scored a measly two runs, both against the Sooners.

San Diego State recorded six total hits between the two games. They gave up 17 total hits and 15 runs as a staff. The Aztecs’ pitchers struggled all weekend long to get ahead in counts. They constantly had to battle back in at-bats. That is not a way to win softball games. Coach Nuveman Deniz knows that, and it has been a point of emphasis.

After the Aztecs’ amazing 5-1 weekend before the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Nuveman Deniz stated the message to the staff is to attack the zone.

Getting ahead in counts, playing consistent defense, and not being crossed up behind the plate. These are some of the things the SDSU coach mentioned as problem areas at times. Those issues, for the most part, continued over the weekend.

Let’s take a look at the positives of the weekend, including the controversial ending to the Aztecs’ 9-5 loss to Saint Mary’s.

The Bright Side

The glass-half-full perspective of the weekend. Jade Ignacio and Jazmin Williams are an elite one-two punch in the lineup. And both are native San Diegans.

The only reason the Aztecs scored against Oklahoma is that Ignacio drove one deep into the night for a two-run home run. Williams, on the other hand, had consistent good at-bats all weekend long. In the Aztecs’ win over the Highlanders of UCR, Williams went 3-for-4 with two RBIs. Williams and Ignacio, even in the games they went hitless, hit the softball hard and with solid contact.

The San Diego State offense, without a key piece from last year’s team in Shannon Cunningham, is producing.

A big part of that reason is that everyone in the lineup has contributed in one way or another. Williams and Ignacio have been big proponents of the Aztec offense. Another big proponent? Olivia Gigante, the Florida transfer who took a year off, found a home in her hometown on the Mesa. Gigante does not have any flashy numbers, but she has come up big in clutch moments for the Aztecs early in the year.

Saint Mary’s Controversy?

As previously stated, the Aztecs were defeated by the Gaels in extra innings.

How the game got to extra innings was peculiar. In the third inning, the Aztecs’ Julie Holcomb came to the plate with Lala Macario on second with the team down a run. Holcomb ripped a double the opposite way to the corner. From a viewer’s perspective, the ball was at least two feet fair. The umpires came in for a conference and ruled the ball was foul, Holcomb would eventually advance Macario, and Ignacio would drive her in.

That was the least controversial call of the three in question. In the fifth inning, Ignacio drove in Holcomb after a leadoff double. Ignacio stretched her double into a triple; she was called safe at third base. After another umpire conference, the umpires concluded amongst themselves, with no video review, that Ignacio was, in fact, out. Coach Nuveman Deniz, who is also the Aztecs’ third base coach, immediately showed her frustration with the late out call. Alas, the call was made, Aztecs take a 4-3 lead.

Then comes possibly the most controversial, depending on who you ask. In extra innings at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, to avoid longer run times and push games back, a ghost runner was awarded in extras. With runners on first and second, no outs, Saint Mary’s Mia Zabat would lay down a bunt, but it popped up. Gabriella Terrones, behind the plate for the Aztecs, dove out and made the catch, giving the Aztecs a crucial first out, or so they thought.

The home plate umpire called the batter out, then came another umpire conference. The umpire playing between first and second base determined that Terrones did not make the catch. Nuveman Deniz sprinted out of the dugout with disgust and expressed it thoroughly. Nonetheless, Zabat would then hit a single to score one. The Gaels scored four in the inning, so the out call would not have mattered, right? Wrong, the next three batters after her went walk, strike out, fly out. If the original ruling stayed as called, the Aztecs get out with a scoreless inning and a chance to walk off the Gaels. Instead, the Aztecs lost 9-5 in a game they felt they had in their hands.

The Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic is one of the biggest events in all of college softball. It brings kids from across the West Coast together to watch some of the best softball players in the world go head-to-head. It is also a tournament where teams are building a resume worth an at-large bid into the NCAA Regionals. The NCAA and the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic committee should look into bringing a review system to the tournament.

Looking Ahead 

San Diego State has a five-game weekend coming up in the Torero Classic.

The Aztecs will face the University of San Diego, Cal State University of Northridge, Washington twice, and Kansas City.

Kaila Pollard for the Aztecs is day to day, according to Nuveman Deniz. Her return could be as soon as this Thursday versus San Diego.

Bryant Thursby

Bryant is an Assistant Coach at Heritage High School. He is a big-time SDSU fanatic and a Padres fan.