DENVER Tulsas Crissy Strimple and Fresno States Jamie Southern have been named the Western Athletic Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Strimple, a junior from Moore, Okla., (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M) was named the Most Valuable Player of the Centenary Tournament after hitting .500 in five games. The third baseman went 3-for-6 with two home runs and four RBI to lead the Hurricane to a 5-0 start. Strimple hit a two-run home run to lead the Golden Hurricane over Illinois, 2-1, on February 9.
The Hurricane moved to 5-0 with two wins over Illinois, Birmingham Southern and a win over host school Centenary. Tulsa and Louisiana Tech are the only remaining undefeated WAC teams.
Southern, a freshman from Clovis, Calif., (Clovis HS) went 3-0 in five appearances at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament in Arizona. The right-hander did not allow an earned run in 26.1 innings, leading the Bulldogs to an upset win over No. 5 California, 1-0, in the season opener. Southern struck out 24 batters, while walking only 12. She also earned wins against Wisconsin, 4-0, and Texas Tech, 7-1.
The Bulldogs ended the week 3-2, facing three ranked teams in Arizona. Fresno State defeated California and fell to No. 10 Cal State Fullerton and No. 8 Arizona State.
Other player of the week nominees included: Pam Perez, Fresno State; Kate Judd, Hawai`i; Jessica Grassi, LMU and Tara Hall, San Jose State.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Sheri Oronoz, Hawai`i; Sami Strinz, LMU; Carol Forbes, San Jose State and Jenny Magill, Tulsa.