PLAYER OF THE WEEK Fresno States Lindsay Fossatti, a senior from Tustin, Calif., (Tustin HS) hit .667 in four games, leading the Bulldogs to 3-1 record at the rain-shortened Campbell-Cartier Tournament in San Diego, Calif. Fossatti knocked in the game-winning run against No. 23 San Diego State with a two-out single to left.
The third baseman added a solo home run against Cal State Northridge. Fossatti ended the weekend with five hits, four walks and three RBI. The home run gave the senior sole possession of seventh place on the Bulldog all-time home run list with 11. Fossatti earned player of the week honors twice last season.
The Bulldogs ended the week 3-1 with their only loss coming against CS Northridge, 5-3.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK Jamie Southern, a freshman from Clovis, Calif., (Clovis HS) earned her second-straight player of the week honor after another near-perfect weekend. Southern went 3-0 in three appearances. The right-hander did not allow a run in 21.0 innings, leading the Bulldogs. Southern struck out 32 batters, while walking only two.
She earned wins against No. 23 San Diego State, Florida International and UC Santa Barbara. Southern struck out a career-high 14 batters against the Aztecs, one shy of the Fresno State single-game record. Against Florida International, she took a no-hitter into the seventh inning. Southern improved her record to 6-0 with five shutouts and a 0.00 ERA.
WAC HEADLINERS Others nominated for player of the week:Hawaiis Stacey Porter was named Most Outstanding Player of the sixth Chevron Paradise Classic after hitting .400 in seven games. The sophomore first baseman had eight hits, including a double and three RBI. She drove in seven runs and scored six.
Loyola Marymounts Christy Cercedes led the Lions during the rain-shortened Campbell/Cartier Tournament in San Diego, Calif. The senior outfielder hit .500 in three games for the Lions. Cercedes had four hits and scored four runs with one RBI.
Portland States Kara Ray was only in the starting lineup because of Vanessa Applegates illness, but the freshman made the most of her opportunity. The shortstop hit .357 in five starts with five hits and two runs scored. She also knocked in two runs for the Vikings at the UNLV Classic.
San Jose States Becca Baldridge hit .600 in four games as the Spartans went 3-1 last week. The junior second baseman had five singles and a double, while scoring one run.
Tulsas Jessie Smith hit .545 in six games with 12 hits and six runs scored. The senior center fielder added two home runs and nine RBI. With four stolen bases, Smith broke the school record for career stolen bases with 48. She also leads the team in hitting this season with a .444 batting average.
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Portland States Morgan Seibert went 1-2 with a 2.45 ERA in three starts for the Vikings. The junior allowed seven earned runs in 20.0 innings with 25 strikeouts. She allowed only one earned run in her first 15 innings pitched. Seibert also struck out four batters in one inning against Central Michigan on Feb. 15.
San Jose States Carol Forbes went 2-0 with two complete games, including a complete game shutout against St. Marys, 3-0. The freshman allowed only one earned run in 14.0 innings pitched for a 0.50 ERA.
CLIMBING THE LADDER Portland State pitcher Morgan Seibert moved into fifth place on the Viking all-time innings pitched list with 457.2 innings pitched. She is also just seven strikeouts away from becoming the second Portland State pitcher with 400 career Ks.
Also climbing the ladder is Viking head coach Teri Mariani who now has 587 wins, just 13 shy of 600 career wins.She is looking to become the third WAC coach with at least 600 wins. Fresno State head coach Margie Wright and Louisiana Tech head coach Bill Galloway both have over 900 career wins.
IN THE POLLS Fresno State is the only WAC team ranked in the first USA Today/NFCA top 25 poll. The Bulldogs are ranked 13th with 330 votes. Hawaii received 12 votes.
TULSA OFF TO FAST START The Golden Hurricane are off to their fastest start in program history with their 10-1 record to begin the season. Tulsa won a program-high eight-straight games before falling to Middle Tennesse State on Feb. 16.
In 11 games, Tulsa has already hit 11 home runs which is third most in a season by a Hurricane squad. The Tulsa pitching staff is also off to a quick start with a team ERA of 0.47. No Tulsa pitching staff has had an ERA under 1.00 at this point in the season.
BATTER UP The WAC begins its fourth week of the 2002 season. Five teams are in action this week with Louisiana Tech already suffering a postponed game due to inclement weather.
Frenso State travels across the country for the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Columbus, Ga. The Bulldogs will take on some of the top competition, including No. 6 Washington.The Bulldogs were Silver Bracket champions in 2001.
San Jose State will face the defending national champions on their home turf, facing No. 3 Arizona on Feb. 22. at the Tucson Invitational.
NON-CONFERENCE MARK WAC teams are 41-29 (.586) in non-conference games. The WAC is 4-8 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 2-2 with wins over No. 5 California and No. 23 San Diego State 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.
This week, Portland State fell to No. 5 California. LMU fell to No. 11 Michigan and No 19 Pacific. (Ranking on date played)
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.
HAWAI`I PICKED to WIN WAC TITLE The Western Athletic Conference softball coaches selected Hawaii to win the 2002 WAC regular season crown. This is the first time in seven years that a team other than Fresno State was voted to take the top spot in the WAC. The coaches also voted on 2001 preseason award winners today. Hawaii shortstop Kate Judd was voted preseason Player of the Year, while Fresno States Jamie Southern earned preseason Pitcher of the Year honors.
Hawaii earned 34 points, edging Fresno State by one point. Both the Wahine and the Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Hawaii advanced for the fifth time, while the Bulldogs are the only team to have advanced to all 20 NCAA Tournaments.
Loyola Marymount was picked third with 25 points after a 37-22 season. The WACs other affiliate member Portland State earned the fourth spot with 19 points. With 14 points, Tulsa took fifth, while San Jose State and newcomer Louisiana Tech tied for sixth with 11 points.
The preseason all-WAC team included five Fresno State players: junior catcher Pam West, senior third baseman Lindsay Fossatti, senior outfielder Tiffany Whipple, red-shirt freshman pitcher Jamie Southern and senior utility player Vanessa Czarnecki.
Hawaii placed four players on the preseason all-WAC team, including 2001 WAC Player of the Year Kate Judd. The sophomore shortstop earned preseason Player of the Year honors after driving in 31 runs and scoring 32 runs last season. Judd was joined by sophomore first baseman Stacey Porter and senior outfielder Stacie Hirano. Natalie Gonzales tied with Portland State Megumi Hackett for second base honors. Loyola Marymount outfielder Christy Cercedes rounded out the team.
REWIND: THE 2001 SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES Fresno State made its 20th-straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs are the only program in the nation to have qualified for each of the 20 NCAA Division I womens softball championships. Hawaii made its fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, including its third in the past four seasons.
FRESNO STATE WINS WAC TITLE For the fourth-straight season and the fifth time in the past six years, Fresno State clinched the WAC regular-season title. Since joining the WAC in 1993, Fresno State has compiled a 161-41 (.797) record in conference play.