PLAYER OF THE WEEK Fresno State's Tiffany Whipple, a
junior outfielder from Fresno, Calif. (Buchanan HS), batted .500 (12-for-24) in eight
games and had at least one hit in each of the contests. She also scored eight runs, drove
in three and had four stolen bases. In a doubleheader against Loyola Marymount, Whipple
went 4-for-6 with two runs and a sacrifice. She was also 3-for-7 with a stolen base
against 22nd-ranked Pacific and 2-for-5 with three RBI against Dartmouth.
Other player of the week nominees included: April Crowell, Hawaii; and Kari
Curtis, Tulsa.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK Hawai`is Janelle Gonzales,
a senior righthander from Temecula, Calif. (The Linfield School), threw a perfect game in
a 1-0 win over McNeese State in the Hawai`i Invitational. In the seven innings she
pitched, she also struck out 15 of the 21 batters she faced to tie a school single-game
record held by former two-time All-America and Olympic bronze medallist Brooke Wilkins.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Lori Hoffman, Fresno State.
WAC HEADLINERS Other nominees for player of the week: Hawai`is
April Crowell, a freshman third baseman/designated hitter, hit .438 (7-for-16),
scoring two runs, driving in one, recording one home run and notching two doubles. In
UHs tournament opener against San Diego State, Crowell batter 2-for-3,
including her fourth homer of the season. Later that same night, she went 3-for-4 to lead
the Wahine over Wright State. Tulsas Kari Curtis, a senior outfielder, hit
.409 (9-for-22), including one run, two RBI and three stolen bases. Curtis currently has
a nine game hitting streak and needs only two more stolen bases to set a new career
record.
ON THE MOUND Other nominees for pitcher of the week: Fresno
States Lori Hoffman, a freshman lefthander, went 3-1 in four appearances,
including one shutout. She notched one win in relief (Dartmouth) and two wins in two
starts (Loyola Marymount twice). Hoffman took the loss in relief to No. 22 Pacific.
In 25.1 innings, she allowed 20 hits, walked five, stuck out four and gave up one earned
run for a 0.28 ERA. In two games against LMU, Hoffman pitched 14.0 innings and gave up 10
hit, one run (unearned) and walked two.
IN THE POLLS Fresno State is the only WAC team ranked in
last weeks USA Today/NFCA Top 25 poll. The Bulldogs are ranked 11th with 393 points.
Hawai`i also received five votes to rank 37th.
THIS WEEK IN THE WAC Five of the six WAC teams will be in
action this week. Fresno State will face No. 8 CS Fullerton on Tuesday, March 27 and UC
Riverside on Sunday, April 1 at home. Portland State hits the road to face No. 22 Pacific
on March 27, Saint Marys on March 28 and Sacramento State on March 29. Hawai`i is on
the road to take on No. 24 CS Northridge on March 28, UC Riverside on March 29 and
conference foe Loyola Marymount on March 31 and April 1. Finally, San Jose State opens its
conference slate on the road against Loyola Marymount on March 28 and then faces UC
Riverside on March 29.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS Several WAC players made their
respective all-tournament teams last weekend. Hawai`i - April Crowell, Stacey Porter and
Felicity Witt (Hawai`i Invitational Tournament); and Tulsa - Kari Curtis and
Danielle Olsen (New Mexico State Invitational).
HAWAI`IS GONZALES MAKES SCHOOL HISTORY Hawai`i senior
righthander Janelle Gonzales made history, tossing a perfect game and tying the
Hawai`i record for strikeouts in a game, with 15 punchouts in a win over McNeese State on
March 27. Gonzales matched former Wahine All-American Brooke Wilkins strikeout mark, which
she accomplished twice in 1994, versus UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State. The perfect
game, Hawai`is second this season and third since the 1998 season, improved Gonzales
season record to 3-1.
HAWAI`I WINS 2001 HAWAI`I INVITATIONAL Hawai`i went 5-0
against NCAA teams to win the 2001 Hawai`i Invitational. The Wahines only loss was
to Tokyo Womens College of Physcial Education which counted as an exhibition game. Felicity
Witt went 3-0, with a 1.00 ERA in three complete games in the tourney. She also
tallied 16 strikeouts in 21 innings. April Crowell batted 5-for-7 with a homer to
spark Hawai'i to wins over San Diego State and Wright State in day one of the 2001 Hawai'i
Invitational. Against San Diego State, back-to-back homers by Hawai'i's Sheri Oronoz
and Crowell in the bottom of the fifth catapaulted the Wahine to a 5-2 win. During
day two of the tournament, Wahine senior lefthander Desiree Duran batted 2-for-4,
with a double and three RBI and posted a complete game victory in the circle to lead
Hawai'i to the 11-4 rout of Wright State. Crowell (3-for-4), Natalie Gonzales
(3-for-5), and Trisha Ramos (2-for-4, 5 RBI) led all hitters. Witt pitched a
complete-game, one-hit shutout with 11 strikeouts to defeat Eastern Illinois. Natalie
Gonzales (2-for-3, SB) and Stacey Porter (2-for-3, 2 2Bs, RBI) paired hits to
lead the Wahine. The Wahine claimed the Hawai`i Invitational title by winning their first
game of the day, 2-1 over the San Diego. Hawai`i scored the winning run in the bottom of
the seventh on Gonzales, one-out fielders choice.
