DENVER –
Hawai`i’s Jessica Iwata and San Jose State’s Jennifer Ames have been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Feb. 14-20. This is the first honor of the season and second of her career for Iwata and the first honor of the season and second of her career for Ames.
Iwata, a sophomore shortstop from Lihu`e, Kaua`i, hit .526 (10-for-19) in five games at the Louisville-Slugger Desert Classic last weekend. She had a team-high 1.474 slugging percentage and also led UH in runs scored (9), hits (10), home runs (6) and RBI (10). Against Utah, Iwata helped UH mount a furious comeback in the final two innings, hitting a pair of homers. In Hawai`i’s next game against Long Beach State, she started the game blasting her third homer of the tournament and third homer in as many at-bats. Then, against No. 19 Stanford, Iwata went 4-for-4 with three solo home runs. It marked the second time in her career that she’s drilled three home runs in a single game. Iwata is currently on a six-game hitting streak.
Ames, a junior from San Jose, Calif., went 2-0 and recorded a save as the Spartans went 6-0 last week. She posted a 0.48 ERA in 14.2 innings pitched, allowing just one earned run and striking out three.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Boise State’s Kellie Caplan hit .588 with five RBI on the week … Nicole Angene of Fresno State was 2-for-3 in a win over No. 8 Missouri … Louisiana Tech’s Janna Frandrup earned all-tournament team honors at the Mississippi State Bulldog Round Robin after hitting .500 over four games … Nevada’s Lauren Lastrapes hit .533 with four extra-base hits on the week … Kylie Randall of New Mexico State hit .474 one double and one home run as the Aggies went 4-2 on the week … San Jose State’s Alex Stange hit .571 with three RBI as the Spartans went 6-0 on the week … Kelley Kaneshiro of Utah State hit .467 with two doubles, two home runs and five RBI on the week.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Fresno State’s Michelle Moses went 1-0 on the week with a complete-game victory over No. 8 Missouri … Michelle Jones of Louisiana Tech went 1-0 with a complete-game victory over Butler … New Mexico State's Alex Newman went 2-0 with five strikeouts on the week.