ON DECK ? In week nine of WAC softball, WAC-leader, Hawai?i, takes a week off as the remaining teams look to chisel down the Rainbow Wahine’s lead. Second-place Fresno State travels to Las Cruces to take on third-place New Mexico State with a single-game on April 13 and a doubleheader on April 14. San Jose State and Nevada, which are both 3-6, will meet for a three-game series in Reno. In the last WAC pairing of the week, Utah State will host Louisiana Tech.
NFCA Top 25 Poll
USA Softball Top 25 Poll
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK ? Hawai?i’s Tyleen Tausaga and Justine Smethurst have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. This is the third honor this season for both Tausaga and Smethurst.
Tausaga, a senior from Honolulu, Oahu (Kaimuki), had a great week with a seven-game hitting streak during the Rainbow Wahine’s current seven-game winning streak. Against Santa Clara, she went 2-for-3 with a RBI double. In the conference series against a tough New Mexico State team, she went 6-for-8 (.750). Tausaga was 2-for-3 with two RBI in game one. In game two, she opened the game with another. Two innings later, she battled hard at the plate and powered an opposite-field, three-run home run into the wind over the left field fence. It was the third time this season she’s had four RBI in a game. In the final game at NMSU, Hawai?i found itself down 4-0 through the first four innings. Tausaga led the sixth inning hitting a home run to right field, cutting the lead to 4-2. Then in the final frame, she battled hard again at the plate to keep her team alive and got the team’s third consecutive hit to load the bases, eventually winning the game, 6-5.
Smethurst, a sophomore from Victoria, Australia (Shelford Girls Grammar), was 2-0 last week a 0.50 ERA. In her first game against Santa Clara, she fired a three-hit shut-out over the Broncos and had a career-high 13 strike outs. It was her seventh shut-out of the season. At one point, she struck out 11 of 12 batters between the second and fifth innings in her most dominating performance this season. She allowed only two balls to reach the outfield. In her second start of the week, she threw her second complete game to defeat New Mexico State, 7-3. She allowed only one earned run off a walk and three consecutive infield singles. Even after the Aggies scored the run, she was able to work out of the bases-loaded, no-out jam. She held opponents to a .204 average, while striking out 18, allowing only one earned run.
Other hitter of the week nominees included: Jenna Cervantez of Fresno State hit .500 as the Bulldogs went 3-1 in two non-conference doubleheaders ... Emma Barnes of Louisiana Tech led the Lady Techsters to a 2-2 record with eight hits last week ... Kelsey Starr of Nevada hit .533 as the Wolf Pack went 4-1 against the Utah Valley State and Utah State and Jamie Fife of Utah State hit .538 as the Aggies went 2-3 against Utah Valley State and Nevada.
Other pitcher of the week nominees included: Robin Mackin of Fresno State went 3-0 with a 2.52 ERA, striking out 22 batters ...Krissi Oliver of Louisiana Tech went 2-1 with a 1.19 ERA and Jordan McPherson of Nevada went 3-0 allowing only five earned runs in 20.0 innings.
BLAZING THE BASEPATHS ? Nevada has recorded 38 stolen bases on 53 attempts this season, setting a single season program record. The previous single-season mark was 30 stolen bases in 2004 when the Pack reached safely on 30 of its 49 attempts. Jiliane Hartfiel (2004-05) holds the single season record with 14 stolen bases on 19 attempts. Sophomore Kym Silagyi, who led the team in stolen bases (5-9) as a freshman, leads the team this season, reaching safely on seven of her nine stolen base attempts.
Utah State has also topped last season’s stolen base total, nearly matching last season’s total of 13 stolen bases with 12 swipes in the six games in Colorado March 1-4 in games in Greeley and Fort Collins. On the year, the Aggies now have 40 stolen bases in 54 attempts. That total is over halfway to the school record of 67 from the 1981 national-championship season in 46 games. The 40 stolen bases are the most since the 2002 squad swiped 40. Utah State currently averages 1.18 stolen bases per game; in order to break the school record, they will have to average 1.47 stolen bases per game.
STORMY WEATHER ? Bad weather has struck WAC non-conference play. Utah State’s softball doubleheader at Idaho State on Tuesday was canceled due to inclement weather. New Mexico State’s game at UTEP on Tuesday, Apr. 10 was canceled due to inclement weather around the Helen of Troy Softball Complex in El Paso, Texas.
Utah State was leading 2-0 in the top of the third. All stats from the game will not count. Sophomore first baseman Aubrie Stroman’s 2-2 effort with an RBI single and a ground-rule double, as well as junior third baseman Amy Schaible’s solo home run in the top of the third will not count.
Strong winds in the area was the reason for the cancellation in El Paso for New Mexico State. The game will not be rescheduled because of the busy schedules of the two schools as they wrap up the final three weeks of the regular season.
WAC RECORD SHATTERED ? Hawai?i has broken the WAC record for home runs in a season with 64 home runs in only 48 games. The record was 50 set by Fresno State in 2004. Last season, the Rainbow Wahine hit a school-record 42 in 54 games. Hawai?i has 257 RBI thus far this season. Kate Robinson’s grand slam last week against New State on April 7 was her first and the team’s eighth this season. Robinson is closing in on former Fresno State All-American Christina Clark’s single-season home run record. Robinson currently has 15 home runs. Clark had 23 long balls in 2004. The Hawai?i record is 17 by Stacey Porter in 2003.
TOUGH TAUSAGA ? Senior Tyleen Tausaga’s home run aganst New Mexico State was her 12th of the year which ties her season-high from last year. It was also her 30th career home run which passes Dana Degen for second place in the all-time career home run list. Stacey Porter holds the record at 38. Tausaga’s seven RBI in the New Mexico State series pushes her career total to 146, which is just two shy of Degen’s all-time school record of 148.
TRAVEL GUIDE ? Louisiana Tech will be making its first ever trip to Logan when it takes on the Aggies this week. The Aggies are 0-3 in Ruston and 1-1 at neutral sites. The Lady Techsters have won four-straight in the series. Prior to joining the WAC, the two team hadn’t met since 1989.
MACKIN ATTACKIN’ ? Fresno State sophomore Robin Mackin has shown no signs of a sophomore slump. She leads the WAC in pitching with a 1.16 earned run and a 24-8 record. She is the first WAC pitcher to reach the 20-win plateau. The Canadian’s 24 wins is third in the nation in wins. Mackin has recorded 273 strikeouts in 216.1 innings pitched. Fellow sophomore Haley Perkins is also having a solid second season. Perkins is hitting .375. The infielder is also first in the WAC in runs scored with 43.
BEST OF THE BEST ? There are several individuals and teams among the leaders in this week’s NCAA statistics. This is the first week of NCAA stats. Fresno State’s Robin Mackin is third in the nation in victories. She is also 23rd in ERA (1.18) and fifth in saves (4). Hawai?i’s Kate Robinson is 18th in home runs per game, while New Mexico State’s Ashley Roszkos is 19th in doubles per game (0.36).
As a team, Fresno State is sixth in fielding percentage (.977). Hawai?i is seventh in win/loss percentage (.833) and 12th in slugging percentage (.507). The powerful Rainbow Wahine are also third in the country in home runs per game (1.33).
TWO WAC TEAMS EARN RANKINGS ? Hawai?i remains in the polls this week, moving up to No. 18 ranking in both the USA Today/NFCA Poll and No. 21 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. The Rainbow Wahine are now one of two teams ranked in the WAC. The Fresno State softball team returned to the Top 25 rankings this week, earning the No. 25 spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll announced Tuesday morning. After a five week hiatus from the top 25 rankings, Fresno State (30-13) worked its way back into the poll with a three-game conference sweep of Utah State.
POWER SURGE ? Hawai?i has now out-scored their opponents 284-99 in 48 games. The team’s record breaking home run total continues to pile up. The old record set last season was 42 and the 2007 team now has 64 on the year.
RE-WRITING THE RECORD BOOK ? Brittany Puzey (36 RBI) is four RBI away from breaking her own record for most RBI in a season. Puzey recorded 39 RBI as a freshman in 2006. Sam Bias, who has already set a program record for most home runs by a freshman, is one home run away from setting a program record for most home runs in a season. This season, Bias has hit a team-leading nine home runs for Nevada, while Puzey has eight. As a team, Nevada is two wins away from recording its fifth consecutive season with at least 20 wins.
NEW HOME FOR WOLF PACK ? Christina Hixson Softball Complex was 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. 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.
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 65. Her teammate, Kate Robinson, leads the conference in RBI with 52. New Mexico State’s Stephanie Herrera currently leads the WAC in hitting, batting .429. Hawai?i’s Warwick is second, hitting .401.
In the circle, Fresno State’s Robin Mackin leads the conference with a 24-8 record. Mackin already has 273 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 (1.16) 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 the Wolf Pack were 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.
Fresno State Bulldogs (32-14, 5-1 WAC)
Fresno State has Robin Mackin leading the WAC in pitching with a 1.16 earned run average and a 24-8 record ... Mackin has recorded 273 strikeouts in 216.1 innings pitched ... Haley Perkins leads the WAC in runs scored with 46 and is third in stolen bases with nine ... Kristin Sylvester ranks fifth in batting with a .375 average, while Perkins is right behind with a .376 average ... Sylvester also ranks fourth in RBIs with 34 on the season.
Hawai?i Rainbow Wahine (40-8, 11-1 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine have won at least 40 games in a season, the last time was in 2003 ... it was the 10th time this season that UH has been able to battle back from a deficit to win the game, the four runs marks the largest comeback for this team this season ... Tausaga’s home run was her 12th of the year which ties her season-high from last year ... it was also her 30th career home run which passes Dana Degen for second place in the all-time career home run list ... Stacey Porter holds the record at 38 ... Tausaga’s seven RBI in this series pushes her career total to 146, which is just two shy of Degen’s all-time school record of 148.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (20-24, 3-6 WAC)
Emma Barnes is Louisiana’s top slugger ... the sophomore is batting .346 with 45 hits in 130 at-bats ... she has 13 RBI this season ... Ashley Waits is first in the WAC in triples with four ... Barnes is also second in stolen bases with 16 ... Krissi Oliver is fifth in strikeouts with 99 ... Oliver also has 15 wins and a 3.16 ERA.
Nevada Wolf Pack (18-25, 3-6 WAC)
The Wolf Pack is 7-0 when the team scores at least seven runs a game ... Kym Silagyi holds the top spot in the career record book for most sacrifice hits with 21 (13 this season) ... Nevada won a program-high 10-straight games ... the Pack hit seven home runs in its five games last week ... Nevada has five starters batting at least .300 ... Sam Bias (9 HR) is one home run away from setting a program record for most home runs in a season ... Brittany Puzey (36 RBI) is four RBI away from breaking her own record of most RBI in a season (39 in 2006).
New Mexico State (22-20, 4-5 WAC)
New Mexico State’s games at UTEP on Tuesday, Apr. 10 have been canceled due to inclement weather in El Paso ... the Miners (25-15) and the Aggies (22-20) did face each other three times this season, all in Las Cruces with NMSU taking 2-of-3 from UTEP ... New Mexico State now shifts its attention back to conference play where the Aggies host No. 24 Fresno State this weekend for a three-game series at the NMSU Softball Complex ... the Aggies and the Bulldogs play one game on Friday, Apr. 13 before a doubleheader on Saturday.
San Jose State Spartans (18-19, 3-6 WAC)
The Spartans continue WAC play this weekend with a three-game series against Nevada on April 13 and 14 ... the Spartans currently lead the series against the Wolf Pack, 16-4 ... the last time these two teams faced off was the same weekend last season with San Jose State sweeping all three games ... pitcher Roxanne Bejarano is fourth in the WAC in ERA (2.19).
Utah State Aggies (10-21, 0-3 WAC)
Saturday was USU head coach Candi Letts’ 700th career game (324-375-1 .463) ... Saturday’s win snapped USU’s 11-game losing skid to Nevada .. the Aggies now trail all-time series 13-12 ... also snapped Nevada’s 11-game overall win streak... senior C Jami Uragami blasted her first career HR and had a career-high three RBI in Saturday’s come-from-behind win ... USU nabbed its first conference win in its sixth league game, compared to the first WAC win coming in last year’s 12th league game ... the 11-23 ledger matches USU’s record through 34 games of the 2000’s, tying the 2000 and 2005 squads.