SAN FRANCISCO --- The San Francisco State softball team starts the 2013 season the way it has for the past several years, at the Mizuno Best of the West tournament hosted by Cal State Stanislaus. The tournament gives the Gators the chance to compete against tough competitors, including three teams that went to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Div. II National Championship Tournament last year.

Competition opens on Saturday with the Gators taking on three opponents. SF State takes on Cal State Monterey Bay at 11 a.m., Cal State San Marcos at 1:15 p.m. and Chico State at 6 p.m. Sunday's competition first begins with a San Francisco State and Dominican matchup at 10:15 a.m. before the Gators face Cal State Dominguez Hills at 12:30 p.m. to conclude the tournament.

About the Best of the West Invitational
This year marks the 19th Annual Best of the West tournament, held at Pedretti Park in Turlock on Feb. 2-3. Participating in this year's invitational include: Chico State, Cal State San Marcos, Cal State Stanislaus, Cal State Monterey Bay, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Dominican, Holy Names and SF State. Last year, Chico State took the tournament title after a tiebreaker decision since four teams boasted 4-1 records after the two days.

Gator Notes
San Francisco State may have a lot of youth on the squad this year, but head coach Cristina Byrne has high expectations for her players. The Gators will look to improve on last year's 17-35 overall record, finishing tied for eighth in the California Collegiate Athletic Association with a 9-27 conference record. ... The Gators welcome six new freshman to the program this year. ... Returning for SF State are two senior pitchers who will provide experience and poise in the circle: Marisa Ibarra and Ali Garcia--both of which are healthy to start the season. Ibarra posted a 3.71 ERA last year in 134.0 innings pitched, throwing 107 strikeouts. ... Also returning for the Gators is Kelsey Murakami, who finished with the second-highest batting average on the team last year at .333. Cara Spence returns to her post at first base after accumulating 302 putouts last season. Spence hit at .287 with 39 hits and scored 12 runs with 14 RBIs. Sophomore shortstop Courtney Gravel boasted the third-highest batting average last season at .321, finishing with a team-high 44 hits. In her collegiate debut, Gravel scored 18 runs, while batting in 16 of her teammates, and went 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts.

Otter Notes
Cal State Monterey Bay finished 46-14 overall and shared the CCAA regular title with Cal State Dominguez Hills after standing 27-7 against conference opponents. The Otters return five of the starters that led them to their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the program's seven year history. ... Last year, CSUMB broke the CCAA record for most amount of triples in a single season after laying down 26 three-base hits. ... The Otters opened their successful season last year with a 4-1 record at the BWI and went on to sweep the four-game series against the Gators (6-3, 10-5, 5-2, 15-7). ... CCAA's Freshman of the Year Cori Reinhardt, who boasted a .462 batting average to lead the conference and earned All-American honors, returns to the lineup as well as the circle for the Otters.

Cougar Notes
Cal State San Marcos, which picked up a No. 1 ranking in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics pre-season poll, comes off a strong 2012 campaign where the Cougars posted a 55-6 overall record, making it all the way to the semifinal round of the NAIA National Championship Tournament. ... As a team, the Cougars blasted 70 home runs on the season. While CSUSM lost leading hitter Alyssa Dronenburg, who batted at .461 with 24 homers, the Cougars return Alex Miller and Kaitlin McGinley. Miller posted a .411 batting average with 76 hits and 57 RBIs and McGinley finished the season at .400 off 80 hits. ... From the circle, CSUSM kept a 1.15 collective ERA, led by Jourdan Lamoureux (1.05 ERA, 44 strikeouts) and Courtney Allen (1.07 ERA, 124 strikeouts).

Wildcat Notes
Chico State, last year's Best of the West champion, brings in 10 new players after losing 13 from last season. The Wildcats look to build off their third consecutive 30-win season after ending with a 35-18 overall record, 25-9 conference record. ... Last year, the Wildcats grabbed three-of-four games in the series against the Gators, winning 2-0, 7-2 and 7-2 before SF State won 2-1 in the final contest. ... The Wildcats lost their four best hitters, including Britt Wright (.384 BA) and Sam Quadt (.366 BA). Taylor Hanamaikai provides some experience at the plate after ranking fifth on the team with a .313 batting average. ... Chico State will be without top pitcher Sam Baker, who threw 182 strikeouts and 2.46 ERA, but Kayla McConnell will look to hold down the circle after throwing 43 strikeouts and at 3.05 ERA last season.

Penguin Notes
Dominican enters the 2013 in a bit of transition after head coach Roni Sparrey left to pursue other coaching opportunities. Sarah Iwata, who assisted Sparrey last season, was promoted to interim head coach for the new season. ... The Penguins return six starters from last year's 4-46 squad, half of this year's total players. Last year at the Best of the West tournament, Dominican went 1-4, beating SF State 5-4 for its first win of the season. ... Kayleigh Klingberg finished the season with a .308 batting average, the only Penguin to bat over .250, posting 37 hits and 12 RBIs. ... As a team, Dominican threw at a 7.22 ERA from the circle.

Toro Notes
Cal State Dominguez Hills, who went 45-15 overall and 27-7 in the CCAA--tying them for first with CSUMB--returns seven of nine starters to the lineup. The Toros made their way to the NCAA tournament, losing to eventual runner-ups UC San Diego in the Super Regionals. ... The Toros swept the Gators in four last year: 9-6, 7-1, 10-1, 9-1. ... Stephanie Jimenez looks to build on her 1.51 ERA average from last season after pitching 217.1 innings, striking out 200 batters in the process to break the school's record for strikeouts in a single season. Lauren Harper backs Jimenez up with a 1.64 ERA in 183.1 innings pitched. Harper threw 187 strikeouts and a no-hitter against No. 23-ranked Hawaii Pacific. ... Jessica Hall returns to the lineup after hitting at .347 last year off 67 hits, 41 runs and 30 RBIs. The CCAA Newcomer of the Year, Christina Chavez, will once again tak her place at shortstop and at the plate, hoping to build on a .287 batting average with 51 hits, 32 runs and 44 RBIs. ...