OKLAHOMA CITY, OK Posting a record high five home runs over the weekend, USA Softball announced today Christina Clark (Santa Ana, CA) as the Player of the Week for April 5-11. The offense of this 5-9 sophomore led the Bulldogs to a 3-1 record at Hawaii while padding Fresno State's first-place lead in WAC conference play.
Batting .500 (7-14) with seven runs, five home runs, two walks, seven RBI and 22 total bases for a 1.571 slugging percentage, she established five single-game and/or single-season records last weekend in Honolulu.
To be named USA Softball Player of the Week is a great honor because there are so many good players out there, Clark said. I knew this weekend that I had to step up because we had a big series against Hawaii. I was able to see the ball so well and felt really relaxed at the plate.
In the series opener she went 2-4 with two runs and a RBI while hitting her 14th home run of the season with a solo shot. In the night cap of the same day, she went 1-2 with two runs, two RBI while hitting her 15th home run on the year with a two-run shot. Swinging the hot bat, Clark opened day two with a 3-for-4 performance that included three runs, four RBI and three home runs to push her season total to 18. In this 5-2 victory, she hit a pair of solo shots while belting a two-run home run in the seventh inning to break a 2-2 tie and put the Bulldogs up 4-2. She set a new Fresno State and league record for most home runs (3) in a contest. The old school record was two by Nina Lindenberg, who hit two in a game four different times in 1997, while the old WAC mark was also two held by several players.
Hitting five home runs moved Clarks career total to 33, which now ranks No. 2 in school history and No. 4 in the WAC record books. With at least one hit in every game played in the four-game series versus Hawaii, Clark recorded a pair of multiple-hit multiple-RBI games.
In Fresno State and WAC records, Clark now ranks No. 2 all-time at Fresno State and No. 4 all-time in WAC history with 33 career home runs.
I think this is one of the most prestigious honors a player can receive, Fresno State head coach Margie Wright said. Christina was very deserving of this after her performance this past week. She is an awesome hitter and more importantly she displayed tremendous team leadership over the weekend.
Belting out five home runs, Clark broke the school's and WAC's single-season home run mark (18) after tying Fresno State's season home run record a year ago with 15. As the quickest player to hit 16 home runs in a season (48 games), she had shared the school's season mark with former All-America catcher/designated player Michelle Bolt (15 in 54 games).