TicketSmarter WAC Softball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week Announced
DENVER – Dixie State's Hannah Hughbanks and Tarleton's Julia Wernet have been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for March 8 through March 14.
Hughbanks, a sophomore outfielder from Chino Hill, Calif., managed an impressive .833 batting average across a pair of wins over Southern Utah on Sunday. In the opener, she went 3-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a stolen base to lead the Trailblazers to an 11-9 win. Hughbanks also brought in two runs in the second meeting to help Dixie State sweep the Thunderbirds behind an 8-7 victory.
Wernet, a junior from West, Texas, picked up her second award of the year behind a pair of complete-game wins last week. She opened the week with a winning effort against Prairie View A&M in which she struck out five Panther batters. Wernet topped that performance with a three-hit shutout victory against Texas Southern on Friday.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Grand Canyon's Gianna Nicoletti hit .462 as she tallied six hits to lead the Lopes last week… NM State's Matalasi Faapito finished the week going 4-for-7 at the plate, including two home runs in the Aggies' double-header against South Florida… Seattle U's Bailey Thompson led the Redhawks to a pair of wins over Portland State, highlighted by a three-hit, two-RBI outing performance on Saturday… Tarleton's Destiny Crumpley posted a team-high six RBIs to lead the Texans to a trio of wins in Austin, Texas.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Dixie State's Carissa Burgess struck out 12 batters on her way to a complete-game victory in the Trailblazers' final matchup of the weekend… NM State's Matalasi Faapito pitched 8.2 innings for the Aggies, giving up only three runs in a series with USF … Seattle U's Shi Smith helped lead the Redhawks to a pair of wins as she struck out 13 batters in four outings, five of which came in just 3.2 innings against No. 8 Washington.