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GRAND CANYON'S BRELAND, REGESTER NAMED WAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Grand Canyon's Briielle Breland and Kailey Regester have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for April 25-May 1. This is the first-ever honor for Breland and the second of the season and fourth of her career for Regester.
Breland, a sophomore outfielder from Mesa, Ariz., hit .625 (5-of-8) with one run scored, a double and three RBIs in a road sweep at CSU Bakersfield. She had a hit in each game and posted a .750 slugging percentage and a .700 on-base percentage. In Saturday's doubleheader, Breland was perfect as she finished the day 5-for-5 with three RBIs and one run scored.
Regester, a senior from Chandler Ariz., went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA last week, picking up the win in the series finale against CSU Bakersfield. In her final collegiate outing, she allowed just three hits and pitched her second complete-game shutout of the WAC season. She finished the game with four strikeouts and held CSUB to a .136 batting average.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: CSU Bakersfield's Julea Cavazos hit .455 over three games ... Katie Kelley of Missouri-Kansas City hit .300 with a double, two home runs and four RBIs ... NM State's Brennalyn Nakamura hit .545 with three RBIs ... Paige Bouska of Seattle U hit .583 with two RBIs ... Utah Valley's Morgan Smith hit .300 with five stolen bases over three games.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: CSU Bakersfield's Sydney Raeber posted a 0.00 ERA with three strikeouts over 3.1 innings ... Karysta Donisthorpe of NM State went 1-0 with a 4.00 ERA and 10 strikeouts in one appearance last week ... Seattle U's Andie Larkins went 2-0 with a 2.50 ERA and nine strikeouts over 14.0 innings last week.
NM STATE WINS REGULAR-SEASON TITLE, SEEDS SET FOR WAC TOURNAMENT
With a series sweep of Missouri-Kansas City last weekend, NM State closed out WAC play with a 14-1 mark to claim its second consecutive WAC regular-season title. UMKC is the No. 2 seed, followed by CSU Bakersfield, Seattle U and Utah Valley. The double-elimination tournament will be held at Seattle U's Logan Field May 12-14.
UMKC'S KELLEY BECOMES ALL-TIME PROGRAM DOUBLES LEADER
With a double against NM State on April 30, Missouri-Kansas City senior Katie Kelley moved her career total to 48 to move into first place all-time at UMKC, passing Amanda Rice (1999-2002) for the record. Kelley also ranks second in hits (204), third in strikeouts (333), tied for third in wins (32), fifth in innings pitched (463.0) and complete games (38) and ninth in games played (201).
TWO PLAYERS RANK IN TOP IN WAC SINGLE-SEASON RECORD BOOKS
Missouri-Kansas City's Kelsey Goodwin finished WAC play averaging 0.50 doubles per game, good for a tie for fourth place in the WAC single-season record books for WAC games only. In addition, NM State's Victoria Castro tied for fifth in triples per game (0.20).
NM STATE APPROACHING PROGRAM STOLEN BASES RECORD
NM State leads the WAC with 93 stolen bases, nearly twice the number of Missouri-Kansas City (50) in second place, and just three shy of the all-time program record of 96. With a minimum of three games remaining, the Aggies are on pace to finish with 98, just shy of the all-time WAC record of 105.
GRAND CANYON POSTS 10 OR MORE HITS IN NINE OF 15 WAC GAMES
Grand Canyon tallied 10 or more hits in nine of its 15 WAC games this season, including 14 in the series finale at Utah Valley. The Lopes had 10 or more hits in 28 of 50 games this season and posted double-digit hits in four straight contests three different times.
UMKC'S PARKER MOVING UP CAREER CHARTS
Missouri-Kansas City senior Brooke Parker recently became the all-time leader in runs scored with 143. She also ranks first in stolen bases (98), fifth in walks (60), tied for fifth in triples (7), ninth in batting average (.303), tied for ninth in hits (154) and 10th in at-bats (509).
