The San Diego State softball team is having an underwhelming season,

At 20-17 and 5-7 in Mountain West play, the Aztecs are in the bottom four of the standings with just 13 games left to go.

The Aztecs were picked to finish third this season behind Nevada and Grand Canyon. Both teams of which are living up to expectations. While the Aztecs, on the other hand, are doing the exact opposite.

San Diego State has only won a single series so far in the Mountain West, that being against Colorado State to open conference play.

Since the opening series against the Rams, the Aztecs lost three straight series to MW foes. First to UNLV, which was almost a disaster before an eight-run seventh inning for the Aztecs avoided the sweep. SDSU also played close series against New Mexico, where the Aztecs won the last game of the series. Then, an even closer battle against Utah State, where the Aztecs’ two losses were each decided by one run.

Coach Stacey Nuveman-Deniz and the Aztecs’ main problem in non-conference play early in the season was the offense. San Diego State has since turned the offense on its head, providing one of the best offenses in the conference. On the offensive side of things, the Aztecs rank as the third-best offense in the conference based on batting average.

All throughout the Aztec lineup, they are getting production. Last season, the team only had two players with a slugging percentage over .500. This year, the Aztecs have seven players who play consistently, with over a .500 slugging percentage on the season. The Aztecs could be getting one of two players from last year’s team who produced a slugging percentage over .500 back soon.

Shannon Cunningham broke a bone in her hand that required surgery just before the season started. The diagnosis was that rehab could take anywhere from six weeks to eight weeks. If Cunningham is recovering in her rehab at the original diagnosis with no setbacks, the Aztecs could see their senior back for a major final push for a regional birth. Cunningham’s status is currently TBD.

The Aztecs are enjoying their best offensive season since Nuveman-Deniz took over the program.

Pitching Staff problems?

The main issue continues to be getting behind in counts and walks.

Last season and this season, the Aztecs have the same batting average against with a .252 opponents average against.

So far this season, the Aztecs walked or hit a total of 139 batters in 37 games played. An average of 3.7 free passes per game. Last season, in 57 games played, the Aztecs walked or hit a total of 137 batters. That is two fewer batters walked or hit in 20 fewer games, for an average of 2.4 free passes a game. That is a difference of one extra base runner a game, which gives the opposition more opportunities to take advantage of Aztec pitchers.

Each pitcher on the staff enjoyed their moments of elite play in the circle. The problem for each pitcher so far has been consistency.

Faith Jordan and Key-annah Pu’a have thrown the bulk of the innings so far this season. Both shown their abilities to be workhorses, but also shown inconsistencies with finding the zone. Jordan, in non-conference, threw a no-hitter against Long Beach State. In her very next outing, she gave up five runs that led to Aztec loss against Wisconsin.

Over a five-game stretch, Pu’a looked to be taking over as the staff ace. During the five-game stretch, Pu’a gave up only one run in over 23 innings of work. Before her most recent appearance, she went five innings and only gave up one run against Utah State. Pu’a had given up 15 runs in six appearances.

Sophomore pitcher Ava Schaffel seems to be coming into her own in the middle of conference play. In non-conference play, Schaffel struggled mightily with getting behind in counts and missing the opposing team’s barrel. Over her last five appearances, Schaffel only gave up three runs in total. Although the free passes are still an issue, the tall sophomore out of Long Beach is missing barrels so far in conference play.

The wild card of the staff for Nuveman-Deniz is true freshman Matti Kwarta.

Early in the season, Nuveman-Deniz showed a great amount of trust in her true freshman. Since the beginning of conference play, Kwarta appeared in just three conference games. In her last appearance in New Mexico, Kwarta struggled. She gave the Lobos five free passes, three hits, and a total of five runs.

Upcoming series

The Aztecs have maybe their most important three-week stretch of games coming up. Starting with a doubleheader against Nevada.

San Diego State has a two-game doubleheader versus the Wolfpack starting at 12 PM on April 8. Following the doubleheader, the Aztecs head to San Jose for a two-game series against the Spartans April 11-12.

Next weekend, the Aztecs host Grand Canyon for a three-game series. In a week and a half, the Aztecs play seven games, with five being against the top two teams so far in the conference. The Aztecs are hoping to put the Mountain West on notice that the beginning of conference play was a fluke. It will start against a tough Nevada team, which just took two out of three against Grand Canyon this past weekend.

Bryant Thursby

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