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NM STATE TO FACE NO. 2 SEED ARIZONA AT TUCSON REGIONAL
NM State, which won its third WAC Tournament title last Saturday, will travel to the Tucson Regional for the NCAA Tournament this Friday.
The Aggies (29-23) will face host and No. 2 overall seed Arizona (48-7) at 6:30 p.m. (PT) this Friday, May 19. South Carolina (32-23) will face St. Francis (48-9) on the other side of the bracket in the double elimination regional.
The Aggies are led by WAC Player of the Year Kelsey Horton, who is batting .424 with an .816 slugging percentage, 16 home runs and 59 RBIs this season. WAC Tournament MVP Rachel Rodriguez is second on the team in batting average (.377) and has 22 stolen bases. NM State pitcher Samaria Diaz was also an all-tournament honoree at the WAC Tournament. She is 16-8 on the season with a 4.27 ERA, 78 strikeouts and two saves.
The Wildcats have eight starters that hit over .300 and are led by USA Softball Player of the Year Finalists Katiyaba Mauga and Danielle O'Toole and NFCA/Schutt Freshman of the Year Finalist Jessie Harper. Mauga is batting .343 with 22 home runs and 55 RBIs. O'Toole boasts a 27-4 record in the circle with 191 strikeouts to 37 walks over 195.1 innings. Harper is batting .354 with 13 doubles, 19 homers and 52 RBIs.
The Aggies fell 8-0 in six innings and 11-1 at then-No. 3 Arizona in Tucson on April 18.
NM STATE WINS WAC TOURNAMENT OUT OF LOSERS BRACKET
NM State won its third WAC Tournament title out of the losers bracket after a dramatic seventh inning win in the first championship game and a 10-0 run-rule victory over No. 3-seed Seattle U in the second game on championship Saturday to earn the WAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Rachel Rodriguez was named tournament MVP after hitting a single up the middle for the 15-14 walk-off win in the first game. For the tournament, she hit .556 with a .722 slugging percentage and .579 on-base percentage. She had one double, one triple, five RBIs and three stolen bases.
All-Tournament Team
Victoria Castro, NM State
Madison Cathcart, Seattle U
Samaria Diaz, NM State
Jessica Flanagan, Seattle U
Misty Hoohuli, NM State
Maddy Kristjanson, Seattle U
Jo Larios, CSU Bakersfield
Andie Larkins, Seattle U
Kendra Leach, UMKC
Maegan Rollow, UMKC
MVP: Rachel Rodriguez, NM State
SEVERAL WAC TOURNAMENT RECORDS BROKEN
Five WAC Tournament records were tied or broken last week. The records are listed below.
Doubles/Tournament Maegan Rollow, UMKC 4 previous record was 3
RBIs/Tournament Maegan Rollow, UMKC 12 tied record
Stolen bases/Tournament Rachel Rodriguez, NM State 3 tied record
Walks/Tournament Kelsey Horton, NM State 7 tied record
Madison Cathcart, Seattle U 7 tied record
ALL-WAC TEAMS ANNOUNCED
The Western Athletic Conference announced its 2017 All-WAC softball teams and major awards as selected by the league's head coaches at the award banquet prior to the WAC Tournament. NM State's Kelsey Horton was named WAC Player of the Year, while Utah Valley's Lauren Frailey was named WAC Pitcher of the Year and teammate Caragh Morris was named WAC Freshman of the Year. Meanwhile, Grand Canyon's Ann Pierson was named WAC Coach of the Year.
Horton, a sophomore second baseman from San Clemente, Calif., earned Player of the Year honors after breaking the WAC records for batting average (.558) and slugging percentage (1.258) and tying the record for home runs per game (0.60) in WAC games only. She also led the league in on-base percentage (.678), runs (20), hits (24), RBIs (22), homers (9), total bases (54) and walks (13) in WAC play. She was a three-time WAC Hitter of the Week selection.
Frailey, a junior right-hander from Tooele, Utah, earned WAC Pitcher of the Year honors after earning six of the Wolverines' seven WAC wins. In league play, she led the WAC in games started (12), ranked second in ERA (3.40), tied for second in wins (6), innings pitched (59.2) and appearances (12), and ranked fourth in strikeouts (19). Frailey was named WAC Pitcher of the Week three times this season.
Morris, an outfielder from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, earned WAC Freshman of the Year honors after hitting .373 with a .569 slugging percentage and a .439 on-base percentage in WAC play. She ranked tied for fourth in the league in WAC games in doubles (4), tied for seventh in hits (19) and ninth in RBIs (14). Morris had seven multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games in WAC play.
