USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Poll
ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 Poll
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK ? Hawai?i’s Tyleen Tausaga and Fresno State’s Robin Mackin have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. This is the third honor of the season for Mackin and the second for Tausaga.
Tyleen Tausaga, a senior from Honolulu (Kaimuki) hit .588 in this week’s Bank of Hawaii Invitational. She had team-highs in hits (10) and runs scored (6). She also added two home runs and was walked five times, including one intentional. The first baseman/designated player had a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .682 on-base percentage (.682). Although most teams have tried to pitch around Tausaga, she has made the most of her opportunities. In the first game against No. 25 California, she went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Against No.14 Baylor, she was walked twice, but when they did pitch to her, she went 1-for-1 with a home run. In the first game against Nevada, she went 2-for-2 with two walks, and two runs scored. In the second match against the Wolf Pack, she was 2-for-4 with a home run, and in the championship game, she was 2-for-3 with a crucial RBI in the first inning.
Mackin, a sophomore from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada (Newmarket) appeared in all seven games last week for the Bulldogs, but the most memorable came against No. 2 Arizona State. Mackin baffled the Sun Devils with 16 strikeouts during Fresno State’s 6-1 win in the second game of the Judi Garman Classic. Mackin’s other wins came against Purdue and a complete-game, 11-strikeout performance against Cal State Northridge. Mackin also picked up a save during the week while only allowing five earned runs in 31 2/3 innings. Mackin ended the week with a 3-1 record, pitching 31.2 innings and adding 49 strikeouts. She averaged 10.8 strikeouts per seven innings.
Other hitter of the week nominees included: Fresno State’s Kristin Sylvester had 10 hits and seven RBI as the Bulldogs went 4-3... Nevada’s Kym Silagyi hit .389 with seven hits and two RBI.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Hawai?i’s Kate Robinson went 3-0 with a 0.74 ERA and 13 strikeouts ... Nevada’s Katie Holverson went 1-1 with a 3.09 ERA at the Bank of Hawaii Invitational ... San Jose State’s Roxanne Bejarano went 4-0 and three complete games with a 0.60 ERA against Northern Colorado and Northern Iowa ... Utah State’s Lexy Perry had a 0.00 ERA with one shutout and one strikeout against Oregon State.
ON DECK ? In week six of WAC softball, league play begins. Hawai?i has jumped out to an early lead with a three-game sweep of Nevada. The Rainbow Wahine have already reached 30 wins this season. Nevada looks to win its first WAC game of the season, hosting Fresno State in a three-game set. Nevada will play the Fresno State series at Idlewild Park before moving to its new field, the Christina Hixon Softball Complex. San Jose State will travel to New Mexico State for a three-game series, while Hawai?i will host Louisiana Tech. Utah State will take a brief hiatus before starting WAC play.
HAWAI?I REMAINS IN THE POLLS ? Hawai?i i remains in the polls this week, earning a No. 23 ranking in the USA Today/NFCA Poll. In the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll the Rainbow Wahine are No. 21. Fresno State is on the cusp of breaking back in to the top 25. The Bulldogs are No. 27 in the NFCA poll and are tied for No. 28 in the USA Softball poll.
THE MIGHTY FALL ? The WAC made a statement last week with four teams defeating at least one ranked team. Nevada’s win over the No. 14 Bears is the highest ranked opponent the Wolf Pack has ever beaten and marks the program’s fourth victory over a top-25 team. Nevada also beat No. 16 Fresno State in 2004 and twice beat the No. 23 Bulldogs in 2006. Utah State defeated then-No. 15 Oregon State in Corvallis. The win was Utah State’s first win over a ranked team since beating No. 18 Oregon, 7-6, last season on Feb. 17, at the UNLV Classic. Fresno State knocked off No. 2 Arizona State, 6-1 behind 16 strikeouts by sophomore Robin Mackin. No. 23 Hawai?i defeated No. 25 California, 6-2 and No. 14 Baylor, 2-1.
OUT OF THE PARK ? Hawai?i has hit 49 home runs in 37 games. Last season, the Rainbow Wahine hit a school-record 42 in 54 games. Hawai?i has 176 RBI thus far this season. Six of the homers were grand slams, two by Brandi Peiler and one each by Kaulana Gould, Alana Power, Valana Manuma, and Tyleen Tausaga. Thirty have been multiple RBI home runs (20 two-run home runs, four three-run home runs and six grand slams. The highest total for the team in a game is six (at LMU - 2-Tanisha Milca, Peiler, Manuma, Gail Matsushima and Amanda Tauali`i). Three players have hit two homers in one game: Robinson twice (vs. Colorado State and vs. Southern Utah); Milca at LMU and Peiler vs. UOP.
