TicketSmarter WAC Softball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week Announced
DENVER – Grand Canyon's Gianna Nicoletti and California Baptist's Kerisa Viramontes have been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Feb. 8 through Feb. 14.
Nicoletti, a junior outfielder from Fullerton, Calif., led the WAC with a .500 batting average on the opening weekend of play. She picked up hits in five of six games on the weekend, including a 3-for-4 game in the season-opener against Utah on Thursday night. On the week, she was 9-for-18 from the plate, driving in four RBIs and scoring six runs. She also earned five walks and struck out just once to post a .625 on-base percentage.
Viramontes, a senior from Mira Loma, Calif., earned a pair of wins on the week to lead the Lancers. On Thursday, she struck out 11 UC Davis hitters and allowed just two runs, only one of them earned, on five hits over nine innings in an extra-inning complete game win. On Friday, she picked up her second win in her second complete game in a 9-3 win over Sacramento State. On the week, she finished with 13 strikeouts and posted a 1.75 earned-run average.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: California Baptist's Amanda Argomaniz paced the Lancers to a 3-1 opening weekend with seven RBIs and a pair of multi-hit games against UC Davis and Sacramento State … Dixie State's Shea Clements hit .286 with a pair of doubles on the weekend as the Trailblazers opened their inaugural Division I season at UNLV … NM State's Ramsay Lopez hit a two-home run in the bottom of the sixth to help lead the Aggies to a 6-3 win over Pittsburgh on Friday.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Dixie State's Carissa Burgess picked up the Trailblazers first-ever Division I win, allowing one run on four hits in a 5-4 win over Southern Utah on Saturday … Grand Canyon's Ryan Denhart picked up a pair of wins for the Lopes at home against Weber State and Montana … NM State's Felicia De La Torre struck out eight batters and scattered three hits over five innings to earn the win in a 6-3 victory over ACC-foe Pittsburgh.