Pierson earned Coach of the Year honors after leading the Lopes to a share of the WAC regular-season title with an 11-4 mark and the most overall wins since transitioning to Division I. She surpassed 400 career wins earlier this season and her program received votes in the USA Softball Top 25 poll for the first time in program history.
First Team School Ht. Yr. Pos.
Paige Bouska Seattle U 5-6 Sr. OF
Nikki Butler NM State 5-8 Fr. C
Lauren Frailey Utah Valley 5-9 Jr. RHP
Kendsey Hill Grand Canyon 5-6 Sr. C
Chris Hipa CSU Bakersfield 5-6 So. 3B
Kelsey Horton NM State 5-11 So. 2B
Kendra Leach UMKC 5-4 Jr. OF
Alyson Matriotti Seattle U 5-9 Fr. 3B
Taylor Nowlin Grand Canyon 5-6 Sr. LHP
Rachel Rodriguez NM State 5-5 Jr. SS
Sierra Smith Grand Canyon 5-5 So. 3B
Megan Stevens Grand Canyon 5-8 Fr. 1B
Brittney Vansway Utah Valley 5-6 Sr. 3B
Second Team School Ht. Yr. Pos.
Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage Grand Canyon 5-7 Fr. RHP
Kaylynn Burt CSU Bakersfield 5-4 Jr. OF
Victoria Castro NM State 5-8 So. OF
Madison Cathcart Seattle U 5-7 Fr. 1B
Jenna Coates Grand Canyon 5-8 Sr. OF
Fahren Glackin NM State 5-6 Jr. 1B
Kelsey Goodwin UMKC 5-9 Jr. 2B
Kayla Green NM State 6-1 So. RHP
Andie Larkins Seattle U 5-10 So. RHP
Caragh Morris Utah Valley 5-5 Fr. OF
Maegan Rollow UMKC 5-7 So. OF
Shea Smith Grand Canyon 5-5 So. SS
Camree Wartman Grand Canyon 5-4 Sr. 2B
WAC Player of the Year: Kelsey Horton, NM State
WAC Pitcher of the Year: Lauren Frailey, Utah Valley
WAC Freshman of the Year: Caragh Morris, Utah Valley
WAC Coach of the Year: Ann Pierson, Grand Canyon
GCU'S GONZALEZ NAMED TO ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT 8 TEAM
Grand Canyon's Niki Gonzalez was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 Softball Team. She now advances to the national ballot for Academic All-America® consideration. That team will be announced on May 25. A junior catcher from Tucson, Ariz., Gonzalez has a 3.98 grade-point average as an exercise science major. She started all 54 games for the Lopes as Grand Canyon tied a school-record with 36 wins and captured a share of the WAC regular-season title, going 11-4 in WAC games. Gonzalez hit .320 with 31 RBIs, 16 doubles, four home runs and 27 runs scored. She finished the year with 12 multi-hit games, seven multi-RBI games and a season-high seven-game hitting streak. In order to be eligible, a player must have completed at least one academic year, must be a starter or significant reserve, must have a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average and must have completed at least one full academic year at her institution. Voting is done by members of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America).
GRAND CANYON, NM STATE SHARE REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
After finishing the conference regular season with identical 11-4 records, Grand Canyon and NM State shared the WAC regular-season title. For the Lopes, it was their second title in four years in the league. For the Aggies, it was their fourth regular-season title and third in a row. NM State joined the WAC in the 2005-06 school year.
NM STATE'S RODOLPH EARNS 500TH CAREER VICTORY
NM State head coach Kathy Rodolph earned her 500th career victory at the NCAA level when her team defeated New Mexico on May 2. In her 14th season with the Aggies and 16th season at the NCAA level, Rodolph boasts a 505-398 (.559) career record.
UTAH VALLEY POSTS BEST-EVER HOME WINNING PERCENTAGE
After going 0-9 at home last season, UVU answered in 2017 with an 11-3 record at the friendly confines of Wolverine Field, the best home winning percentage in school history (.786). The 11 victories marked the second-most wins, as the 2013 club went 12-5 at Wolverine Field. Of the 11 victories, the Wolverines won five via the eight-run rule.
NMSU'S GREEN TIES SEASON SAVES RECORD, SECOND ON CAREER LIST
With a save against Florida Atlantic on May 4, NM State sophomore pitcher Kayla Green notched her fourth save of the season to tie with four other pitchers for the all-time single-season record. She also moved her career total to six, one shy of a tie for second place in the career record books. The all-time record is 11.
NM STATE'S HORTON BREAKS THREE WAC RECORDS
NM State sophomore Kelsey Horton broke or tied three WAC records for WAC games only. The records are listed below, along with the previous record holder and year.
