DENVER – New Mexico State’s Fiana Finau and Celisha Walker have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Feb. 17-23. The is the first-ever honor for both.
Finau, a sophomore utility player from Chula Vista, Calif., hit .545 with six RBI, four runs scored, two doubles and two home runs as the Aggies went 5-0 at the UTEP Invitational last week. She had a hit in all four games in which she played and posted a 1.273 slugging percentage for the week. In a win over Houston Baptist on Saturday, she led off the bottom half of the second with a solo homer, then hit the game-winning two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. She closed out the weekend with a pair of doubles in a six-inning win over Incarnate Word.
Walker, a senior right-hander from Santa Monica, Calif., went 1-0 in two appearances last week, allowing just two hits and no runs while posting three strikeouts in nine innings of work. She threw three hitless innings in relief in an 8-3 win over Houston Baptist last Friday. On Sunday, she earned a complete-game win, allowing just two hits over six innings while striking out two in an 8-0 run-rule win over Incarnate Word. She ended the week with a 0.00 ERA and held opponents to a .074 batting average.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Grand Canyon’s Nicole Newbury hit .533 with two doubles, four RBI and a .667 slugging percentage ... Bubba Morrow of Seattle U hit .417 with one home run, two RBI and a stolen base.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Grand Canyon’s Stephanie Pesqueira went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA and nine strikeouts over 13.1 innings ... Lindsay Davis of Seattle U went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 6.2 innings of work.