DENVER Hawaiis April Crowell and Fresno States Jamie Southern have been named the Western Athletic Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. Southern has earned Pitcher of the Week honors twice this season and had earned Player of the Week once. This is the second honor for Crowell this season.
Crowell, a junior from Ewa Beach, Oahu (Roosevelt), went 4-for-5 with three RBI and was walked intentionally two times at the North Carolina Tournament in Chapel Hill, N.C. The third baseman also scored two times. She was the leading hitter in the abbreviated tournament. She hit .800 and was named to the all-tournament team. The Rainbow Wahine defeated host school North Carolina and lost to Virginia in extra innings before rain canceled the rest of the tournament.
Southern, a sophomore from Clovis, Calif., (Clovis) was 1-0 last week with one win against No. 12 Stanford. The sophomore right-hander tossed a one-hitter with 11 strikeouts. The victory was her first top 25 win of the year, while improving to 1-4 versus the top 25 this season. The one-hitter was Southern's third on the year and sixth of her career. The 11 strikeouts was her tenth 10-strikeout game on the season and 29th of her career. In her last five starts, she has gone 5-0 with three shutouts.
Other player of the week nominees included: Christina Clark, Fresno State; Jamie Waldron, Nevada and Crissy Strimple, Tulsa.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Shannon Tabion, Hawaii; Candice Rainwater, Nevada; Carol Forbes, San Jose State and Ami Day, Tulsa.