UTAH VALLEY TO REPRESENT WAC AT EUGENE REGIONAL
Utah Valley will represent the WAC in the NCAA Tournament as the Wolverines will travel to Eugene, Ore., for the Eugene Regional this weekend. Utah Valley (18-40) will face No. 1 overall seed Oregon (49-7-1) at 5 p.m. (PT) this Friday, May 16. Albany (33-11) will face Wisconsin (34-18) on the other side of the bracket in the double elimination regional. Wolverine softball is the first team sport in Utah Valley’s Division I history to reach the NCAA postseason and the first to claim the WAC’s automatic postseason bid since joining the league last summer.
UTAH VALLEY WINS FIRST-EVER WAC TOURNAMENT
Debra Lovell hit a pair of homers to lead the fourth-seeded Wolverines past No. 1 seed New Mexico State, 7-6, in the championship game to lead Utah Valley to its first-ever WAC Tournament title. Josi Summers was named tournament MVP after going 3-0 with a save and holding opponents to a .135 batting average over 21.2 innings. She finished the tournament with a 1.62 ERA and 10 strikeouts.
All-Tournament Team
Fiana Finau, New Mexico State
Katie Kelley, Kansas City
Debra Lovell, Utah Valley
Lisa Maulden, Seattle U
Malena Padilla, New Mexico State
Sydney Raeber, Bakersfield
Tatum Reedy, New Mexico State
Erin Romero, Utah Valley
Brittney Vansway, Utah Valley
Celisha Walker, New Mexico State
MVP: Josi Summers, Utah Valley
ALL-WAC TEAMS ANNOUNCED
New Mexico State’s Lacey Rother was named WAC Player of the Year, while Grand Canyon’s Stephanie Pesqueira was named Pitcher of the Year. Meanwhile, Seattle U’s Lindsay Davis was named Freshman of the Year and Grand Canyon’s Ann Pierson was named Coach of the Year.
Rother, a senior outfielder from Long Beach, Calif., earned WAC Player of the Year honors after leading all players in WAC games in batting average (.462), slugging percentage (.872), on-base percentage (.588) and walks (11), ranking second in RBI (17) and total bases (34), and third in home runs (4). She was named WAC Hitter of the Week once during the season.
Pesqueira, a senior right-hander from Tempe, Ariz., earned WAC Pitcher of the Year honors after posting a perfect 8-0 mark in WAC games this season. During WAC play, she led the league in opponent batting average (.193), innings pitched (67.1), strikeouts (42) and wins (8). Pesqueira, the 2013 Pacific West Conference Pitcher of the Year and Grand Canyon’s all-time leader in wins (36), was named WAC Pitcher of the Week four times during the season.
Davis, a pitcher from Palo Cedro, Calif., earned Freshman of the Year honors after ranking third in WAC games in wins (4) and innings per game (5.15), fourth in opponent batting average (.263), innings pitched (46.1) and games started (8), and fifth in ERA (2.87) and appearances (9).
Pierson earned Coach of the Year honors after leading her team to the WAC regular-season title with a 12-3 mark in its first season at the Division I level. The Antelopes won all five of their WAC series. In WAC play, Grand Canyon led the league in earned run average, opponent batting average) and fielding percentage, and ranked second in batting average, hits, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. Pierson, who was the 2012 Pacific West Conference Coach of the Year, surpassed the 300-win milestone earlier this year and has 320 career victories to date.
