Softball Set To Open 2000 Season At Louisville Slugger Classic
2/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 14, 2000
East Lansing, Mich. - Michigan State opens the 2000 softball season at the Louisville Slugger Classic in Tempe, Arizona. The Spartans are one of five teams playing in the three-day tournament and one of three nationally ranked squads.
MSU opens the season against Big Ten rival Iowa on Friday, Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. The Spartans will also face Eastern Illinois at 1:30 p.m., that day.
MSU will play two more games on Saturday, Feb. 19 when it takes on Illinois State (11 a.m.) and host Arizona State (3:30 p.m.). The Spartans will play their fifth and final game of the classic on Sunday, Feb. 20 against the Sun Devils at 10 a.m.
MSU 17th In Preseason Poll
Michigan State is ranked 17th in the USA Today/NFCA preseason coaches poll. The Spartans are one of three Big Ten teams listed in the top 25.
Michigan opens the year ranked sixth, while Iowa is 25th.
The Spartans were ranked 14th in the final poll of 1999.
This is MSU's second-ever preseason ranking. The program was ranked No. 22 in the 1998 preseason poll.
USA Today/NFCA Poll Preseason
School (1st place votes) Points
1. UCLA (25) 673
2. Washington (1) 638
3. Fresno State (1) 602
4. Arizona 587
5. Southern Mississippi 518
6. Michigan 475
7. Louisiana State 451
8. Oklahoma 434
9. Arizona State 408
10. Louisiana-Lafayette 399
11. Oregon State 369
12. California 315
13. Nebraska 294
14. DePaul 281
15. Long Beach State 280
16. Massachusetts 230
17. Michigan State 217
18. South Carolina 198
19. Texas 188
20. Hawaii 178
21. Stanford 158
22. Illinois-Chicago 149
23. Central Michigan 116
24. Missouri 98
25. Iowa 80
A Look Back
MSU finished the 1999 campaign with a 41-23 overall record and was fourth in the Big Ten with a 13-9 mark.
The Spartans advanced to the NCAA Regional Finals in just its second NCAA appearance ever.
The Spartans were 2-2 in NCAA Regional 8 action, losing twice to champion DePaul, 4-1 and 2-0. MSU earned its first bid to the NCAA Tournament in 1997 when it was an at-large selection. The Spartans went 1-2 in regional play in Ann Arbor (Region 6), losing twice to Central Michigan.
Experience The Key For 2000
Seventh-year head coach Jacquie Joseph returns 13 players and six starters from last season's NCAA Tournament team.
Junior Shealee Dunavan, a second-team all-region selection, is the top returnee after hitting .383 with 36 RBI last season.
Senior Carrie Fry, a second-team All-Big Ten honoree, returns after hitting .316 a year ago. Fry, who has started at second base for three years, will likely move into the outfield this season.
Seniors Stacey Phillips (shortstop) and Margaret Hollis (catcher) will also play key roles this season.
Joseph also returns her entire pitching staff, led by senior Erica Strutz, who was 27-14 a year ago with a 1.97 ERA.
Sophomore Becky Gray is back and should benefit from the year of experience she gained as a rookie. Gray was 13-7 last season with a 2.02 ERA. She also tossed a no-hitter.