IMPROVEMENTS Hawai`i owns a 27-10 overall record this
season. Last season, the Wahine finished the year with a 25-24 record. San Jose State
needs only two more victories to tie last years total. The Spartans are 17-20
overall this season and finished with a 19-37 record in 2000.
WITT RECORDS 200TH CAREER RUN Becky Witt became just the
second Bulldog and WAC player ever to collect 200 or more career runs. She is only three
hits shy of becoming the fourth Fresno State player and just the third in WAC history to
reach the 300-career hit plateau.
FRESNO STATE SWEEPS WAC OPENER OVER LMU Fresno State picked
up a pair of road victories over Loyola Marymount (2-0, 4-1) to open WAC play. The
Bulldogs now own a 170-38 record in conference games since joining the WAC in 1993. In
game one against LMU, Fresno State quickly put two runs on the board in the top of the
first as it sent seven batters to the plate. In the bottom of the third, Loyola Marymount
picked up a run on two outs. The Lions put runners on first and second before third
baseman Sami Strinz connected for a RBI single up the middle for LMU's lone run.
Fresno State responded with two more runs in the top of the fourth to put the game away.
Getting her second start on the day, Lori Hoffman picked up her seventh win and
improved to 2-0 in WAC action. Hoffman gave up five hits, one run and walked one. Tiffany
Whipple (3-4, two runs) and Lindsay Fossatti (2-4, run) had multiple-hit
performances for the Bulldogs.
AFFILIATE MEMBERS Loyola Marymount and Portland State have
joined the WAC as affiliate members in 2001 for the second-straight season. LMU, who
competed in the Western Intercollegiate Softball League in the past, finished last season
with a 43-28 overall record, the second-best mark in school history. Portland State enters
its second season of Division I softball competition. Last season, the Vikings finished
with a 12-37 mark, as 21 of their 49 games came against ranked opponents.
NON-CONFERENCE COMPETITION In all non-conference games, the
WAC is 98-85 (.536). The WACs best non-conference record was in 1994, when
conference teams were a combined 137-85-1 (.617).
BASEHITS Through 33 games, Fresno State has outscored its
opponents 136 to 57 ... Bulldog sophomore catcher Pam West has thrown out 14 runner for 74
percent (5-for-19) of would-be basestealers through 33 contests ... Tulsa hit three home
runs last weekend, bringing its total to 13 this season ... it is the teams most
since the 1996 squad hit 21 ... Hawai`is April Crowell has four home runs
this season, one short of the school freshman record ... Hawai`i owns the WACs
longest winning streak at six games ... the Wahine have also won 12 of their last 15
contests ... Portland State has won five its last seven games, while Fresno State has won
seven of its last nine.
CAREER LEADERS Fresno State senior outfielder Becky Witt has
moved into second place on the WACs all-time runs list with 205. She needs 41 more
runs to become the all-time leader, surpassing Fresno States Laura Bergs 245
runs (1994-95, 97-98). Witt has also moved into third place in career hits with
297. She needs 61 more hits to move into second place ahead of Fresno States Robyn
Yorkes 357 (1994-97). San Jose States Sabrina Quintero has moved into a
third place tie with six sacrifices, while Loyola Marymounts Jennifer Heliotes
has moved into a tie for 10th place with three saves.
ON THE RUN Loyola Marymounts Anna Trauernicht,
a senior outfielder is continuing from where she left off last season in stolen bases. In
2000, Trauernicht led the WAC with 32 stolen bases on 36 attempts. In 32 games this
season, she is 20-for-20 in stolen bases to lead the league. Fresno States Becky
Witt is also a perfect 11-for-11 in stolen bases. San Jose State currently leads the WAC
with 34 stolen bases on 44 attempts. The Spartans have already stolen more bases at this
point in the season than the 2000 team did all of last year. Last season, the Spartans
were 16-for-33 in stolen bases. Heather Sindlinger leads the team with 10 steals on
11 attempts.
TOP PITCHING For the past two seasons, Fresno State has
owned the top pitching staff in the nation. In 1999, the Bulldogs allowed 0.51 runs per
game, while allowing 0.62 runs per outing in 2000. This season, Fresno State owns a 1.35
ERA through its first 33 games to lead the WAC. Leslie Poole is off to a 10-5
start, while Lori Hoffman is 7-4 (1.23 ERA). Jamie Southern in 2-0. Poole
transferred to Fresno State from Tennessee where she compiled a 10-10 record with a 3.55
ERA during her freshman campaign. Hoffman is a freshman lefthander out of Benicia, Calif. Hoffman
owns the WACs top ERA, followed by Hawai`is Felicity Witt, who owns
a league-high 15 wins and 1.32 ERA.
FRESNO STATES WRIGHT NCAA ALL-TIME WINNINGEST ACTIVE COACH Fresno
State head coach Margie Wright, who is in her 16th season, is the all-time
winningest coach by victories in NCAA history with a 964-314-3 (.754) record in 22 years.
Having led the Bulldogs to a national title (1998) and three runner-up finishes
(1988-89-90), Wright has led Fresno State to the NCAA Womens College World Series in
10 of the last 14 years