|
Related Material
|
preseason-awards.PDF
|
DENVER - The Western Athletic Conference softball coaches selected Fresno State to win the 2004 WAC regular season crown. Fresno State has been picked to take the preseason crown eight out of the last nine years. In 2002, Hawaii was chosen to win the title. The coaches also voted on 2004 preseason award winners. Fresno State swept both categories when shortstop Christina Clark was voted preseason Player of the Year and Jamie Southern earned preseason Pitcher of the Year honors. Southern is the first WAC player to earn Pitcher of the Year honors three-straight years.
Fresno State edged out Hawaii with 34 points to Hawaiis 33. Tulsa finished in third with 26 points. Both the Bulldogs and the Rainbow Wahine advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season. Fresno State is the only team in the nation to play in all 22 NCAA Tournaments.
Second-year WAC team Nevada finished fourth with 18 points after a strong freshman campaign. Louisiana Tech and San Jose State tied for fifth with 15 points. UTEP, playing its first season of softball, was picked to finish seventh with six points.
The preseason all-WAC team was evenly distributed. Hawaii placed three on the team with Fresno State, Nevada and Tulsa each getting two on the team. The final spot was taken by Louisiana Tech.
Hawaiis three players on the preseason all-WAC team were catcher Denise Dahlberg, outfielder Tracie Uchima and utility player April Crowell. Dahlberg and Crowell were second-team all-WAC selections last season, while Uchima was on the first team.
Fresno States Christina Clark and Jamie Southern earned honors. Clark, a sophomore shortstop and Southern a junior pitcher both were first-team all-WAC selections and All-Americans. Clark was second in the league in hitting with a .382 average, while Southern led the league in strikeouts with 322.
In only its second season in the WAC, Nevada placed two on the preseason all-WAC team. Second baseman Jamie Waldron was a second team all-WAC selection last season. Jilian Hartfiel is a freshman third baseman.
Tulsa placed first baseman Katie Torres and outfielder Heather Hiar on the team. Both were second-team honorees last season. Torres hit .314 last season, while Hiar ended the season with 42 hits.
Louisiana Tech outfielder Brittany Stanley rounds out the team. Stanley, a first-team all-WAC selection last season, was eighth in WAC games in hitting with an .353 average.
This season, the WAC welcomes UTEP to give the league seven members. The 2004 WAC softball season begins on Wednesday, Feb. 4, with several teams playing in tournaments. Fresno State starts the season ranked No. 21 in the USA Softball/ESPN.com preseason poll.
Preseason All-WAC Team
C Denise Dahlberg, Hawaii
1B Katie Torres, Tulsa
2B Jamie Waldron, Nevada
3B Jilian Hartfiel, Nevada
SS Christina Clark, Fresno State
OF Heather Hiar, Tulsa
OF Brittany Stanley, Louisiana Tech
OF Tracie Uchima, Hawaii
P Jamie Southern, Fresno State
UT April Crowell, Hawaii