EIGHTEEN OF NM STATE'S 35 VICTORIES BY RUN RULE
More than half (18 of 35) of NM State's victories this season have come by run rule. The Aggies' largest margin of victory is 12 runs (twice), with one win by 11 runs, seven victories by 10 runs, three nine-run wins and seven games won by eight runs. The team has also posted 11 shutouts this season.
CSUB HURLER MILLS SURPASSES 300 INNINGS PITCHED, 100 STRIKEOUTS
Last week, CSU Bakersfield senior Amber Mills surpassed 300.0 innings pitched on her career and has thrown 306.2 innings, good for fourth place in CSUB's Division I era (since 2008) and 8.0 innings away from third. She also surpassed 100 career strikeouts last week and now has 102.
NM STATE'S HORTON ON NFCA FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR TOP 25 LIST
NM State's Kelsey Horton has been selected to the 2016 Schutt Sport/NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year Top 25 list. Horton ranks in the top 50 nationally in home runs and runs per game. The list will be narrowed to 10 finalists on Thursday, May 12.
UVU'S MOORE BECOMES UVU DIVISION I LEADER IN APPEARANCES
With an appearance against in-state foe Weber State on April 5, Utah Valley junior Bailey Moore became the all-time program leader in career appearances. Moore has now logged 120 appearances in the circle for UVU, passing Wolverine great Josi Summers' previous record of 107.
AGGIE COACH RODOLPH PICKS UP 400TH WIN AT NM STATE
With a win in the first game against CSU Bakersfield on April 23, NM State head coach Kathy Rodolph notched her 400th victory at the helm of the program. In her 13th season at the school and 15th overall as a four-year college coach, Rodolph has a 404-339 (.544) school record and a 473-373 (.559) overall mark.
CSUB'S SIMMONS SETS PROGRAM SEASON STEALS RECORD
With a steal in the first game of the series against Seattle U on April 15, CSU Bakersfield senior Alex Simmons set the program record for steals in a season and now has 15. In just two seasons with the Roadrunners, the shortstop ranks second in CSUB Division I career history with 25, eight shy of the record. Fellow senior Sydney Raeber is close behind in third with 21.
NM STATE'S ADAMS BREAKS PROGRAM DOUBLES RECORD
NM State senior Emma Adams tied the program record for career doubles with her 42nd at UTEP on April 19. She then broke the record in game two of the series against CSU Bakersfield on April 23, passing Kristi Randall (2006-09). Adams now has 44 doubles on her career.
CSUB'S CARDOZA BECOMES PROGRAM LEADER IN SACRIFICE HITS
In the first game of the series against Seattle U on April 15, CSU Bakersfield redshirt senior Adrianna Cardoza became CSUB's Division I career leader in sacrifice hits with 23.
UMKC'S SMITH NEAL PICKS UP 200TH CAREER WIN
With her team's 9-6 win over Utah Valley on April 16, Missouri-Kansas City head coach Meredith Smith Neal notched her 200th career victory. In her 10th season at the helm, Smith Neal has a 204-297 (.407) record.
CSU BAKERSFIELD EARNS FIRST-EVER WAC SERIES SWEEP
In its April 15-16 series against Seattle U, CSU Bakersfield earned its first-ever WAC series sweep since joining the conference in 2014. The ‘Runners earned a 7-2 victory in game one, walked off on an illegal pitch in the ninth inning of game two and walked off again in game three to clinch the sweep over Seattle U.
UVU'S ROTH BECOMES PROGRAM LEADER IN HIT BY PITCH
After getting hit by a pitch against Idaho State on April 12, Utah Valley outfielder Breezy Roth became Utah Valley's all-time leader in getting hit by the pitch and has now been plunked 14 times on her career. Roth, who is just a sophomore, broke Meghan Yocom's (2008-2011) previous record of 12.
GRAND CANYON'S OFFENSIVE EXPLOSION
Grand Canyon outscored its opponents 314 to 197 this season. The Lopes' largest margin of victory was 18 runs, with one 10-run victory, one nine-run win and eight victories by eight runs. Grand Canyon also posted 10 shutouts and 11 run-rule victories.
