HAWAI`I GOES 1-2 IN FIRST-EVER WOMEN’S COLLEGE WORLD SERIES APPEARANCETraci Yoshikawa hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to lead the Rainbow Wahine to a 3-2 win over Missouri in their opening game of the Women’s College World Series. Stephanie Ricketts picked up the complete-game win, scattering six hits and striking out six. The following day, UCLA pitcher Megan Langenfeld held Hawai`i at bay in a 5-2 Bruin victory in a winner’s bracket game. Alex Aguirre provided the only spark for the Rainbow Wahine in the fourth inning when she homered to cut the Bruin deficit to 4-2. Aguirre fouled off 14 straight pitches before sending the 1-2 pitch over the wall. Hawai`i saw its record-breaking season come to an end following a 5-1 loss to Arizona in an elimination game. The Rainbow Wahine could only muster two hits off of Arizona starter Kenzie Fowler. Yoshikawa blasted her second homer of the tournament in the third inning en route to earning all-tournament team honors.
HAWAI`I KNOCKS OFF TOP-SEEDED ALABAMA TO EARN FIRST-EVER TRIP TO WCWSAfter managing just two hits and falling 8-0 in five innings to top-seeded Alabama in the first game of the Tuscaloosa Super Regional, Hawai`i won the second game 8-7, snapping the Crimson Tide’s 28-game winning streak and forcing a game three. The Rainbow Wahine, playing as the home team by virtue of a coin flip, led throughout the third game until the top of the sixth inning, when Alabama hit a three-run homer to go up 4-3. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Kelly Majam walked to start off the inning. After the next two batters struck out, Jenna Rodriguez came to the plate with two outs and a trip to the Women’s College World Series on the line. The junior hit a two-run walk-off homer just inside the leftfield foul pole to give Hawai`i the win.
HAWAI`I WINS STANFORD REGIONAL, ADVANCES TO TUSCALOOSA SUPER REGIONALNo. 16-seed Hawai`i won the Stanford Regional with wins over UC Davis (10-2), No. 15 Stanford (6-3) and Texas Tech (7-1). The Rainbow Wahine hit .366 with two doubles, one triple, eight home runs and 22 RBI over the three games.
FRESNO STATE FALLS IN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME OF LOS ANGELES REGIONALFresno State went 2-2 at the Los Angeles Regional, falling 3-2 to San Diego State before defeating Saint Mary’s (6-0) and San Diego State (4-3) to advance to the championship game, where it fell to host UCLA, 7-2.
HAWAI`I WINS FIRST-EVER WAC TOURNAMENTThe Rainbow Wahine claimed their first-ever WAC Tournament title with a 14-3 win over Fresno State in the championship game May 15. Hawai`i had five homers in the game to extend its NCAA record. Kelly Majam was named tournament MVP after hitting .571 with three home runs and eight RBI over four games.
All-Tournament Team: Kathy Cox, Boise State; Kelli Fangonilo, San Jose State; Haley Gilleland, Fresno State; Melissa Gonzalez, Hawai`i; Katie Grimes, Hawai`i; Natasha Hawkins, San Jose State; Jessica Iwata, Hawai`i; Kelly Majam, Hawai`i (MVP); Michelle Moses, Fresno State; Caitlin Stiglich, Fresno State; Lela Work, Boise State.
TEN WAC TOURNAMENT RECORDS FALL IN LAS CRUCESTen WAC Tournament records were tied or broken in Las Cruces during the 2010 WAC Tournament. The records are listed below.
| Runs in
a game |
4 |
Jessica Iwata, Hawai`i (vs. San
Jose State) |
| Runs in a tournament |
8 |
Melissa Gonzalez, Hawai`i (four games) |
| Doubles in a game |
2 |
Melissa Gonzalez, Hawai`i (vs. San Jose State) |
| |
|
Brooke Phipps, Fresno State (vs. Boise State) |
| Doubles in a tournament |
3 |
Jenna Rodriguez, Hawai`i (four games) |
| Triples in a game |
1 |
Kellie Caplan, Boise State (vs. Fresno State) |
| Home runs in a game |
2 |
Kathy Cox, Boise State (vs. Fresno State) |
| |
|
Hoku Nohara, New Mexico State (vs. San Jose State) |
| |
|
Melissa Gonzalez, Hawai`i (vs. San Jose State) |
| Home runs in a tournament |
4 |
Kathy Cox, Boise State (five games) |
| Most RBI in a game |
6 |
Melissa Gonzalez, Hawai`i (vs. San Jose State) |
| Most RBI in a tournament |
8 |
Kathy Cox, Boise State (five games) |
| |
|
Melissa Gonzalez, Hawai`i (four games) |
| |
|
Alex Aguirre, Hawai`i (four games) |
| |
|
Kelly Majam, Hawai`i (four games) |
| Most stolen bases in a
tournament |
3 |
Jessi Hanna, Boise State (five games) |
HAWAI`I’S GONZALEZ, MAJAM NAMED NFCA ALL-AMERICANSHawai`i’s Melissa Gonzalez and Kelly Majam were named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-America teams. Gonzalez was a first-team selection at third base, while Majam was named to the second team as an outfielder. Gonzalez, a junior, posted a .394 batting average. She had 13 doubles, 25 home runs and 60 RBI on the year. The freshman Majam led the team and ranked 42nd nationally with a .400 batting average. She broke the WAC record and led the nation with 30 home runs on the year. She also had 15 doubles and 60 RBI.
