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GRAND CANYON'S SMITH, VALENCIA NAMED WAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
Grand Canyon's Shea Smith and Mariah Valencia have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Feb. 27-March 5. This is the first honor of the season and second of her career for Smith and the first-ever honor for Valencia.
Smith, a sophomore shortstop from Waddle, Ariz., hit .750 over five games last week, posting a hit in every game with multiple hits in three of the five games. She had a double, drove in one run and walked four times on the week. On Sunday, Smith went a perfect 7-for-7 in contests against Maine and Creighton, scoring four times on the day. Smith finished the weekend with an .812 slugging percentage and a .800 on-base percentage.
Valencia, a junior right-hander from Phoenix, went a perfect 2-0 with a 0.64 ERA in two appearances last week, collecting two of Grand Canyon's four wins on the week. In a complete game against Creighton on Saturday, she threw a two-hitter, allowing just one earned run while striking out a season-high five batters. In the final game against the Bluejays, Valencia earned the win in relief, shutting down the Creighton offense. She allowed just one hit over the final four innings.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: UMKC's Morgan Byrn hit .500 with one double and four RBIs ... Kaylee Ree of Seattle U hit a pair of homers and was named to the all-tournament team at the Coca-Cola Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament ... Utah Valley's Basia Query hit .467 with a double, a home run and three RBIs.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: UMKC's Lia Lombardini went 0-1 with a 1.56 ERA and three strikeouts ... Lauren Frailey of Utah Valley went 1-1 with a complete-game shutout of Iowa State.
FOUR SEATTLE U PLAYERS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM IN HAWAII
Four Seattle U players - Nicole Bolasky, Andie Larkins, Alyson Matriotti and Kaylee Ree - were named to the all-tournament team at the Coca-Cola Malihini Kipa Aloha Tournament last weekend. Bolasky hit .353 with a double and one RBI, while Larkins earned one win and one save in the circle. Matriotti hit .375 over the five games, while Ree had a pair of homers, including a grand slam, and seven RBIs.
UTAH VALLEY'S FRAILEY THROWS ONE-HIT SHUTOUT AGAINST IOWA STATE
Utah Valley rode the right arm of Lauren Frailey to its first win of the season Sunday, a complete-game shutout over Big 12 foe Iowa State. She scattered six Cyclone hits, struck out three and induced a total of 16 groundouts on the day. The victory was UVU's third win in program history over a Big 12 opponent.
THREE WAC PLAYERS NAMED CANDIDATES FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Three WAC softball players - Grand Canyon's Taylor Nowlin and Camree Wartman and Utah Valley's Brittney Vansway - are among the 30 candidates for the 2017 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate softball. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition. The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists later in the season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot.