ORTIZ, JONES NAMED WAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Fresno State’s Brooke Ortiz and Louisiana Tech’s Michelle Jones have been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for April 2-8. This is the first-ever honor for both.
Ortiz, a sophomore infielder from Lodi, Calif., hit .533 (8-for-15) with a double and a triple in five games last week, to help Fresno State sweep the series from Utah State. Ortiz scored six runs, which accounted for 25 percent of Fresno State’s 24 runs on the week, and also had three RBI. She drew three walks, had a .733 slugging percentage and .611 on-base percentage during the week. In a doubleheader against UNLV, she went 5-for-7 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored. Ortiz had a two-run triple in the 8-0 win over Utah State in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader and scored two of Fresno State’s three runs in the 4-0 win in the series-opening victory over the Aggies. Ortiz has hit safely in each of the last six games and moved into the team lead with her .350 batting average.
Jones, a junior from Scurry, Texas, pitched a pair of complete-game wins over New Mexico State last weekend, leading Louisiana Tech to a three-game sweep of the defending WAC champions. Jones went 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA while limiting the Aggies to .143 team batting average. In the first game of the series, she limited NM State to four hits and just two runs, one of which was earned. Jones took a shutout into the seventh inning before surrendering two runs, only one earned. She returned to the circle Saturday and tossed a complete-game, three-hit shutout, allowing only six base runners in the game. It broke of string of 78 straight WAC games (both regular season and tournament) that NM State had scored at least one run, dating back to May 3, 2008.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Alex Aguirre of Hawai‘i hit .364 with one homer and four RBI ... Louisiana Tech’s Melanie Goff hit .400 with one homer and five RBI on the week ... Lauren Lastrapes of Nevada hit .429 with one RBI ... New Mexico State’s Malena Padilla hit .333 with a double and one stolen base on the week ... Cheryl Freitas of San Jose State hit .400 with a triple and three RBI last week ... Kelley Kaneshiro of Utah State hit .444 with two home runs and three RBI on the week.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Hannah Howell of Brigham Young went 1-1 with a save and 11 strikeouts last week ... Fresno State’s Michelle Moses went 3-1 with a 1.88 ERA and 15 strikeouts ... Stephanie Ricketts of Hawai‘i went 2-0 with a save, 13 strikeouts and a 1.17 ERA on the week ... Nevada’s Karlyn Jones went 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA in two appearances on the week ... Krysta Donisthorpe of New Mexico State posted a 1.62 ERA with nine strikeouts last week ... San Jose State’s Amanda Pridmore went 2-1 with a 0.88 ERA and seven strikeouts on the week ... Dani Chaplin of Utah State went 1-1 with 11 strikeouts last week.
BRIGHAM YOUNG COUGARS (24-12, 4-3 WAC)
The Cougars swept a doubleheader against Southern Utah last Tuesday, 8-0 (5) and 6-4 to extend its home win streak to 29 games, then split a doubleheader with No. 15 Hawai‘i last Saturday, 0-1 and 7-3 ... Against the Thunderbirds, Tiffany Messerschmidt was 6-of-7 on the day, including 4-for-4 in the first game ... Against the Rainbow Wahine, Delaney Willard got the Cougars’ only hit in the first game ... In the nightcap, BYU scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning en route to the win ... On Monday, the Cougars fell 4-7 at Idaho State, losing to the Bengals for the first time in program history ... As a team, BYU ranks 23rd nationally in scoring (5.89), and 42nd in batting average (.300) and winning percentage (.686) ... Willard ranks fifth in the nation in RBI per game (1.4), eighth in slugging percentage (.920), 13th in home runs per game (0.37), 14th in batting average (.440) and home runs (13), and 19th in on-base percentage (.537) ... Hannah Howell and Caroline Umphlett are tied for 49th nationally with two saves each ... The Cougars host Utah Valley on Wednesday, then host Utah State for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday.
FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS (27-16, 7-1 WAC)
The Bulldogs dropped a pair of games to UNLV, 5-8 and 2-12 (6), before sweeping the series with Utah State, 4-0, 8-0 (5) and 5-2 ... Against UNLV, Brooke Ortiz went 5-for-7 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored ... The Bulldogs outscored Utah State 17-2 over the three games and out-hit the Aggies 21-10 ... Michelle Moses won all three games vs. the Aggies, holding Utah State to just 10 hits and only two runs in 19 innings pitched ... On Monday, Fresno State fell 3-4 to Cal Poly in 10 innings ... Courtney Moore has recorded a hit in each of the last eight games, the longest hitting streak of her career ... Moses has 14 home runs this year to give her 55 for her career, good for third place in WAC history ... As a team, Fresno State ranks 12th nationally in triples per game (0.31), 32nd in double plays per game (0.4) and 47th in slugging percentage (.445) ... Moses ranks fourth in the nation in shutouts (9), 10th in home runs (14), 14th in strikeouts (182), 21st in wins (17) and 22nd in home runs per game (0.33) ... Stesha Brazil and Brenna Moss rank 11th in the nation in triples (4), while Ortiz is 30th (3) ... The Bulldogs play a three-game series at San Jose State this Friday and Saturday.