HAWAI`I’S MAJAM NAMED ESPN.COM ALL-AMERICANHawai`i freshman centerfielder Kelly Majam was named an ESPN.com All-American. She is the first Rainbow Wahine to ever be selected for the honor by ESPN.com. Majam finished as the NCAA Division I home run queen with 30, a new UH and WAC record. Majam is the first Hawai`i player to ever lead the nation in home runs. She also set new school marks with 81 runs scored and 44 walks. Majam led the Rainbow Wahine this season with a .400 average (84-for-210), while hitting 15 doubles, two triples and driving in 60 runs. On defense, she had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 79 put-outs and six assists in centerfield. On top of leading the nation in home runs, Majam ended the 2010 season ranked fourth in the nation in runs scored per game (1.23), fifth in slugging percentage (.919), 27th in on-base percentage (.519) and 42nd in batting average (.400).
EIGHT WAC PLAYERS NAMED TO NFCA ALL-REGION TEAMSEight WAC softball players were named to the Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I All-Region teams. A total of 256 players from 116 different institutions comprise this season’s 10 regional teams, including first and second teams for each region.
Hawai`i third baseman Melissa Gonzalez, designated player Jenna Rodriguez and outfielder Kelly Majam were named to the All-West Region first team, while teammates pitcher Stephanie Ricketts and shortstop Jessica Iwata were second-team honorees to give the Rainbow Wahine that most selections in the WAC with five. Joining them on the West Region team was New Mexico State first baseman Hoku Nohara, a first-team pick, and Fresno State utility/pitcher Michelle Moses, a second-team honoree. Boise State third baseman Kathy Cox was named to the Pacific Region second team to round out the group.
The all-region teams were chosen by NFCA member coaches from each region, and all the honorees will now be eligible for selection to the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-America first, second or third teams. In addition, conference pitchers and players of the year not selected to the regional teams were added for All-America consideration.
HAWAI`I SETS NCAA RECORD FOR HOME RUNS IN A SEASONHawai`i hit two home runs in a 16-2 WAC Tournament win over Fresno State on May 14, bringing its season total to 136 to break the former NCAA record of 134 set in 2009 by Arizona. UH tied the mark in its 54th game of the season, while Arizona needed 63 games. The Rainbow Wahine concluded the year with 158 long balls in 66 games or 2.39 per game.
HAWAI`I’S IWATA NAMED TO FUTURES TEAMHawai`i freshman shortstop Jessica Iwata was one of 18 athletes selected for the 2010 USA Softball Women’s Futures National Team. The team, which includes both USA Softball rookies and those with program experience, consists of athletes who currently play or have played at 13 schools in six Division I conferences.
Iwata is the first Hawai`i softball player to be selected to this prestigious team. The last Rainbow Wahine to play on a U.S. national squad was Stephanie Keeler in 1993, when she was a member of the U-19 team.
The Futures Team kicked off the season with exhibition games against the 2010 USA Softball Women’s National Team in Canton and Ashland, Ohio, June 16-17. They will also compete against the National Teams of Canada, Japan and the USA at the 2010 World Cup of Softball, July 22-26, at the ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla.
Members of the Futures Team will also fill spots on the USA team competing at the Canadian Open Fast Pitch International Championship, July 7-11, in Surrey, B.C. and exhibition games in Whitehorse, Yukon, July 13-14. Futures players will also be included on the rosters for the Japan Cup, August 3-9, in Sendai City, Japan. Complete rosters for the tournaments in Canada and Japan will be announced at a later date.
