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2.12.03.PDF
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PLAYER OF THE WEEK Hawai'i's April Crowell has been named the Western Athletic Conference Player. Crowell also earned the first player of the week honor of the 2001 season. This is the first honor for van Kampen in the Wolf Pack's first week of softball play.
Crowell, a junior from Ewa Beach, Calif., (Roosevelt) led the Wahine to a 3-3 week at the Chevron Paradise Classic to open the 2003 season. She was one of three Rainbow Wahine to earn all-tournament honors along with Stacey Porter and Tracie Uchima.
Others nominated for player of the week: Lori Hoffman, Fresno State; Alison White, Louisiana Tech; Stacy Mueller, Nevada; Elisa Barrios, San Jose State and Brandi McGuire, Tulsa.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK Nevada's Judith van Kampen has been named the WAC Pitcher of the Week. van Kampen, a junior from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, (Treasure Valley CC) went 2-1 in four appearances for the Wolf Pack in their introduction to the WAC. Nevada ended the week with a 3-2 mark at the Cal Poly SLO Tournament. van Kampen pitched 22 1/3 innings, allowing only five runs, four earned. She ended the week striking out 24, including 11 against Southern Utah in the program's second win.
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Jamie Southern, Fresno State
BATTER UP Five of the six WAC teams are in action in the third week of competition. Nevada, the current WAC leader, takes the week off. After slow starts, Fresno State and San Jose State look to get back on track in tournament play. San Jose State will play in the New Mexico Tournament, while Fresno State hosts the Campbell/Cartier Tournament. Among the Bulldogs opponents will be No. 4 Michigan. Fresno State looks for its first win against a ranked opponent after facing three top 25 teams last week. Louisiana Tech and Tulsa will both play in the ULM Mardi Gras Classic in Monroe, La. Hawaii takes to the road for the UNLV Rebel Tournament. The Rainbow Wahine will face top-ranked UCLA and No. 23 Oregon State among its competition.
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS After the first full week of competition, WAC schools hold a non-conference record of 11-18 (.379). The six WAC schools have yet to defeat a ranked team, going 0-6 against teams ranked in the top 25 in the last two weeks. Fresno State is 0-3 with losses to No. 4 Nebraska, No. 12 Texas and No. 24 Texas A&M. San Jose State is 0-2 with losses two losses to No. 2 California. Hawaii is 0-1, losing to No. 6 Washington.
IN THE POLLS Fresno State is the only WAC team ranked in the preseason USA Today/NFCA top 25 poll. The Bulldogs are ranked 15th with 241 points.
LINEUP CHANGE The WAC will be without affiliate members. Portland State and Loyola Marymount are leaving the league this season, the WAC welcomes Nevada. This is the first season of softball for the Wolf Pack since 1989. LMU and Portland State had both been in the league for three years.
NEW ADDITIONS Nevada and Louisiana Tech both welcome new coaches. Nevadas head coach is Michelle Gardner a former Big Ten Player of the Year at Michigan. She comes from Arizona State where she was an assistant for four years. This is her first season as a head coach.
Also making her head coaching debut is Louisiana Techs Sarah Dawson, a former All-American pitcher at Louisiana-Monroe. Dawson replaces Hall of Fame head coach Bill Galloway who retired after the 2002 season. Both Galloway and Fresno State head coach Margie Wright have more than 800 Division I career wins. Wright reached the 1,000 win mark during the 2002 season.
ON DECK This season should be one of the most competitive in the WAC.
Fresno State welcomes back All-American pitcher Jamie Southern. Southern also became the first player to earn WAC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year honors in the same season. Fresno State returns seven starters as the Bulldogs look to earn their seventh WAC title.
Hawaii and head coach Bob Coolen return five starters from last years squad that tied for second with Tulsa. The Rainbow Wahine return two-time WAC Player of the Year and preseason Player of the Year Kate Judd. Judd and fellow Aussie Stacey Porter lead the offensive charge for the Rainbow Wahine. Last season, Porter broke the school record for home runs with 15.