HAWAI‘I RAINBOW WAHINE (32-4, 6-2 WAC)
The Rainbow Wahine defeated Utah (7-3) and Utah Valley (6-1) in non-conference play before splitting a doubleheader at Brigham Young, 1-0 and 3-7, last weekend ... Against Utah, Kelly Majam, Alexandra Aguirre and Jocelyn Enrique all hit homers ... With the win over the Cougars, Stephanie Ricketts became the first Rainbow Wahine pitcher ever to earn at least 20 wins in each of her four seasons ... As a team, Hawai‘i ranks fourth in the nation in ERA (1.03), seventh in winning percentage (.889), eighth in home runs per game (1.31), 15th in fielding percentage (.975), and 21st in both scoring (6.03) and slugging percentage (.481) ... Ricketts ranks fourth in the nation in hits allowed per seven innings (3.86), fifth in wins (20), sixth in ERA (0.93), 11th in shutouts (8), 22nd in strikeouts (167) and 50th in strikeouts per seven innings (7.8) ... Kaia Parnaby ranks 19th nationally in ERA (1.2), 23rd in walks allowed per seven innings (1.2) and 24th in shutouts (6) ... Kelly Majam is 22nd in the nation in runs per game (1.06) and walks per game (0.81), while Jessica Iwata is 33rd in RBI per game (1.03) ... The Rainbow Wahine host Louisiana Tech for a three-game series this Friday and Saturday.
LOUISIANA TECH LADY TECHSTERS (18-19, 5-3 WAC)
The Lady Techsters swept the series against defending WAC champions New Mexico State, 6-2, 4-0 and 5-1 ... LA Tech allowed just one earned run in 21.0 innings while holding the Aggies to a .143 team batting average ... Michelle Jones pitched a pair of complete-game wins, including three-hit shutout that broke of string of 78 straight WAC regular-season and tournament games that NM State had scored at least one run ... As a team, Louisiana Tech ranks 33rd nationally in doubles per game (1.38) ... Meghan Knowles ranks 24th nationally in sacrifice flies (3), while Melanie Goff is 49th in saves (2) ... Janna Frandrup ranks 21st in the nation in walks (0.81) and 28th in on-base percentage (.523) ... The Lady Techsters lead the WAC in doubles per game (1.38) and assists (369) ... Frandrup leads the WAC in walks (30), walks per game (0.81) and fewest strikeouts per game (0.14), ranks third in on-base percentage (.523), seventh in batting average (.368) and ninth in RBI (25) and RBI per game (0.68) ... Louisiana Tech plays at Northwestern State for a single game on Tuesday, then travels to No. 14 Hawai‘i for a three-game series this Friday and Saturday.
NEVADA WOLF PACK (13-26, 4-5 WAC)
The Wolf Pack went 1-2 (2-11, 1-0 and 0-10) against San Jose State last weekend ... Karlyn Jones went 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA in two appearances, including a two-hit shutout ... Lauren Lastrapes hit .429 over the three games ... As a team, Nevada ranks 31st nationally with 0.26 triples per game ... Mallary Darby ranks 17th in the nation in walks allowed per seven innings (1.15) ... Sara Parsons ranks 34th nationally in doubles per game (0.31), while Jones is 12th in saves (3) ... Karley Hopkins leads the WAC in assists (100), ranks second in plate appearances per game (3.85), third in plate appearances (150) and at bats (132), sixth in at bats per game (3.38), seventh in hits (41) and ninth in hits per game (1.05) ... Parsons leads the WAC in doubles (12) and doubles per game (0.31) ... Chelsea Barilli ranks second in the WAC in sacrifice bunts (6), fourth in triples (2) and ninth in stolen bases (6) ... Lauren Lastrapes leads the WAC in putouts (279), ranks third in triples (2), fourth in at bats (131), sixth in total bases (63) and eighth in hits (40) ... Nevada plays a doubleheader at UTEP on Thursday, then plays a three-game series at New Mexico State this Friday and Saturday.
NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES (18-22, 0-9 WAC)
The Aggies lost all three games to Louisiana Tech last weekend, 2-6, 0-4 and 1-5 ... Malena Padilla hit .333 with one double and one stolen base on the week ... Karysta Donisthorpe had nine strikeouts in two appearances ... The Aggies are in the midst of a 10-game losing streak ... Alex Newman ranks 12th in the nation, while Celisha Walker is 49th (2) ... Amber Olive is 39th in toughest to strikeout (21.7) ... Tiare Jennings is tied for fourth all-time in the WAC in career home runs (47), fifth in RBI (177), sixth in runs scored (181) and ninth in total bases (415) ... As a team, New Mexico State leads the WAC in saves (5), and ranks second in batting average (.279), hits (297), total bases (454), plate appearances (1226), at-bats (1063) and walks (128) ... Olive leads the WAC in hits (49), ranks fifth in batting average (.377), sixth in at-bats (130), seventh in stolen bases (7) and ninth in plate appearances (135) ... Donisthorpe ranks second in the WAC in games in relief (14), fourth in appearances (26) and fifth in strikeouts (85) ... The Aggies play at New Mexico on Tuesday, then host Nevada for a three-game series this Friday and Saturday.
SAN JOSE STATE SPARTANS (21-19, 5-3 WAC)
The Spartans went 2-1 against Nevada last weekend, 11-2 (5), 0-1 and 10-0 (5) ... Cheryl Freitas had four hits in the series, all doubles ... Amanda Pridmore pitched three complete games and posted a 0.88 ERA with seven strikeouts ... Pridmore ranks third all-time on the San Jose State career strikeout list with 385 and eighth on the single-season list with 131 ... As a team, San Jose State ranks 35th nationally in doubles per game (1.38) ... Jessica Garcia ranks second nationally in sacrifice flies (4), while Pridmore is 12th in saves (3) and Michelle Cox is 44th in stolen bases per game (0.49) ... The Spartans lead the WAC in doubles (55), sacrifice flies (12), stolen bases (37) and runners picked off (3) ... Cox leads the WAC in stolen bases (18), ranks third in triples (2), eighth in hits per game (1.05) and ninth in runs scored per game (0.68) ... Markesha Collins ranks second in the WAC in stolen bases (11), third in runs (31) and fourth in walks (21) ... Pridmore ranks third in the WAC in strikeouts (131), innings pitched (130.1) and wins (12), fourth in opponent batting average (.197) and fifth in ERA (2.31) ... The Spartans host Fresno State for a three-game series this Friday and Saturday.
UTAH STATE AGGIES (11-25, 2-7 WAC)
The Aggies defeated Utah Valley 3-1 in nine innings last Tuesday before dropping a three-game series at Fresno State, 0-4, 0-8 (5) and 2-5 ... Against the Wolverines, Kelley Kaneshiro delivered a game-tying solo homer. It was one of two long balls she had on the week ... Dani Chaplin posted a career-best 11 strikeouts vs. Utah Valley, was the most by any Aggie this season ... Shelbi Tyteca ranks 12th nationally in saves (3), while Kaneshiro is 22nd in hit by pitch per game (0.34) and Christine Thomsen is 42nd in toughest to strikeout (20.4) ... As a team, Utah State leads the WAC in batters face per game (35.65), ranks second in sacrifice bunts (32), runners picked off (2), assists (329) and fielding double plays (13) ... Thomsen ranks third in the WAC in putouts (276), fourth in batting average (.388), fifth in on-base percentage (.475), eighth in hits (40), and ninth in slugging percentage (.583) and total bases (60) ... The Aggies play six games in five days this week. They host Utah Valley on Tuesday and Weber State on Wednesday before playing a three-game series at Brigham Young this Friday and Saturday.
RICKETTS ONE OF 10 FINALISTS FOR LOWE’S SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Hawai‘i pitcher Stephanie Ricketts is one of the 10 student-athletes selected as finalists for the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. The two-time reigning WAC Pitcher of the Year was named an Easton All-American last season and is Hawai‘i’s all-time strikeout leader. A three-time All-West Region honoree, she has been named an NFCA Scholar-Athlete and Academic all-WAC three times.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as a senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to determine the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award website through May 14. Fan votes will be combined with media and Division I softball head coaches’ votes to determine the winner. The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the original list of 30 candidates announced in February.
Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award® winner during the 2012 NCAA Women’s College World Series, which will be held May 31-June 6 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
JENNINGS CLIMBING WAC CAREER OFFENSIVE CHARTS
New Mexico State senior Tiare Jennings ranks in the top 10 in the WAC several different career offensive categories. She ranks tied for fourth all-time in home runs (47), fifth in RBI (177), sixth in runs scored (181) and ninth in total bases (415).
RICKETTS LEAVING MARK ON WAC CAREER PITCHING MARKS
Reigning WAC Pitcher of the Year Stephanie Ricketts ranks in the top 10 in three different WAC career pitching categories. She is third all-time in wins (94), fifth in innings pitched (863.0) and seventh in strikeouts (756).