NEW HOME FOR WOLFPACK ? Beginning with the 2007 season, the University of Nevada softball team has a new home facility. The Wolf Pack will play at the Christina Hixson Softball Complex, named after the benefactor whose donation allowed Nevada to purchase the land for the softball complex. The land for the facility was purchased from Bishop Manogue Catholic High School and is located adjacent to campus across Evans Avenue from Peccole Park. The 23-acre site is also home to the field events for Wolf Pack women’s track and field. The softball facility has 168 permanent chair backs behind home plate. The facility can hold up to 1,000 fans comfortably with room for lawn chairs on the burms behind the first and third base lines. There is room to expand the facility’s seating capacity to 1,500 fans with aluminum bleachers.
FRESNO STATE TO HOST 2007 TOURNAMENT ? For the second-straight season, the WAC Softball Tournament will be held in Fresno, Calif. This will be only the second tournament since 1999. This season, all seven teams will advance to the double-elimination tournament. The tournament will be held at Bulldog Diamond from May 10-12. Fourth-seeded Nevada captured its first WAC Tournament last season. The Wolf Pack defeated third-seeded Hawai?i twice on the final day to win the tournament. Nevada was led by pitcher Jordan McPherson who pitched all 41 innings of the WAC Tournament without allowing an earned run.
WAC LEADERS ? Hawai?i’s Clare Warwick leads the WAC in hits with 46. Her teammate, Kate Robinson, leads the conference in RBI with 34. New Mexico State’s Stephanie Herrera currently leads the WAC in hitting, batting .398. Hawai?i’s Tyleen Tausaga is second, hitting .379. In the circle, Fresno State’s Robin Mackin leads the conference with a 16-7 record. Mackin already has 205 strikeouts. Last season, Mackin set a WAC record with 400 strikeouts during her rookie campaign. The Bulldog All-America also leads the conference in ERA (1.17) and saves (4).
FRESNO STATE PICKED TO WIN 2007 WAC TITLE ? The Western Athletic Conference softball coaches selected Fresno State to win the 2007 WAC regular season crown. Fresno State has been picked to take the preseason crown 11 out of the last 12 years. In 2002, Hawai?i was chosen to win the title. The coaches also voted on 2007 preseason award winners. For the second-straight season Robin Mackin earned preseason Pitcher of the Year honors. Hawai?i first baseman Tyleen Tausaga earned preseason Player of the Year honors. The last Rainbow Wahine player to earn preseason Player of the Year honors was shortstop Kate Judd who earned the award before the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
Fresno State edged out Hawai?i with 35 points to the Rainbow Wahine’s 30. Defending WAC Tournament Champions Nevada was picked to finish third with 28 points. This is the second-straight year that Wolf Pack have been picked third in the preseason. The Bulldogs and the Wolf Pack were the only WAC teams to advance to the NCAA Tournament last season. Fresno State is the only team in the nation to play in all 25 NCAA Tournaments.
New Mexico State finished fourth with 21 points followed by San Jose State with 14 points. Louisiana Tech was picked to finish sixth with 10 points, while Utah State was picked to finish seventh with nine points.
RETURNING ALL-WAC PLAYERS ? The WAC will feature 11 players who were 2006 first team all-WAC performers. Fresno State returns WAC Pitcher and Freshman of the Year, sophomore Robin Mackin. The Bulldogs also return sophomore third baseman Haley Perkins. Hawai?i returns first baseman Tyleen Tausaga, pitcher Justine Smethurst and outfielder Kaulana Gould. All three Louisiana Tech first-team all-WAC honorees return, including catcher Regan Clark, second baseman Rochelle Sandberg and outfielder Emma Barnes. New Mexico State also returns outfielder Kristi Randall, outfielder Rishelle Gastelum and designated player Stacey Lien. Second team returnees include: 2B Jenna Cervantez, Fresno State; 3B Jessica Elson, Louisiana Tech; OF Shannon Garvin, Fresno State; OF Tanisha Milca, Hawai?i; OF Mandy Winkley, San Jose State; DP Audrey Andrade, Hawai?i; 3B Sarah Hunt, Nevada and P Jordan McPherson, Nevada.