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NM STATE'S CASTRO, SEATTLE U'S LARKINS NAMED WAC ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
NM State's
Victoria Castro and Seattle U's
Andie Larkins have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for April 30-May 6. This is the first honor of the season and second of her career for Castro and the second honor of the season and third of her career for Larkins.
Castro, a junior center fielder from Albuquerque, N.M., was 2-for-3 and scored the Aggies' only run in a loss to No. 8 Arizona State last week. She posted a 1.667 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage against the Sun Devils. Castro hit her 10th homer of the season, a solo shot to center field in NM State's lone game last week. She, who led the team with two hits and five total bases in the contest, ranks in the Top 10 in the WAC in homers (10), slugging percentage (.617), total bases (95), runs (32), batting average (.351) and hits (54).
Larkins, a junior right-hander from Tucson, Ariz., went 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA in a complete-game win at Oregon State last Tuesday. She allowed just one run on five hits and struck out four as she held the Beavers, a team that entered the week ranked 21st in RPI, to a .192 batting average.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Grand Canyon's
Madelyn Dowdle hit .333 with one walk ...
Morgan Byrn of Kansas City hit .375 with two home runs and five RBIs ... Utah Valley's
Lyndsay Steverson hit .364 with a pair of home runs and five RBIs in four games last week.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Grand Canyon's
Brianna Aguilar-Beaucage went 0-1 with a 1.17 ERA and two strikeouts over 6.0 innings against No. 10 Arizona last week ...
Addie Jensen of Utah Valley went 1-1 with a 1.56 ERA and four strikeouts in 9.0 innings of work..
NM STATE WINS FOURTH-STRAIGHT WAC REGULAR-SEASON TITLE
With a 2-1 series victory over Seattle U, NM State claimed its fourth-straight WAC regular-season title. The Aggies also secured the top seed for the WAC Tournament, which they host this week. This is the fifth time NM State will host the event, as they did so in 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2017.
SEVERAL WAC PLAYERS RANK AMONG TOP 50 IN NCAA ACTIVE CAREER LEADERS
Several WAC players rank among the Top 50 nationally in the NCAA's active career leader charts. The rankings and categories are listed below.
| Player |
School |
Category |
Total |
Ranking |
| Kelsey Horton |
NM State |
Home runs |
51 |
8th |
| Kelsey Horton |
NM State |
Slugging percentage |
.777 |
14th |
| Sierra Smith |
Grand Canyon |
Triples |
12 |
21st |
| Kelsey Horton |
NM State |
RBIs |
161 |
21st |
| Kelsey Horton |
NM State |
Total Bases |
386 |
23rd |
| Rachel Rodriguez |
NM State |
Stolen bases |
82 |
26th |
| Rachel Rodriguez |
NM State |
Triples |
11 |
27th |
| Rachel Rodriguez |
NM State |
Hits |
237 |
30th |
| Rachel Rodriguez |
NM State |
Runs |
155 |
32nd |
| Kelsey Horton |
NM State |
Runs |
154 |
35th |
| Rachel Rodriguez |
NM State |
At bats |
658 |
39th |
| Madison Cathcart |
Seattle U |
Slugging percentage |
.696 |
42nd |
| Kayla Green |
NM State |
Saves |
7 |
45th |
| Kelsey Horton |
NM State |
Batting average |
.392 |
47th |
NM STATE'S HORTON BREAKS WAC SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUNS PER GAME RECORD
NM State junior second baseman
Kelsey Horton hit 10 home runs over 15 WAC games for a 0.67 home runs per game average. Horton broke the previous record of 0.60 she set last season and held with fellow Aggie Fiana Finau in 2015.
UVU POSTS HIGHEST FINISH EVER IN WAC PLAY
Utah Valley managed to finish conference play a half a game ahead of Seattle U en route to earning the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye for the WAC Tournament. The 10-4 conference record and second-place finish are both program highs for UVU since joining the WAC five seasons ago.
NM STATE'S HORTON MOVING IN ON SINGLE-SEASON HOME RUN RECORD
NM State junior
Kelsey Horton currently has 22 home runs on the season, two shy of tying the NM State single-season record of 24 held by both Hoku Nohara (2011) and Fiana Finau (2015). Horton also ranks among the Aggie greats in several career records. She is first in batting average (.392) and slugging percentage (.777), third in home runs (51), fourth in total bases (386) and fifth in RBIs (161).
UVU POSTS JUST FOURTH SERIES SWEEP SINCE JOINING THE WAC
When it swept CSU Bakersfield, it was Utah Valley's fourth conference series sweep since joining the WAC prior to the 2014 season. The Wolverines swept Kansas City earlier this season and also swept the Roos in 2017, and swept CSUB during the 2014 season.
SU'S CHOATE BREAKS PROGRAM SINGLE-SEASON RUNS RECORD
With a pair of runs in the series opener at NM State on April 27, Seattle U freshman
Ally Choate broke the program Division I single-season record of 37 set by Paige Bouska in 2017. Choate now has 41 runs on the season.
NM STATE'S GLACKIN, BUTLER SET SINGLE-SEASON HBP RECORD
NM State's
Fahren Glackin and
Nikki Butler both set the program single-season record for hit by pitch after being hit 14 times this season. Butler held the previous record of 13, the number she was hit last year as a freshman.
UVU'S KIRSTEN ANDERSON BECOMES ALL-TIME LEADER IN HBP
After getting hit by a pitch in the WAC regular-season finale at CSU Bakersfield, Utah Valley senior shortstop
Kirsten Andersen became the all-time program leader in hit by pitch at 17, passing current teammate
Taleigh Williams and former UVU great
Breezy Roth, who are tied for second in the UVU record books with 16.
SEATTLE U'S BOLASKY TIES PROGRAM STEALS RECORD
Seattle U senior
Nicole Bolasky currently leads the WAC with 26 steals. She is tied for the Redhawk single-season record set by Jessica Ulrich in 2010.
UTAH VALLEY'S COOK PERFECT 22-FOR-22 IN STOLEN BASES
Utah Valley junior
Skylar Cook is 22-for-22 in stolen bases this season. The 22 stolen bases rank second in the WAC and in the UVU single-season record books behind Morgan Summers Smith's record of 24 in 2016. Cook's 22 stolen bases are also the most stolen bases that a Wolverine has ever achieved without being caught.
NMSU'S GREEN MOVES UP CAREER SAVES LIST
In the Aggies' win at Utah Valley on April 21,
Kayla Green recorded her seventh career save. She ranks second in the Aggie record books for career saves. Green also ranks tied for 45th among active players nationally.
SEATTLE U'S CATHCART SETS SEASON DOUBLES RECORD
Seattle U sophomore
Madison Cathcart holds the school's Division I record for doubles in a season with 19. Cathcart currently leads the WAC and ranks ninth nationally in the category.