MAJAM BECOMES ALL-TIME HOME RUNS LEADER AT HAWAI‘I
On March 24 in the series finale against San Jose State, Hawai‘i’s Kelly Majam went 3-for-3 with a single, a double and a home run. It was her fifth homer of the season and the 45th of her career, which broke the Hawai‘i career record of 44 previously held by former UH All-American Kate Robinson in 2008. She now has 47 rounder trippers, tied for fourth all-time in WAC history.
FIVE NO-HITTERS THROWN IN THE WAC THIS SEASON
There have been five no-hitters thrown in the WAC so far this season and three have come from the Fresno State pitching staff. The first was by senior pitcher Mackenzie Oakes on Feb. 19, when she threw her third career no-hitter in an 8-0, six-inning victory over Cal State Fullerton. The next two no-hitters, on Feb. 23 against Iowa State and March 3 vs. State Joseph’s, were by senior Michelle Moses. They were Moses’ second and third no-hitters of her career. In the 3-0 win over Iowa State, Moses struck out 17 batters and that was one off of the school record that she set herself in 2010.
The other two no-hitters were thrown by Hawai‘i pitchers. Kaia Parnaby fired her second career no-no on March 14, with a career-high 14 strikeouts in a 6-0 win over Marist. Stephanie Ricketts no-hit San Jose State on March 24, with three walks and five strikeouts. No Spartan runner advanced past second base.
PRIDMORE BECOMES SJSU’S CAREER SAVES LEADER
San Jose State junior Amanda Pridmore tied and then broke the San Jose State career saves record on March 9. She tied the record against UC Santa Barbara, then broke it against James Madison and added to her record with a save against Cal Poly. Pridmore now has 10 saves in her three-year career. The previous record of eight was held by Carol Forbes. Her 10 career saves is tied for second all-time in the WAC record books. In addition, Pridmore’s three season saves this season is tied for fourth-best in the San Jose State single-season record books.
RICKETTS SELECTED IN NPF DRAFT
Hawai’i softball pitcher Stephanie Ricketts was the 10th overall pick in the third round of the 2012 National Pro Fastpitch Senior Draft. Ricketts was selected by the defending league-champion Chicago Bandits. She is just the second Rainbow Wahine to ever be drafted by the NPF.
Stephanie is the second member of the Ricketts family to be drafted into the NPF. Her older sister Samantha was selected as the 12th overall pick in the 2009 NPF draft by the Akron Racers where she played for two seasons. The elder Ricketts is currently an assistant coach at Wichita State after spending the past six seasons as a player then as a coaching staff member.
Former UH All-American Kate Robinson is the only other UH player to ever be drafted into the NPF. She was selected in the second round, No. 11 overall by the Akron Racers. Robinson, the older sister of current Rainbow Wahine softballer Sarah Robinson, played for two seasons in Akron before heading overseas to continue her professional career in the Netherlands and in Italy.
NEW MEXICO STATE TO HOST 2012 TOURNAMENT
New Mexico State will host the 2012 WAC Softball Tournament May 9-12 at the NM State Softball Complex. The top six teams will advance to the double-elimination tournament. It is the second time the Aggies have hosted the event, as they did so in 2010, as well.
Top-seeded New Mexico State shut out No. 3-seed Fresno State 5-0 to claim its first-ever WAC Tournament title last season in Fresno.
FRESNO STATE PICKED TO WIN 2012 WAC TITLE
The WAC softball coaches selected Fresno State to win the 2012 WAC regular-season crown. It was the 14th time in the last 17 years that the Bulldogs were the preseason favorite to win the title. Fresno State had 44 points and three first-place votes, just ahead of Hawai‘i with two first-place votes and 42 points. New Mexico State was third with 37 points and two first-place votes. Brigham Young received the other first-place vote and came in fourth place with 35 points. Nevada, San Jose State, Louisiana Tech and Utah State rounded out the poll.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC/RETURNING ALL-CONFERENCE PLAYERS
The preseason all-WAC team is composed of the returning all-conference players from last season. Hawai’i placed the most players on the team with four, while Fresno State and New Mexico State had three apiece.
The WAC features nine players who were first team all-conference performers last year. Three come from New Mexico State - Teresa Conrad, Tiare Jennings and reigning WAC Freshman of the Year Valerie Swedberg. Brigham Young returns Carly Duckworth and Jessica Dugas, both of whom were named to the all-Mountain West team last season. Fresno State returns two players (Michelle Moses and Andrea Ortega), while Hawai‘i returns reigning WAC Pitcher of the Year Stephanie Ricketts and reigning WAC Player of the Year Jessica Iwata.
Second team returnees include: Alex Aguirre, Hawai‘i; Janna Frandrup, Louisiana Tech; Erin Jones, Nevada; Allison Lenzora, Utah State; Kelly Majam, Hawai‘i; Brooke Ortiz, Fresno State; and Kassy Uchida, Utah State.