PLAYER OF THE WEEK Tulsas Crissy 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.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK Fresno States Jamie 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.
WAC HEADLINERS Others nominated for player of the week: Fresno States Pam Perez hit .636 as the Bulldogs went 3-2 at the Fiesta Bowl Tournament. The sophomore second baseman had seven hits, scoring one run. She has had three multiple hit games in her last four starts.
Hawaiis Kate Judd led the Wahine to four wins, hitting .385 with 10 hits and seven RBI. She is the only Hawaii player to reach double figures in hits. She also has a slugging percentage of .654.
Louisiana Techs Jennifer LaRussa went 3-for-7 in a doubleheader against Central Arkansas. She knocked in six RBI and scored two runs with two stolen bases.
Loyola Marymounts Jessica Grassi stole three of four bases and hit .278 as the Lions went 2-4 at the Long Beach State Tournament. The freshman shortstop had five hits and one walk in six games.
San Jose States Tara Hall hit .571 for the Spartans with four hits and two runs scored. The second baseman led the Spartans to two wins over San Francisco State.
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Hawaiis Sheri Oronoz went 3-1 on the mound for the Wahine with a 1.53 ERA. The sophomore lost her first outing against Long Beach State, but rebounded for three more wins on the road trip.
Louisiana Techs Lindsey Meadows won her first start of the season against Central Arkansas. She did not allow a hit until the bottom of the fifth inning as the Lady Techsters defeated Central Arkansas in five innings.
Loyola Marymounts Sami Strinz continued her strong pitching with a 1-0 record in three appearances. The sophomore had one shutout, allowing no runs in nine innings. In her first start of the season she defeated UC Riverside, 1-0.
San Jose States Carol Forbes went 1-0, pitching her first collegiate shutout. In two appearances, she allowed only four hits, while striking out four.
Tulsas Jenny Magill went 2-0 in four appearances allowing only one run in 14.0 innings pitched. The right-handed pitcher was named Most Outstanding Pitcher of the Centenary Tournament.
IN THE POLLS Fresno State is the only WAC team ranked in the preseason USA Today/NFCA top 25 poll. The Bulldogs are ranked 16th with 239 votes. Hawaii received 37 votes to rank 26th. The first regular season poll will be released on February 20.
TULSAS MAGILL BREAKS RECORD Tulsa right-handed pitcher Jenny Magill broke the school record for career victories with 25 with the 2-0 win over Birmingham Southern on February 9. The senior also added to her career shutout record with 14.
The Hurricanes 5-0 start is the best start in program history. Tulsa is only eight games away from matching last seasons win total (13).
BATTER UP The WAC begins its third week of the 2002 season. All seven teams are in action this week with Portland State beginning the season at the UNLV Softball Classic. Five teams will be playing in tournaments, including Loyola Marymount traveling to the San Diego Tournament.
FRESNO STATE REACHES 1,100 Fresno State recorded its 1,100th program win in its 25th season. The Bulldogs captured the win when they defeated Texas Tech, 7-1 on Sunday, Feb.10.
NON-CONFERENCE MARK WAC teams are 22-16 (.579) in non-conference games. The WAC is 3-5 against teams that are ranked in the preseason poll. San Jose State is 0-3 with losses to No. 2 UCLA, No. 9 Washington and No. 23 San Diego State. Fresno State is 1-2 with a win over No. 5 California and losses to No. 8 Arizona State and No. 10 Cal State Fullerton. Hawaii is 2-0 with two wins over No. 23 San Diego State.
WAC EXPANSION In 2001-02, Louisiana Tech joined the conference. In softball, there will be seven teams, including affiliate members Loyola Marymount and Portland State. The schedule will consist of 24 games played as doubleheaders home and home other than Hawaii. All four games with Hawaii will be played at one site, alternating home and away each year.