ALL-WAC HONORSRegular-season champion Hawai`i swept the WAC major awards, as Jessica Iwata was named WAC Player of the Year, Stephanie Ricketts was named Pitcher of the Year, Kelly Majam was named Freshman of the Year and Bob Coolen was named Coach of the Year.
Iwata, a freshman shortstop from Lihu’e, Kaua`i (Kaua`i), led the WAC with a .488 batting average and 1.050 slugging percentage in WAC play. She posted conference highs in hits (39), RBI (32), doubles (12), total bases (84) and at bats (80). She had multiple hits in 12 of 20 WAC games and posted an 11-game hitting streak during conference play.
Ricketts, a sophomore righthander from San Jose, Calif. (Archbishop Mitty), posted a perfect 13-0 record with a 1.55 ERA in WAC play. She had 52 strikeouts and three shutouts in 81.1 innings of work in conference games. She also tossed a perfect game against Nevada on April 24.
Majam, an outfielder from Pine Valley, Calif. (Mountain Empire), led the conference in runs scored (31), walks (16) and plate appearances (87), and ranked second in slugging percentage (.926) and on-base percentage (.529) in WAC play.
Coolen earned Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career after leading his team to its third WAC regular-season title and the top seed in the WAC Tournament. In WAC play, the Rainbow Wahine went 19-1 and led the conference in 12 statistical categories.
HAWAI`I CLAIMS WAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLEHawai`i won the WAC regular-season title and clinched the top seed in the WAC Tournament with a 5-0 win over Fresno State on April 30. The Rainbow Wahine completed WAC play with a 19-1 mark. It marks the third WAC regular-season crown for Hawai`i. The Rainbow Wahine previously won the title in 2003 and 2007.
BOISE STATE BRONCOS (29-32, 13-8 WAC)The Broncos went 3-2 at the WAC Tournament, defeating New Mexico State 9-8, falling to Fresno State 4-5, beating Louisiana Tech 8-2, defeating San Jose State 6-5 and falling 6-5 to Fresno State to be eliminated from the tournament ... Kathy Cox and Lela Work were named to the all-tournament team. Cox hit .444 with four home runs and eight RBI over the five games, while Work was 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and limited opponents to a .074 batting average ... Cox tied the WAC Tournament record for home runs in a game (two) and set the records for homers in a tournament (four) and RBI in a tournament (eight) ... Kellie Caplan tied the WAC record for triples in a game with one against Fresno State, while Jessi Hanna tied the record for stolen bases in a tournament with three ... Boise State more than tripled its WAC win total from 2009, winning 13 games compared to four last year ... Both Aubray Zell (7) and Allie Crump (8) won more games in the circle than the Broncos did as a team in 2009.
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (41-21, 15-6 WAC)The Bulldogs went 2-2 at the Los Angeles Regional, falling 3-2 to San Diego State before defeating Saint Mary’s (6-0) and San Diego State (4-3) to advance to the championship game, where it fell to host UCLA, 7-2 ... Michelle Moses hit .385 with four RBI and two homers over the four games ... Morgan Melloh went 1-0 in the circle, striking out 12 over 7.0 innings ... The Bulldogs remain the only team to have been selected to all 29 NCAA Tournament ... Fresno State finished second at the WAC Tournament, defeating Boise State 5-4, falling to Hawai`i 1-16 (5), beating Boise State 6-5, defeating Hawai`i 4-3 and losing to Hawai`i 3-14 (5) in the championship game ... Haley Gilleland, Michelle Moses and Caitlin Stiglich were named to the all-tournament team. Gilleland and Moses both hit .438 over the five games, while Stiglich hit .375 with two doubles and five RBI ... Brooke Phipps tied the WAC Tournament record for doubles in a game with two against Boise State.
HAWAI`I RAINBOW WAHINE (50-16, 19-1 WAC)The Rainbow Wahine defeated Missouri 3-2 in the first game of the Women’s College World Series, then fell 5-2 to UCLA and 5-1 to Arizona ... Traci Yoshikawa hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh inning to put Hawai`i ahead for good vs. the Tigers ... Stephanie Ricketts picked up the complete-game win, scattering six hits and striking out six ... In the loss to the Bruins, Alex Aguirre fouled off 14 straight pitches before sending the 1-2 pitch over the wall to cut the Bruin deficit to 4-2 ... In the loss to Arizona, the Rainbow Wahine only mustered two hits, including a Yoshikawa homer ... Yoshikawa was named to the all-tournament team for her performance ...Hawai`i finished the season ranked No. 7 nationally ... The Rainbow Wahine reached 50 wins for just the third time in school history ... Hawai`i shattered the previous NCAA single-season home record of 134 with 158 homers ... Eight Rainbow Wahine had at least 11 home runs, led by All-American Kelly Majam’s NCAA-best 30 ... Hawai`i set single-season records for runs (488), RBI (449), doubles (92), walks (185) and hits (578).
