Wednesday, February 26, 1997

FIRST PITCH... Colorado State opens the 1997 season Tuesday, Feb. 18 with a doubleheader versus Colorado-Colorado Springs. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m. The Rams then take to the road for the next month of the season, visiting Texas, California and Nebraska before starting the home Western Athletic Conference schedule.

RAMS PICKED FIFTH IN PRESEASON POLL... The Rams were picked to finish fifth in the WAC in a preseason coaches poll. The WAC features four new teams this season in UNLV, Hawaii, San Jose State and Tulsa. In 1996, Colorado State finished fourth in the WAC with a 16-12 record - the best conference record at the school since 1990. The preseason poll results:

1. Fresno State

2. UNLV

3. Utah

4. Hawaii

5. Colorado State

6. San Diego State

7. San Diego State

8. New Mexico

9. San Jose State

10. Tulsa

RETURNING IN '97... The Rams return seven starters and 14 letterwinners from the 1996 squad that finished 31-22. Included in that group are first-team all-WAC pick Sarah Fredstrom and second-team all-conference selection Kelley Spence. Fredstrom, a shortstop from Omaha, Neb., set school records last year in home runs (11) and slugging percentage (.627). After just two seasons at Colorado State, Fredstrom has set the career record for homers with 17, eclipsing the old mark of 13 held by Andrea Reed and Ram assistant coach Teri Klement. Fredstrom is also the school leader in career slugging percentage at .617. Spence hit .295 a year ago as a freshman with 11 RBI in 39 games.

PITCHING CORPS LOOKS STRONG... The Rams also return their top two pitchers from a year ago in Nikki Johnson and Erin Bennett. Johnson, a senior from Denver, led the Rams last season with a 17-11 record and a 2.30 ERA. Her 207 innings pitched in '96 ranks as the second most in Colorado State history. Her 32 victories in two seasons with the Rams is third all time at the school, as is her 1.94 career ERA. Bennett went 13-10 a year ago with a 2.66 ERA. The junior from Englewood, Colo., won five of her last seven decisions in '96, including getting a victory in the Rams' first ever win over perennial power Cal State Northridge.

OFFENSE RETURNS LARGELY INTACT... Colorado State returns the bulk of its 1996 offense for the 1997 season. In addition to Fredstrom and Spence, the Rams welcome back outfielders Amber Solano, Geri Brumit and Bernadette Lamb, and infielders Michele Johnson, Stephanie Norton and Jennifer Buford. Solano hit .306 a year ago with 10 stolen bases in 12 attempts. The senior from Fort Collins started all 53 games in '96. Brumit, a junior, hit .208 with four stolen bases in 48 games last year, 45 of them starts. Lamb returns to the Rams after sitting out most of '96 with an ankle injury. The senior from Livermore, Colo., hit .304 in seven games last year. In 1995, she hit .217 with 14 RBI and six stolen bases. Buford led Colorado State in stolen bases in '96 with 12, hitting .349 and drawing 19 walks for a .432 on base percentage. Johnson batted .214 with 11 RBI and posted a .992 fielding percentage in 372 total attempts. Norton started 48 games a year ago as a freshman, hitting .174 with nine RBI.

NEWCOMERS TO WATCH... Head coach Candi Letts adds a solid recruiting class to her returnees in 1997. Alyson Carter, an infielder from Las Vegas, was a four-time team MVP at Bonanza High School. During her career, she hit .625, which included a 29-game hitting streak. Letts also brought in the 1995 Colorado high school player of the year in Sara Hyzer. Hyzer hit .543 as a junior and .500 as a senior in leading Arvada West High School to three consecutive state championships and a state-record 55-game winning streak. The Rams also get a newcomer from an unexpected place, the Colorado State women's basketball team. Robin Hamilton joins the Ram softball team after playing three seasons as a backup point guard on the hoop squad. Hamilton has some solid softball credentials, hitting .651 and stealing 21 bases in 21 attempts as a senior at Boulder (Colo.) Fairview High School.

GOIN' TO TEXAS... This weekend, Colorado State travels to College Station, Texas, for the Texas A&M Invitational. Friday the Rams meet Creighton and Sam Houston State, Saturday they face Texas A&M and Sam Houston State, and Sunday they wrap up tourney action with Creighton and Texas A&M.