Batting average .558 .535, Nina Lindenberg, Fresno State, 1996
Slugging percentage 1.258 1.050, Jessica Iwata, Hawai‘i, 2010
Home runs per game 0.60 tied with Fiana Finau, NM State, 2015
Horton also broke into the Top 10 in these categories:
RBIs per game 1.47 T-5th
Home runs 9 T-8th
Hits per game 1.60 T-10th
CSUB'S KLIMENKO RANKS THIRD IN PROGRAM CAREER STARTS
With one starts in the WAC Tournament, CSU Bakersfield senior hurler Lyndsay Klimenko moved her career total to 54, good for third place in CSUB's Division I history, eight shy of second place. Klimenko also closed out her career with 98 appearances, second-most of any ‘Runner. The school record is 112 (Kelsie Monroe, 2013-15).
UVU'S VANSWAY SETS PROGRAM SEASON RBI RECORD
On April 29, Utah Valley senior third baseman Brittney Vansway became the program single-season RBI record holder with 49, surpassing Amanda Perez's previous record of 48 set in 2010. Vansway closed out the season with 52. On April 7 against CSU Bakersfield, she became the program career RBI leader with a four-RBI outing bringing her career total to 149, passing the prior record of 148 held by Perez (2009-12). Vansway finished her career with 159 RBIs.
CSUB'S BURT BREAKS PROGRAM STOLEN BASE RECORD
With a stolen base in the series finale at Seattle U on April 29, CSU Bakersfield junior Kaylynn Burt moved her season total to 16, breaking the program single-season Division I record set last season. Burt was also hit by a pitch 12 times on the season, second-most in a single Division I season at CSUB.
NMSU'S RODRIGUEZ RANKS SECOND IN CAREER STOLEN BASES
NM State junior Rachel Rodriguez ranks second in the program career record books for stolen bases with 69. She also ranks tied for second in stolen base attempts (77).
CSUB GETS FIRST-EVER WIN IN A GAME OF 10+ INNINGS
When it defeated UC Riverside 3-2 in 10 innings on April 19, it was CSU Bakersfield's first-ever win in a game of 10 innings or more. The Roadrunners were 0-5 previously. The game tied for the fifth-longest game in CSUB's Division I history.
NM STATE'S BUTLER BREAKS PROGRAM RECORD FOR HBP
NM State freshman Nikki Butler broke the program single-season record for hit by a pitch in the first game of the WAC Tournament against CSU Bakersfield with her 11th HBP of the season and extended the record when she was hit again twice during the tournament to move her total to 13 on the season.
CSUB'S CURRY RANKS THIRD IN CAREER PUTOUTS
CSU Bakersfield junior Nicole Curry has 499 career putouts, good for third place in CSUB's Division I history. Curry needs to reach 582 to take over second. The all-time CSUB record is 859 (Amy Ricciardi, 2011-14).
SEATTLE U EXTENDS WAC-LEADING TRIPLES TOTAL TO 14
With one triple during its series against CSU Bakersfield, Seattle U extended its WAC-leading total to 14 on the season. Five different players have posted triples this year for the Redhawks, led by Paige Bouska with seven, which ranks fifth nationally. Meanwhile, Kaylee Ree, Maddy Kristjanson and Cherise Silvan have two apiece and Nicole Bolasky has one.
UMKC'S SWEEP OF CSUB JUST FOURTH EVER
When the Roos swept CSU Bakersfield in the opening weekend of WAC play, it was just the fourth time since joining the WAC that UMKC swept a conference opponent. The Roos also swept the Roadrunners and Seattle U in 2016 and swept Utah Valley in 2015.
SEATTLE U-GRAND CANYON PLAY 12-INNING GAME
On March 31, Seattle U and Grand Canyon played a 12-inning game with Seattle U winning 7-3. In the bottom of the 12th inning, the lights, which are on a timer, turned off, resulting in a 15 minute delay, as the lights must cool before being turned back on. The game was the longest in Seattle U program history and is tied for the sixth-longest in Division I this season.
SEATTLE U'S BOUSKA SETS PROGRAM CAREER HITS RECORD
Seattle U senior outfielder Paige Bouska became the program career hits leader on March 26 in a 5-3 win over Santa Clara and closed out her career with 234. Trailing 3-2 entering the bottom of the sixth inning, Bouska's triple to left drove in two runs and set the school record with her 209th career hit. She passed Jane Purdy and Isabella Geronimo, both of whom had 208 hits.
CSUB PICKS UP FIRST WIN VS. RANKED TEAM IN FOUR YEARS
CSU Bakersfield notched up its first win over a ranked opponent in exactly four years when it defeated No. 25 Cal Poly 11-8 on March 25. Chris Hipa led the way at the plate with a home run and a triple and five RBIs. The ‘Runners' previous win over a ranked team was March 25, 2013, when they defeated No. 24 Oregon State 10-7 at home.
