The Aztecs began their weekend at the Torero Classic with a 5-0 win over USD on Thursday night.

San Diego State will still face off against Cal State Northridge, Washington twice, and Kansas City.

So far this season, the Aztecs have an 11-5 record. An impressive start for them, considering the injuries to two starters in Shannon Cunningham and Kaila Pollard.

The big reason why the team is off to an impressive start is due to the offense. Jade Ignacio is the player who drives the offense with her start to the year. Ignacio, so far this season, is batting .453 with a 1.123 OPS, along with seven extra-base hits. The senior from Oceanside is channeling her inner Cali Decker, and it is paying off for the Aztecs.

Getting to know the opponents

SDSU will play CSUN and Washington early Friday morning. The Matadors are a measly 3-9 on the season. They are coming into the Torero Classic off a big win against Oregon State, a team the Aztecs bested twice earlier in the season. This should be an easy win for the Aztecs.

The challenging games of the weekend come against the 24th-ranked Washington Huskies. The Huskies are off to a great start to the year. A 10-6 record with impressive wins over Nebraska and Auburn. Washington also played at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, but they did not end it well with a loss to LMU 5-4 on Sunday morning.

Washington has an extremely balanced offense. Anybody in the lineup can have a big game at any time. Along with a balanced offense, the Huskies love to challenge catchers behind the plate. Luckily for the Aztecs, they have the duo of Gabriella Terrones and Ignacio behind the plate, who stop teams from running the bases.

The Aztecs will likely face the Washington ace of the staff in at least one, if not both, games. Morgan Reimer started seven games and appeared in ten games. The sophomore from British Columbia has an eye-popping 0.98 ERA and a 4-1 record on the year. San Diego State and the offense that carried the Aztecs to their impressive record will need to be on their “A” game.

For the Aztecs to leave with four more wins on the resume, the pitching staff has to do a better job in the circle. Last weekend, the entire staff struggled to get ahead in counts; opposing teams made them pay for it. Coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz is hoping to see a much-improved showing this weekend from her staff.

It all starts with the two Fresno State transfers in the circle. Key-annah Pu’a and Faith Jordan have been inconsistent to start the year. When both are getting ahead in counts and spinning the ball well, these two are one of the best pitchers on the West Coast.

After playing two against the Huskies, the Aztecs finish their weekend with Kansas City. The Roos are 6-7 on the year with no real notable win to their resume. The best win so far may be against the Aztecs conference foe Colorado State to end last weekend’s River State Classic. Kansas City is not a team that puts up dazzling extra-base hit numbers.

In fact, the Roos have zero home runs on the year in 13 games played. Kansas City gets its wins playing fundamental softball on both sides. They rely on great defense, moving the runner, and using their speed to steal bases. The Aztec defense is going to be challenged greatly against Kansas City. Attacking the zone in the circle and playing fundamentally sound defense should give the Aztecs an easy win.

The four games are available on GoAztecs.

Bryant Thursby

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