LOUISIANA TECH TECHSTERS (26-21, 11-10 WAC)The Lady Techsters went 0-2 at the WAC Tournament, falling 5-6 to San Jose State and 2-8 to Boise State to end their season ... In the game against the Spartans, Meghan Krieg set the LA Tech single-season strikeout record in the top of the fourth inning with her 255th of the year. She finished the season with 260 ... Krieg and Amberly Waits were both first team all-WAC selections ... As a team, LA Tech ranked 42nd nationally in home runs per game (0.91) ... Waits ranked 28th in the nation in batting average (.412) and 42nd in on-base percentage (.506) ... Krieg ranked 33rd nationally in strikeouts (260) and 49th in hits allowed per seven innings (5.13) ... Waits closed out her career tied for second in the WAC record books in triples (19), fifth in slugging percentage (.671), sixth in doubles (47), seventh in hits (262), tied for seventh in home runs (36) and ninth in RBI (160).
NEVADA WOLF PACK (17-28, 4-16 WAC)The Wolf Pack went 1-2 against Boise State during the last weekend of the regular-season, winning the first game 9-8 (8), before dropping the next two games 1-8 and 0-11 to drop out of contention for the WAC Tournament and end their season ... In game one, Nevada made a dramatic comeback to win it in the ninth inning. The Wolf Pack trailed 8-3 in the seventh inning but scored five times to tie it and send the game into extra innings ... In game two, Boise State scored once in the first, three times in the second and twice in the third to open up a 6-0 lead and the Wolf Pack did not have a base runner until the fifth inning ... As a team, Nevada ranked 11th nationally in doubles per game (1.58) ... Kelsey Starr ranked 19th in the nation in doubles per game (0.33).
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (27-28, 7-14 WAC)The Aggies went 0-2 at the WAC Tournament, falling 9-8 to Boise State and 9-8 to San Jose State ... Hoku Nohara tied the WAC Tournament record for homers in a game with two the Spartans ... As a team, the Aggies ranked seventh nationally in double plays per game (0.45), 18th in slugging percentage (.495), 19th in batting average (.317), 20th in scoring (5.84) and 21st in home runs per game (1.13) ... Nohara ranked ninth in the nation in RBI per game (1.15), 10th in slugging percentage (.825), 30th in on-base percentage (.518), 34th in home runs per game (0.30) and 37th in home runs (16) ... Kylie Randall was 38th in the country with 0.53 stolen bases per game ... Nohara ranks fourth in the WAC career record books in home runs (40) and sixth in slugging percentage (.657) ... Five Aggies earned all-WAC honors, led by Tiare Jennings on the first team, while Nohara, Randall, Angie Ortega and Kandis Jones were named to the second team.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (34-25, 8-13 WAC)The Spartans went 2-2 at the WAC Tournament, defeating Louisiana Tech 6-5, falling 8-16 (6) to Hawai`i, beating New Mexico State 9-8 and losing 6-5 to Boise State in an elimination game ... Kelli Fangonilo and Natasha Hawkins were named to the all-tournament team. Fangonilo hit .500 with two doubles, a homer and two RBI, while Hawkins hit .556 with three RBI and six walks over the four games ... Julianne Aiello and Brittany McConnell were named to the all-WAC second team ... As a team, San Jose State ranked sixth nationally in double plays per game (0.46), 23rd in doubles per game (1.49) and 46th in scoring (5.15) ... McConnell was ninth nationally with five sacrifice flies, while Amanda Pridmore ranked 11th in the nation in saves with four ... McConnell closed out her career ranked tied for seventh in the WAC career record books in RBI (166) and ninth in home runs (35).
UTAH STATE AGGIES (20-30, 5-14 WAC)The Aggies closed out their season with a 9-1 five-inning loss to Brigham Young ... The Cougars scored at least one run in all five innings ... Utah State got on the board in the fourth when Nicole Rupp-Tindall scored on a sacrifice fly by fellow senior Simone Hubbard ... Utah State ends the season with a 20-30 ledger, its second 20-win season of the 2000s ... USU’s five league wins was tied for the most-ever league wins, matching the 2006 squad ... As a team, Utah State ranked 48th in the nation in triples per game (0.20) ... Shelbi Tyteca ranked 11th nationally with four saves, while Nicole Rupp-Tindall was 45th in the nation with four triples this season.