UVU'S VANSWAY SETS PROGRAM RECORD FOR SF
UVU senior Brittney Vansway became the all-time program leader in sacrifice flies with a third-inning sac fly against Idaho State on March 23 in Pocatello. With the sacrifice, Vansway now has a UVU-best five sacrifice flies on the season as well as an all-time best nine for her career. Her ninth career sac fly passed Jessica Anderson's (2008-10) previous record of eight.
SEATTLE U'S REUBLE THROWS PERFECT GAME
Seattle U senior right-hander Alyssa Reuble threw a perfect game in Seattle U's 8-0 five-inning win over South Dakota on March 10. She needed just 41 pitches to blank the Coyotes. Reuble's gem was the first perfect game in Division I this season and the first by a WAC pitcher since the 2010 season. It also marks just the third perfect game in program history.
UVU'S VANSWAY RANKS FIFTH NATIONALLY IN RBIS/GAME
In the most recent NCAA statistical rankings, Utah Valley's Brittney Vansway ranks fifth in the nation with 1.30 RBIs per game. The senior tallied 52 RBIs in 40 games this season. The third baseman also ranks 14th nationally in sacrifice flies (5), 19th in home runs per game (0.33), 35th in slugging percentage (.760) and 48th in home runs (13).
FOUR REDHAWKS NAMED TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
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 March 3-5. 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.
UVU'S VANSWAY BECOMES PROGRAM ASSISTS LEADER
With six assists in a pair of games on Friday, March 3, senior infielder Brittney Vansway became Utah Valley's all-time leader in defensive assists with 412. The three-time All-WAC performer and four-year starter passed former UVU third baseman Jessica Anderson's (2008-2010) old record of 340. Vansway now has 408. The slick-fielding Vansway is also UVU's all-time record holder in double plays turned with 49.
UVU'S FRAILEY THROWS ONE-HIT SHUTOUT VS. IOWA STATE
Utah Valley rode the right arm of Lauren Frailey to its first win of the season on March 5, 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 CANDIDATES FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
Three WAC softball players - Grand Canyon's Taylor Nowlin and Camree Wartman and Utah Valley's Brittney Vansway - were 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.
GCU'S PIERSON PICKS UP 400TH CAREER VICTORY
Grand Canyon head coach Ann Pierson earned her 400th career victory in the Lopes' 7-5 victory over Rhode Island on Feb. 25. In her 14th year at the helm. Pierson is 421-314-3 (.572).
CSUB'S CLARK TIES RECORD FOR RBIS IN A GAME
In the nightcap against Cal State Fullerton, a team that came into the week receiving votes in NFCA Top 25 poll, CSU Bakersfield junior Maddi Clark went 3-for-4 with a grand slam, the first home run of her collegiate career. Clark drove in a total of six RBIs, tying CSUB's all-time single-game record.
SEATTLE U'S LARKINS TOSSES ONE-HITTER
On Feb. 19 against Montana, Seattle U sophomore hurler Andie Larkins threw a complete game, one-hit shutout to lead the Redhawks to a 2-0 victory over the Grizzlies. She struck out three over seven innings.
UVU'S BEAVERS SETS RECORD FOR HITS IN A GAME
In her first game in a Wolverine uniform, Utah Valley senior outfielder Courtney Beavers set a school record for hits in a game after going 5-for-5 from the plate on Feb. 17 against San Diego at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The leadoff hitter had three doubles, two runs scored and a stolen base.
GCU'S NOWLIN, SMITH NAMED TO ALL-TOURNEY TEAM
Grand Canyon senior pitcher Taylor Nowlin and sophomore shortstop Shea Smith were named to the all-tournament team at the Getterman Classic Feb. 17-19. Nowlin went 3-1, collecting three of GCU's four wins. She had a phenomenal outing against No. 23 Baylor, allowing just four hits. Nowlin rattled off 18 strikeouts on the weekend. Smith hit .333 on the weekend with two doubles and three RBIs. Against No. 23 Baylor, she drew and walk and stole a base. She finished the weekend with a .444 slugging percentage.
GCU, NM STATE PICKED TO WIN 2017 WAC TITLE
In a preseason vote of the six WAC softball coaches, who could not vote for their own team, Grand Canyon and NM State were selected as the preseason favorites to win the title.
The Lopes and Aggies tied for the top spot in the preseason poll with 23 points and three first-place votes each. CSU Bakersfield and Seattle U tied for third place with 13 points apiece. UMKC was fifth with 11 points, while Utah Valley rounded out the poll in sixth place with seven points.