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PLAYER OF THE WEEK Fresno State's Lori Hoffman was named the WAC Player of the Week. This is the first honor this season for Hoffman, but the fourth player of the week this season for the Bulldogs.
Lori Hoffman, a junior from Benicia, Calif., (Benicia), hit her first career grand slam, hitting two home runs last weekend to push her season total to three. She also tied the school's single-game record in total bases with nine. She was tied with Amanda Scott who had nine against San Jose State on March 25, 1998. The last Bulldog to hit a grand slam was Lindsay Fossatti at No. 2 Arizona in a non-conference doubleheader on April 18, 2001. Hoffman, who is the third Bulldog this season to have a multiple home run game, had a career-high six RBI in the Bulldogs' 11-2 win after going 3-for-4 with two runs.
Other player of the week nominees included: Stacey Porter, Hawai'i and Lindsey Hall, Nevada.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK Hawai'i's Melissa Coogan was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week. Coogan has earned pitcher of the week honors the week twice already this season. Coogan, a sophomore from West Hills, Calif., (El Camino), won the first three games of the San Jose State series, pitching two shutouts in the process. She pitched three complete games and did not allow an earned run in 21 innings. She posted 15 strikeouts, while walking five. The sophomore limited the Spartans to a .141 batting average. Coogan leads the WAC in wins with a 26-9 record. In WAC games, Coogan has a stellar 11-1 record.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Leslie Poole, Fresno State.
CLOSE RACES With two weeks of WAC play remaining, Hawaii looks to capture its first WAC softball title. With four wins on the road against Louisiana Tech, the Rainbow Wahine would capture the WAC title. Fresno State looks to stay alive in the race, facing San Jose State on May 3 at home. The Bulldogs are currently two games behind the Rainbow Wahine with six games remaining. Hawaii has only four games left on its WAC schedule. The Rainbow Wahine are looking for their first WAC title after four runner-up finishes, including the last three seasons. The Bulldogs have won six of the last seven WAC regular season titles.
Tulsa and Louisiana Tech are tied for third with 6-6 records. Both teams have eight games remaining. Tulsa will play four against Nevada at home.
Last season, Fresno State won the title with an 18-6 WAC record. Much-improved Tulsa tied with Hawaii for second with 15-9 records. Former affiliates Loyola Marymount and Portland State finished fourth and fifth, respectively. San Jose State finished sixth (8-16), while Louisiana Tech finished seventh with a 3-21 record.
FRESNO STATE CHOSEN AS ONE OF EIGHT SOFTBALL REGIONAL SITES Fresno State earned one of the eight 2003 Women's Softball Regional site, the NCAA Division I Women's Softball Committee announced today.
The eight regional sites, with host institutions are as follows: Tuscaloosa, Alabama (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa); Tucson, Arizona (University of Arizona); Fullerton, California (CS Fullerton); Gainesville, Florida (University of Florida); Fresno, California (Fresno State); Ann Arbor, Michigan (University of Michigan); Lincoln, Nebraska (University of Nebraska, Lincoln); Austin, Texas (University of Texas).
Each regional field will feature eight teams, playing a double-elimination format. All regional games are scheduled to be conducted Thursday, May 15, through Sunday, May 18. This is the first time regional sites have been named in advance of the team selections in softball. Site selections were based on geographic location, quality of facilities and quality of the experience for the student-athletes, including attendance history. Host institutions are not guaranteed a bid to the tournament.
The at-large teams, top-eight national seeds and first-round regional pairings will be announced Sunday, May 11, at 10 p.m. Eastern time live on ESPNEWS. The bracket, which will not be reseeded prior to the Women's College World Series, will be the first to include 64 teams, since the championship began in 1982. Last year's field included 48 teams.
Twenty-six Division I conferences receive an automatic berth in the field of 64, along with 38 at-large selections.
The 22nd Women's College World Series begins play Thursday, May 22, at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City. All of the games will be broadcast live on ESPN or ESPN2, and the television schedule, as well as more information on the championship, is available at http://www.ncaasports.com/.
NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS Overall WAC schools are 107-115 (.482) in non-conference meetings. WAC schools are 6-16 (.273) against teams ranked in the top 25. Fresno State is 2-8, including losses to No. 4 Nebraska, No. 12 Texas, No. 24 Texas A&M and No. 4 Michigan. Fresno State has wins against No. 12 Stanford and No. 3 Nebraska. San Jose State is 0-2 with losses two losses to No. 2 California. Hawaii is 3-5, defeating No. 4 Texas, No. 23 Oregon State and No. 3 California. Tulsa is 1-3 against ranked teams this season, recently defeating No. 5 Oklahoma. (rankings at time of meeting).
