It is a minuscule piece of nylon netting, a treasured talisman tucked into Kathy Van Wyk's pocket that represents not only past achievements but a sign of the times at San Diego State.
At a school where football has floundered and men's basketball of late has endured some less than fortuitous bounces, the women are flourishing, the latest exhibit being a softball team that today will open play in the NCAA regionals in Fresno.
Coached by Van Wyk, whose good-luck charm is a remnant of a basketball net cut down by women's basketball coach Beth Burns after a regional victory 14 years ago, the softball Aztecs are making their fourth NCAA appearance in eight years.
In the contrast-and-compare department, that's four more regional appearances than SDSU baseball has made in 16 years. In 12 seasons under Van Wyk, the softball program also has produced four Mountain West Conference titles, or four more than football has since the league opened its doors in 1999.
Seeded No. 2 in the Fresno Regional, SDSU (43-15) faces No. 3 seed Cal (40-24) at 5 p.m. in the opener of the double-elimination tournament. The Aztecs, who already have established program bests for victories, overall winning percentage (.741) and road winning percentage (.750), beat the Golden Bears 7-0 in the second game of the season. It was a game in which Van Wyk opted to start freshman pitcher Brooke Petty rather than senior Christina Ross, the MWC Pitcher of the Year.
Rounding out the regional are Sacramento State and top-seeded Fresno State, a team seeded No. 16 overall but one the Aztecs also subdued while in the process of winning 11 of their first 12 games.
So while the scrap of net bestowed by Burns, whose own team came within a game of reaching the NCAA Tournament this year, might come into play, Van Wyk's team has displayed little need of relying on rabbit's feet.
“We shouldn't take a back seat to anyone,” said Van Wyk, whose squad is ranked No. 19 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. “Having said that, we have not consistently done what we've needed to do, even though we've (earned a berth in the NCAA tournament) two of the last three years.
“I can understand the reservations some people might have with us (SDSU has never advanced beyond the regionals), but I thought we deserved a No. 1 seed. But whether you're a No. 1 or a No. 2, there's no easy competition from here on out.”
Not that the Aztecs took the primrose path to reach this point. Heading into the tournament having won six straight and 10 of 12, SDSU during the regular season made no attempt to duck the sport's heavy hitters. Though they went 5-7 against ranked opponents, the Aztecs also beat defending national champion Arizona, knocked off No. 2-ranked Northwestern, took perennial power UCLA to nine innings before falling 2-1 and dropped a 3-1 decision in eight innings to No. 1-ranked Arizona State.
Propelled by Ross, a transfer from Kansas who has won 30 games while striking out 262 in 272 2/3 innings, SDSU has beaten 15 teams that qualified for the tournament a year ago.
“All year long, I've been saying that this isn't a surprise to me,” said Van Wyk, who this season earned MWC Coach of the Year honors for the second time. “When you go out and you beat an Arizona or a Northwestern or a Cal, you shouldn't be a surprise to anybody anymore.
“But it isn't enough just to get to the regional. We've been there, done that, and we're not going to be satisfied with that this time around. Our goal is Oklahoma City (site of the Women's College World Series). I feel like we're at a point now where we can go out and recruit kids from anywhere, anytime and be able to compete against the best.”
Mick McGrane: (619) 293-1850; mick.mcgrane@uniontrib.com