Louisiana Tech begins a new era with new head coach Sarah Dawson. The former All-American pitcher returns five starters from last seasons team. The Lady Techsters welcome back pitcher Marla Pinkston, who missed most of last season due to an ankle injury. As Louisiana Tech begins its second season in the WAC, the Lady Techsters look to improve upon a 21-27 record from 2002.
Nevada begins its first season of softball in the WAC and its first season of softball since 1989. The Wolf Pack will be coached by Michelle Gardner a former Big Ten Player of the Year, and start the season with a tough schedule, playing the first five weeks on the road.
San Jose State and head coach Dee Dee Enabenter-Omidji saw improvement last season. In 2002, the Spartans won games against three ranked teams to end the season, splitting doubleheaders with Stanford, Pacific and Fresno State. San Jose State brings back eight starters from that team.
Tulsa had one of the nations best turnarounds last season with a 48-16 record. The great season earned head coach James Pinkerton his first WAC Coach of the Year honor. The Golden Hurricane return all-Midwest Region honoree Danielle Olsen back.
NEWS AND NOTES FRESNO STATE sophomore All-American pitcher Jamie Southern suffered a pair of one-run losses against No. 4 Nebraska (1-0) and No. 24 Texas A&M (2-1 in 9 inn.) before recording her first victory on the season against Iowa State (8-1). Against the Cornhuskers, Southern scattered eight hits, gave up one run (unearned), walked six and struck out 10. Versus No. 24 Texas A&M, she tossed 8.1 innings and gave up just four hits while giving up two runs (one earned), two walks and striking out seven. The extra inning game was her 12th career extra inning decision
HAWAI`I placed three people on the Chevron Paradise Classic all-Tournament team: Stacey Porter, Tracie Uchima, April Crowell. Crowell hit three home runs in five games continuing the tradition of Rainbow Wahine sluggers. Kate Judd (2001) and Stacey Porter (2002) have both led the WAC in home runs the past two years. Last season, Crowell did not have any home runs in 149 at bats.
NEVADA captured its first program win since the 1989 season in the second game of the Cal Poly Tournament. They had the sport for 17 seasons, 1973-1989. After opening the Cal Poly Tournament with a 5-4 loss to U C Santa Barbara the Wolf Pack stormed back with an impressive win over Cal Poly in their second game of the afternoon. Robyn Ford-Feitz, a freshman, threw a complete game shutout for the Wolf Pack giving up only one hit in seven innings of work.
SAN JOSE STATE began the 2003 season against the defending national champion California Bears. Despite going 0-2 against the Bears, the Spartans hung in with Cal in the first game, losing 3-1. After a week off the Spartans look to recover against Santa Clara on Feb. 12 before playing in the New Mexico State Tournament.
TULSA recorded the 9th-best average attendance among NCAA Div. I schools for the 2002 season. Senior Crissy Strimple was also named to the Metrodome Classic all-Tournament Team.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS The following players have been named to all-tournament teams.
April Crowell, UH Chevron Classic
Stacey Porter, UH Chevron Classic
Tracie Uchima, UH Chevron Classic
Chrissy Strimple, TU Metrodome Classic
REWIND: THE 2002 SEASON
SEVEN NAMED TO ALL-REGION TEAMS Seven WAC softball players were named to Louisville Slugger West, Pacific and Midwest Region Teams. From the West Region, Fresno State's Jamie Southern and Lindsay Fossatti as well as Hawai`i's Kate Judd and Stacey Porter earned first team honors. Loyola Marymount's Christy Cerecedes earned first team honors in the Pacific Region. From the Midwest Region, Tulsa's Tulsa's Jessie Smith and Danielle Olsen earned second team honors.
CAREER RECORDS Several WAC players etched their names into the WAC career recordbook. Fresno States Lindsay Fossatti moved into first in WAC career walks, passing teammate Angela Cervantez who had 97 walks. Fossatti ended the season with 111. Bulldog freshman pitcher Jamie Southern moved into eighth on the all-time strikeout list with 418. Southern moves into a tie with for eighth place with Lindsay Parker (Fresno State, 1996-99).