CLIMBING THE CHARTS Hawaii junior Stacey Porter is climbing the WAC career home run charts. With 13 long balls already this season, Porter moves to fourth with 34 career home runs. The first baseman needs only four more to move into second just ahead of Utahs Cyndee Bennett (1994-97). Last season, Porter hit 15 home runs which was tied for second for single-season highs.
Hawaii pitcher Melissa Coogan is currently tied for eighth with 26 wins this season. Fresno States Maureen Brady set the single-season record for wins with 36 in 1994. Fresno State pitcher Jamie Southern is third in career strikeouts with 660 in two seasons.
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.
Nevada and Louisiana Tech both welcome new coaches. Nevadas head coach 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.
NEWS AND NOTES Fresno State sophomore Jamie Southern has been hard to hit the past 17 games as she sports a 0.44 ERA, while going 9-2 with a save. With 11 starts, seven wins have come via shutouts, allowing 42 hits, six runs (five earned), 12 walks and has struck out 102 (8.90 strikeouts per 7/IP) in 80.2 innings. In her last 103.2 innings, Southern has allowed just 61 hits, nine runs (seven earned), 15 walks and has struck out 143 (9.70 strikeouts per 7/IP) for a 0.34 ERA. On the year, she has season-best streaks of 68.1 innings without an earned run and 28.2 scoreless innings. She leads the WAC in ERA for the second-straight season. After 30 appearances she has an ERA of 0.67. She has allowed only 19 earned runs this season in 198.0 innings.
Hawaii is 12-11 on the mainland, including a 5-5 record at neutral sites. Hawaii has played only one WAC road series, splitting its four games at Fresno State, which included the Rainbow Wahines first-ever doubleheader sweep of the Bulldogs. On the road, UH is batting .252 as a team hitting 16 of its 31 home runs away from Honolulu. The Rainbow Wahine are led by Stacey Porter (.413) with six homers, 11 RBI, and 18 runs on the road. April Crowell is the only other starter to bat over .300, posting a .329 average with five home runs, eight runs, and 17 RBI.
Louisiana Tech has now doubled last seasons WAC win total with six wins. The Lady Techsters share third place with a 6-6 league record under first-year head coach Sarah Dawson. Louisiana Tech reached six wins after splitting four games with Nevada on the road. This week, the Lady Techsters look to prevent Hawaii from clinching its first WAC title. Louisiana Tech will host the Rainbow Wahine in a pair of doubleheaders on May 2 and May 3. Louisiana Tech is 9-8 at home this season and 4-2 at home in WAC games.
Nevada has set the school record for home runs with 28 (previous record was 10 in 1981), hits with 340 (old mark 321, 1984), strikeouts (298, old mark 136) and is close to the at-bats mark 1,467, set in 1985. Nevada will also set the mark for most games played (57), if they get all four played weekend. The current mark is 56, set in 1985. Individually, Kari Stockstill broke doubles record (12), beating the old mark of seven set in 1984. Carrie Mackey has tied the home run record (6). Stacy Mueller owns the sacrifices mark (12, old mark was 11, last accomplished in 1985).
San Jose State broke its season-high 12 game losing streak last week against Hawaii. Senior Becca Baldridge hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to give San Jose State a 2-1 win over Hawaii . It was the Spartans first road WAC win. San Jose State is 3-16 overall on the road. The Spartans look to play spoiler this week with a doubleheader against second place Fresno State in Fresno on May 3.
Tulsa swept a doubleheader against Louisiana Tech for the third time in four tries. That is the most against any WAC school. After sweeping four WAC doubleheaders last season, Tulsa has already swept three conference twinbills this season, including a sweep of perennial national power Fresno State, 1-0 and 4-1. Tulsa is the only team to be undefeated at home during WAC play this season. The Golden Hurricane needs only two home runs to break the school record for a single season. Tulsa recorded 54 home runs during the first eight years of the program. In the last two seasons, TU has hit 59 home runs and 75 during Coach Pinkerton's tenure as head coach.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS The following players have been named to all-tournament teams.
Lori Hoffman, FS Campbell/Cartier
Jamie Southern, FS Campbell/Cartier
Bridget Broadnax, LT Panther Classic
Melissa Coogan, UH Malhini Tournament*
April Crowell, UH Chevron Classic
UNC Tournament
Stacey Porter, UH Chevron Classic
Hawaii Invitational
Tracie Uchima, UH Chevron Classic
Cindy Elkins, UN Troy Cox Invite
Becca Baldridge, SJSU NMSU Tournament
Ami Day, TU Mardi Gras Classic*
Hoos Who*
Maren Genow, TU Mardi Gras Classic
Compass Bank Invite
Stephanie Sliepen, TU Compass Bank Invite
Brandi McGuire, TU Metrodome Classic
Danielle Olsen, TU Mardi Gras Classic
Crissy Strimple, TU Metrodome Classic
Mardi Gras Classic
Stacey Walkingstick, TU Mardi Gras Classic
*Tournament MVP