CSUB'S RAEBER LEAVING MARK IN RECORD BOOKS
CSU Bakersfield senior Sydney Raeber ranks in the Top 5 in several program Division I records. Raeber is first in saves (7), second in doubles (31), third in games played (194), games started (194), hits (164) and stolen bases (21), fourth in at-bats (556), sacrifice hits (20), total bases (204) and hit by pitch (15), and fifth in RBIs (71).
UMKC SCORES ITS MOST RUNS EVER AGAINST OKLAHOMA
On March 26, Missouri-Kansas City scored the most runs in a game against Oklahoma in the history of the series, plating four runs in the series finale at the ASA Hall of Fame Complex in Oklahoma City. All three senior captains - Alexandra Friloux, Katie Kelley and Brooke Parker - drove in a run in the 8-4 loss, with Friloux driving in two in her first appearance in nearly a month.
CSUB HAS EIGHT-RUN INNING FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2012
CSU Bakersfield scored a season-high 10 runs against Santa Clara on March 20, with the bulk its runs coming in an eight-run third inning. It was the most runs in an inning for CSUB since the team scored eight in an inning on Maine in 2012.
UVU'S SMITH SETS PROGRAM STEALS RECORD
With her fourth stolen base of the season in the third inning of the Mary Nutter Classic finale against Binghamton on Feb. 21, Utah Valley senior Morgan Smith became the program's all-time leader in stolen bases with 41. Smith, who also holds the school record for all-time triples with 11, passed Meghan Yocom's (2008-2011) previous UVU record of 40. Smith is now 58-of-64 for her career in stolen bases.
GCU'S NOWLIN HAS TWO NO-HITTERS, COMBINES FOR THIRD
Grand Canyon's Taylor Nowlin pitched her second no-hitter of the season on Feb. 19 against Utah State, only allowing only one base runner via a walk and striking out five. The junior also threw a no-hitter in a five-inning win over Loyola Marymount on Feb. 14 and combined with Bailey Bergman to no-hit UMBC in the season opener on Feb. 12.
NM State's Finau Named NFCA Player of the Week
NM State's Fiana Finau garnered Louisville/Slugger National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) Division I Player of the Week honors for March 7-13. Finau hit .579 (11-for-19) with three doubles, three home runs and 13 RBIs over a six-game stretch last week. The Chula Vista, Calif., native slugged 1.211, registered a .600 on-base percentage and scored five runs.
CSUB'S RAEBER TIES PROGRAM DIVISION I STRIKEOUT RECORD
CSU Bakersfield senior Sydney Raeber recorded a program Division I single-game-tying 10 strikeouts in a complete-game victory over UC Davis on Valentine's Day. She only walked two batters.
NMSU'S HORTON HITS THREE HOMERS IN FIRST FOUR AT BATS
NM State freshman Kelsey Horton opened her career as an Aggie with three home runs in her first four at-bats. Her first at-bat was a grand slam in the bottom of a nine-run first inning for the Aggies on Feb. 12.
NM STATE PICKED TO WIN 2016 WAC TITLE
In a preseason vote of the six WAC softball coaches, who could not vote for their own team, NM State was selected as the preseason favorite to win the title. The Aggies took the top spot in the preseason poll with 25 points and five first-place votes. Grand Canyon was picked second with 20 points and the other first-place vote, edging out CSU Bakersfield in third place with 18 points. UMKC was fourth with 11 points, followed by Seattle U and Utah Valley with nine and seven points, respectively.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
NM State senior utility player Fiana Finau was selected as the Preseason Player of the Year and Missouri-Kansas City's Katie Kelley was selected as the Preseason Pitcher of the Year in a vote of the league's six head coaches, who could not vote for their own players.
Joining Finau and Kelley on the Preseason All-WAC Team are Aggies Emma Adams, Karysta Donisthorpe, Brennalyn Nakamura, Haley Nakamura and Rachel Rodriguez; Grand Canyon's Brittany Medina, Taylor Nowlin and Camree Wartman; CSU Bakersfield's Adrianna Cardoza; and Seattle U's Paige Bouska and Isabella Geronimo.