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PLAYER OF THE WEEK UTEPs Ashley Bennett was named the WAC Player of the Week. This is the first ever honor for a Miner in UTEPs second season with softball.
Bennett, a third baseman from Ontatio, Calif., hit over .500 in three WAC road games last week. After finishing their 2004 inaugural campaign at 1-21, Bennett led the Miners to two consecutive conference wins over Louisiana Tech over the weekend. The junior transfer hit .556 in nine appearances at the plate during the three-game series. She recorded two runs on five hits, three doubles. She also added her 22nd RBI. Her RBI-double in game one against Louisiana Tech, gave the Miners the extra boost they needed to secure the victory. Bennett also had three putouts, four assists and fielded 1.000.
Other player of the week nominees included: Christina Clark, Fresno State; Jessica Elson, Louisiana Tech and Brittany Lorenzen, Nevada.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK Fresno States Jamie Southern was named the WAC Pitcher of the Week. This is the fourth honor for Southern as a pitcher. Southern has also earned one player of the week honor this season.
Southern, a senior pitcher from Clovis, Calif., has won her last eight starts after posting wins over No. 5 Stanford and a pair of WAC victories over Hawaii. Allowing just two runs, one earned, on 10 hits in 21.0 innings of work, Southern struck out 24 of the 70 batters faced as the opponents managed a .149 batting average against. Averaging 8.0 strikeouts per 7 innings pitched last week and recording her third Top 15 victory, Southern tossed a three-hitter and allowed one run while walking one and striking out seven Cardinal in the Bulldogs 4-1 win. In the two games pitched at Hawaii in WAC play, she recorded a shutout while scattering seven hits, yielding one run (unearned), walking three and striking out 17 (8.5 strikeouts per 7/IP) for a 0.00 ERA.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Tiffany Hoeft, Nevada; Courtney Crawford and Julie Fennell, Tulsa.
SOUTHERN NAMED FINALIST Fresno State All-American, Jamie Southern was named a finalist for the USA Softball Player of the Year. The Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, announced today the 25 finalists for the Fourth Annual USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award. This award, which is considered the Heisman Trophy in women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country.
IN THE CIRCLE In the second complete week of WAC play, only four WAC teams are in action. Fresno State will face Pacific in non-conference action. Tulsa and Hawaii begin their three-game WAC series on Monday, April 11. This week, Louisiana Tech will host Nevada in a three-game set. The red-hot Miners, who are tied for second, will host San Jose State. Both of these series will feature single games on April 8 followed by a doubleheader on April 9.
FRESNO STATES SOUTHERN AND CLARK CLIMB RECORD BOOKS While Clark and Southern continue to climb up the school's career record book, both are making their mark in the WACs annals as well. Of the six career pitching records kept by the WAC, Southern owns four of them while sitting just three wins shy and a save shy of moving into the No. 1 spot held by Scott. Of the 14 career hitting records kept by the WAC, Clark already ranks among the Top 10 in five offensive categories.
FRESHMAN STEPS UP FOR RAINBOW WAHINE Due to an injury to redshirt freshman Jessica Morton, freshman Kate Robinson was forced into action during UH's last road trip to the Stanford Classic. Robinson, who has started 30 games this season at either first base or as the designated player, has thrown well going 2-2 with a 1.42 ERA. She's made five appearances in the last eight games. Robinson made the most of her one start in the circle, throwing a complete-game shut out of Saint Marys on March 26.
IN THE POLLS For the first time since 2003, a team outside of the Pac 10 Conference is No. 1 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll. Michigan, with an incredible 35-2 record, is the top ranked for the third week in a row
Fresno State softball has been no stranger to the national polls. Owning the longest streak for consecutive weeks (179) ranked in NCAA Division I softball history, the Bulldogs have been nationally ranked in the Top 25 for 201 of the 213 weeks since the NCAAs first Top 15 poll in 1983. In addition, Fresno State has been in the nations official Top 25 polls for 23 straight years. This week, the Bulldogs are No. 19 in the NFCA poll and No. 16 in the USA Softball poll.
AGAINST THE BEST WAC schools are 5-31(.139) against ranked teams this season. Hawaii is one of three teams to defeat a ranked team when it defeated then-No. 9 Washington. Fresno State earned another win over a ranked team with a win over No. 5 Stanford. Fresno State also defeated No. 10 LSU and No. 14 Washington. Tulsa picked up its first win over a ranked team, beating No. 7 Oklahoma. It was the highest team a Golden Hurricane squad had ever defeated. No. 2 Arizona is 4-0 against the WAC with wins against Fresno State, Tulsa and UTEP this season.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS The following players have been named to all-tournament teams.
Jamie Southern, FS NFCA Leadoff Classic*
Tara Harbert, UH Spring Fling Tourn.
Ashley Ruff, UH Spring Fling Tourn.
Tyleen Tausaga, UH Spring Fling Tourn.
Amber Miles, LT Birm. So. Tournament
Ashley Cameron, LT Birm. So. Tournament
Linsdey Meadows, LT Mardi Gras Classic
Birm. So. Tournament
Kari Stockstill, UN Spring Fling Tourn.
Jiliane Hartfiel, UN Nevada Tournament
Brittany Lorenzen, UN Nevada Tournament
Kaycee Wilcks Nevada Tournament
Brittany Stanley, LT Mardi Gras Classic
Carol Forbes, SJSU Mardi Gras Classic
Elisa Barrios,SJSU Mardi Gras Classic
Carlie Hill, SJSU Mardi Gras Classic
Lindsey Dyer, TU MSU Bulldog Classic
Tulsa Festival
Sarah Dyer, TU Tulsa Festival
Julie Fennell, TU Metrodome Classic
Julie Shafer, TU MSU Bulldog Classic
Linsday Tower, TU Metrodome Classic
Tulsa Festival
Stacey Walkingstick, TU Coca-Cola Classic
Stephanie Sliepen, TU Coca-Cola Classic
*Tournament MVP