TicketSmarter WAC Softball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week Announced
DENVER – Dixie State's Mikaela Thomson and Tarleton's Julia Wernet have been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for Feb. 22 through Feb. 28.
Thomson, a senior infielder from Herriman, Utah, finished the week hitting .412 with five home runs and 10 RBIs to help carry the Trailblazers to a 4-1 record last week. Thomson's week was highlighted by a three-home run, eight RBI performance in a win over Northern Colorado on Saturday. She also had a big game on Friday as she hit two bombs to help the Trailblazers to a 5-3 win over Utah State. On the season, Thomson ranks first in the WAC in home runs (5) and RBIs (11).
Wernet, a junior right-hander from West, Texas, earned wins in each of her last four decisions while striking out 17 batters in five outings last week. On Wednesday against Prairie View A&M, Wernet came on in relief with one out and the bases loaded. She escaped the jam and eventually went on to pitch the final 4.0 innings to help the Texans pick up their first Division I win. Wernet also collected complete-game victories over Incarnate Word and Stephen F. Austin in which she allowed just one run in each game. To top off her week, Wernet struck out a career-high 10 batters on Friday against UIW.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Grand Canyon's Tabitha Dyer went 6-of-13 at the plate with a .500 on base percentage during the GCU Purple Classic which included matchups with a pair of ranked opponents in No. 2 Oklahoma and No. 25 Iowa State… NM State's Hailey Tanori led the Aggies with eight hits and three doubles in their five games at The Spring Games last week… Tarleton's Katy Schaefer recorded a hit in seven of the eight games Tarleton played in last week as she helped the Texans finish the week with a 5-3 record… Utah Valley's Linnah Rebolledo batted .600 as she recorded six hits and six RBIs in the Wolverines' series with Southern Utah.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Dixie State's Carissa Burgess finished the week with 13 strikeouts and a 1.45 earned run average as she earned wins in all three of her outings during the Dixie State Tournament.