UMKC’S RAMOS, UTAH VALLEY’S SUMMERS NAMED WAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Kansas City’s Cinda Ramos and Utah Valley’s Josi Summers have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for March 10-16. This is the first-ever honor for Ramos and the second of the season for Summers.
Ramos, a junior pitcher from Olathe, Kan., led Kansas City to a 3-1 record last week with a hit in each game, including multiple hits in three of the four. She hit .600 with a home run and six RBI, and posted an .800 slugging percentage and a .563 on-base percentage for the week. In the first half of a doubleheader with Northern Illinois last Tuesday, Ramos tied the game in the fifth with a sacrifice fly, then hit a walkoff three-run blast in the bottom of the seventh to give the Kangaroos the victory. In a pair of games on Saturday, she was 6-of-9 with two RBI.
Summers, a senior right-hander from Tremonton, Utah, went 2-0 with a 0.41 ERA and 16 strikeouts in three appearances with last week. She threw her first career no-hitter and the first in the WAC this season against Albany, striking out eight and walking just two. Summers also went the distance against Creighton, allowing just one run on four hits in 7.0 innings of work. For the week, she held opponents to a .158 batting average.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Bakersfield’s Karissa Veiga hit .375 with two doubles, one RBI and two stolen bases in five games last week ... Brennalyn Nakamura of New Mexico State hit .444 with two RBI in six games last week ... Utah Valley’s Brianna Gatlin hit .500 with two doubles, six RBI and two stolen bases last week.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Bakersfield’s Kelsie Monroe went 3-1 with a 1.20 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 23.1 innings last week ... Katie Kelley of Kansas City was 2-0 with a 1.08 ERA and five strikeouts in two appearances last week ... New Mexico State’s Karysta Donisthorpe was 1-2 with a 1.68 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 16.2 innings of work.
SUMMERS THROWS FIRST NO-HITTER IN THE WAC THIS SEASON
Josi Summers threw her first career no-hitter as Utah Valley topped Albany by a score of 3-0 on March 13. The senior threw all seven innings, striking out eight Great Danes and allowing no hits for her first no-hitter in a Wolverine uniform and the first no-no thrown in the WAC this season.
UVU’S GATLIN POSTS TWO FIVE-RBI GAMES AT REBEL SPRING GAMES
Utah Valley freshman utility player Brianna Gatlin had five RBI against Howard on March 14. It was her second five-RBI performance at the Rebel Spring Games, as she drove in five against Saint Peter’s on March 9.
SEATTLE U POSTS DIVISION I RECORD SEVEN-GAME WIN STREAK
Seattle U posted a seven-game win streak from Feb. 22 to March 2. The last time the Redhawks won seven in a row was during the 2008 season at the Division II level, when the team won 11 straight games to open the season.
NEW MEXICO STATE SETS SCHOOL RECORD FOR HOME RUNS IN A GAME
In its 14-5 five-inning win over Seton Hall on Feb. 28, New Mexico State hit a school record seven home runs. Fiana Finau and Staci Rodriguez hit a pair of home runs apiece, while Lacey Rother, Kelsey Dodd and Tatum Reedy added one homer each. It was the fourth time this season the Aggies had 10 or more RBI in a game.
GCU’S WARTMAN POSTS 15-GAME HITTING STREAK
Grand Canyon freshman infielder Camree Wartman posted a WAC-best 15-game hitting streak from Feb. 7-23. Included in the streak were hits in two games against No. 24 Arizona and one against No. 4 Alabama, as well as six multi-hit games.
RODOLPH PICKS UP 300TH WIN AT NEW MEXICO STATE
New Mexico State head coach Kathy Rodolph picked up her 300th victory at NM State with an 11-2 win over Incarnate Word on Feb. 22. She is 308-295 (.511) in 11 seasons with the Aggies.
GRAND CANYON’S PIERSON EARNS 300TH CAREER WIN
Grand Canyon head coach Ann Pierson tallied her 300th career victory on Feb. 22 with a 9-4 win over Southern Utah. In her 11th season of coaching, Pierson has a 304-252-2 (.547) record, all with the Antelopes.
POWERS PICKS UP 250TH CAREER WIN
Seattle U head coach Dan Powers picked up his 250th career victory on Feb. 16 in a 4-2 win over Akron. In his 11th season at the helm, Powers has a 257-261-1 (.496) career record.
NEW MEXICO STATE POSTS BACK-TO-BACK WALK-OFF WINS
New Mexico State posted a pair of walk-off wins on Feb. 15 over Northern Colorado and Iowa State. The first was a walk-off grand slam by junior Staci Rodriguez for the 4-3 win over the Bears, followed by a walk-off single by sophomore Brennalyn Nakamura to beat Iowa State, 5-4.
NEW MEXICO STATE PICKED TO WIN 2014 WAC TITLE
In a preseason vote of the six WAC coaches, who could not vote for their own team, New Mexico State was selected as the preseason favorite to win the title. The Aggies took the top spot with 25 points and five first-place votes, followed by Seattle U in second place with 19 points and the other first-place vote. Utah Valley was third with 14 points, just ahead of Bakersfield in fourth place with 13 points. Kansas City and Grand Canyon rounded out the poll with 10 and nine points, respectively.
SEATTLE U TO HOST 2014 WAC TOURNAMENT
Seattle U will host the 2014 WAC Softball Tournament. The five eligible teams will advance to the double-elimination tournament, which will be held at Logan Field May 8-10. It is the first time the Redhawks have hosted the event.