First Team
Kelsey Barak, Grand Canyon
Fiana Finau, New Mexico State
Isabella Geronimo, Seattle U
Katie Kelley, Kansas City
Debra Lovell, Utah Valley
Lisa Maulden, Seattle U
Bubba Morrow, Seattle U
Nicole Newbury, Grand Canyon
Stephanie Pesqueira, Grand Canyon
Cinda Ramos, Kansas City
Lauren Regester, Grand Canyon
Lacey Rother, New Mexico State
Alyssa Ruiz, New Mexico State
Second Team
Emma Adams, New Mexico State
Madison Bundy, Bakersfield
Lindsay Davis, Seattle U
Kayla Henry, Grand Canyon
Jenny Hurst, Seattle U
Makayla McAdams, New Mexico State
Brennalyn Nakamura, New Mexico State
Amanda Robinson, Utah Valley
Staci Rodriguez, New Mexico State
Brittney Vansway, Utah Valley
Karissa Veiga, Bakersfield
Celisha Walker, New Mexico State
Claire Zampini, Grand Canyon
GCU’S BARAK, PESQUEIRA NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT
Grand Canyon’s Kelsey Barak and Stephanie Pesqueira were voted to the Capital One Academic All-District 8 Softball Team. Both advanced to the national ballot for Academic All-America® consideration. That team will be announced on May 22. Barak, a junior infielder from Fontana, Calif., boasts a 3.91 GPA as an exercise science major. A senior pitcher from Tempe, Ariz., Pesqueira has a 3.42 GPA in psychology.
GRAND CANYON CLAIMS WAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
After being selected by the WAC coaches to finish last in the WAC in its first season in the league, Grand Canyon captured the WAC regular-season title in its first season at the Division I level. The ‘Lopes didn’t lose a series during league play this season and swept two of the five series.
UVU’S ROBINSON POSTS THIRD MULTI-HOME RUN GAME OF CAREER
Utah Valley senior Amanda Robinson notched the third multi-home run game of her career when she homered twice during a 2-for-2, four-RBI performance at Idaho State on April 15. She opened the season with just one long ball in her first 25 games and hit nine over 19 games in the month of April.
NM STATE BREAKS WAC RECORD FOR RUNS IN AN INNING
New Mexico State set the record for runs in an inning in a WAC game with 17 in the first inning of the series finale against Bakersfield on April 12. The Aggies plated 17 runs on 11 singles, six walks, two players hit by a pitch and one error. The previous record for runs in an inning was 13 by Hawai‘i against Nevada during the 2010 season.
UTAH VALLEY’S ROBINSON BECOMES ALL-TIME HOME RUN LEADER
On April 12, senior Amanda Robinson became Utah Valley’s all-time leader in home runs when she connected for her 32nd career homer in the fourth inning at Grand Canyon, passing Amanda Perez (2009-2012). Robinson now has 40 home runs on her career.
NM STATE’S ROTHER TIES WAC RECORD FOR WALKS IN A GAME
New Mexico State senior outfielder/catcher Lacey Rother tied the WAC record for walks in a game with four, including one intentional walk, in the series finale against Bakersfield on April 12. She is tied with six other players for the record.
UVU’S LAUVAI HITS TWO HOMERS AGAINST WEBER STATE
Utah Valley sophomore Dynasty Lauvai produced the first multi-home run game of her career when she went deep in the first and seventh innings of the first game of a twinbill vs. Weber State on March 19.
SEATTLE U, UVU SET SIX WAC SEASON HIGHS IN 13-12 GAME
In the series finale between Seattle U and Utah Valley on April 5, which the Wolverines won 13-12, the two teams combined to set six WAC season highs – runs scored (25), hits (29), RBI (19), doubles (9), total bases (53) and walks (11). In addition, Utah Valley tied the league’s season high with 17 hits in the game and Wolverine Debra Lovell tied the WAC single-game mark this season with 10 total bases. Seattle U’s Lisa Maulden tied the WAC single-game record in conference games with four runs scored.
GCU POSTS WAC SEASON-HIGH 17 HITS VS. SANTA CLARA
Grand Canyon had a WAC season-high 17 hits against Santa Clara on March 22, as every Antelope that played tallied at least one hit. Haley Walker led the team with four hits, Claire Zampini had three and Kayla Henry, Stephanie Pesqueira and Kylie Shull tallied two hits apiece.
UVU’S SUMMERS THROWS WAC’S ONLY NO-HITTER IN 2014
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 only no-no thrown in the WAC this season.
UVU’S GATLIN POSTS TWO FIVE-RBI GAMES AT TOURNAMENT
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 DI 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.
NM 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 322-304 (.514) 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 320-261-2 (.551) 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 265-275-1 (.491) 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 grand slam by junior Staci Rodriguez for the 4-3 win over the Bears, followed by a 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, 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.