DENVER – New Mexico State’s Lacey Rother and Grand Canyon’s Kiki Sepulveda have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, April 7-13. This is the second honor of the season and her career for Rother and the first-ever honor for Sepulveda.
Rother, a junior outfielder/catcher from Long Beach, Calif., went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with two home runs, six RBI and six walks last week. She reached base in each of her 11 plate appearances and drew her fist career intentional walk in a 17-2 win over Bakersfield on Saturday. Rother had a home run in each of Friday’s doubleheader games. In the series finale on Saturday, she tied the WAC and New Mexico State records for walks in a single game with four. Rother posted a 2.200 slugging percentage and a 1.000 on-base percentage in her three games last week.
Sepulveda, a senior right-hander from Corona, Calif., went 1-0 with a save and a 0.00 ERA in a pair of relief appearances last week. She did not allow a hit in a combined 3.2 innings of work, striking out two and walking one. In the second game of a doubleheader at Utah Valley last Friday, Sepulveda entered in the sixth inning with the Antelopes leading 4-3 but with runners on second and third. She retired the next two batters to get out of the inning. In the series finale, she entered the game in the bottom of the fourth with her team trailing 3-2. Sepulveda retired all six batters she faced as Grand Canyon won 14-4.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Grand Canyon’s Claire Zampini hit .556 with two RBI last week ... Aly Zembruski of Kansas City hit .556 with a double and one RBI on the week ... Seattle U’s Bubba Morrow hit .538 with a double, a homer and four RBI last week ... Brittney Vansway of Utah Valley hit .286 with a home run and four RBI on the week.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: New Mexico State’s Makayla McAdams went 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA on the week ... Lindsay Davis of Seattle U went 2-0 with a 2.15 ERA and three strikeouts in 13.0 innings of work.