DENVER –
Fresno State’s Michelle Moses and Hawai’i’s Stephanie Ricketts have been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Feb. 7-13. This is the first honor of the season and third of her career for Moses and the first of the season and sixth overall for Ricketts.
Moses, a junior pitcher/first baseman from Paso Robles, Calif., led the Bulldogs to a pair of wins over Sacramento State last Saturday, going 6-for-8 (.750) with two home runs a triple, a double, three singles and four RBI for 15 total bases, three runs scored and a 1.875 slugging percentage. In a 5-4 season-opening win, Moses hit the first cycle in Fresno State softball history. Starting the game in the circle and later moving to first base, she opened her production at the plate with a two-run home run in the third inning, then followed with a double in the fifth, a single in the seventh and a triple in the ninth inning. In game two, she blasted another two-run home run to spark Fresno State’s 7-4 victory. The two home runs moved Moses into a tie with Kim Maher and Amanda Scott for third all-time on Fresno State in career home runs (31) … on the day, she hit
Ricketts, a junior from San Jose, Calif., picked up three complete-game wins during opening weekend en route to Most Valuable Pitcher honors at the Paradise Classic. She posted two shutouts, had 0.37 ERA and allowed just one run in 19.0 innings of work. She also had 25 strikeouts and just one walk on the week. Against Texas State, Ricketts fired an eight-inning, one-hit shutout, striking out a career-high 12 batters with no walks and facing just two batters over the minimum.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Hawai’i's Kelly Majam hit .600 with three doubles, one homer and four RBI … Jenna Frandrup of Louisiana Tech earned all-tournament team honors at the LSU Tiger Classic after hitting .364 over five games … Nevada’s Karley Hopkins hit .438 with five doubles on the week … Teresa Conrad of New Mexico State hit .438 with two home runs and nine RBI as the Aggies went 6-0 to start the season … San Jose State’s Alyssa Sulay hit .368 with five RBI as the Spartans went 5-2 to start the season … Kelley Kaneshiro of Utah State hit .455 with two doubles, two home runs and three RBI on the week.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Boise State’s Allie Crump posted a 0.70 ERA with nine strikeouts in 10.0 innings pitched … Mackenzie Oakes of Fresno State went 2-0 with a 2.13 ERA and 10 strikeouts on the week … New Mexico State's Sydney Williard went 2-0 with a 0.91 ERA on the week.