TicketSmarter WAC Softball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week Announced
DENVER – NM State's Nikki Butler and California Baptist's Kerisa Viramontes have been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for April 19 through April 25.
Butler, a redshirt senior from La Habra, Calif., earned her second straight hitter of the week award as she slashed .545/.615/1.182 on the week. Butler hit a pair of home runs and drove across eight runs in the Aggies' road sweep over Dixie State last week. Her week was highlighted by a 4-for-4 showing on Saturday that included a grand slam in the fifth inning that put the Aggies ahead 7-4.
Viramontes, a senior from Mira Loma, Calif., led the Lancers to a series win over Grand Canyon last week as she finished the week with five strikeouts and a 2.23 earned-run average. In the series opener, Viramontes struck out four batters while giving up just one run across seven innings in the circle. She also earned the win in game two on Friday as she held the Lopes to just two hits in the final three innings of a nine-inning thriller.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: California Baptist's Ashley McBay batted .500 and brought in one run in the Lancers' series with Grand Canyon last week… Grand Canyon's Kristin Fifield finished the week with four RBIs and one home run against CBU… Seattle U's Olivia Viggiano went 5-for-10 at the plate, including coming through with a pair of triples in Saturday's opener against Tarleton… Tarleton's Katy Schaefer knocked in four runs and recorded a pair of doubles in a three-game series with Seattle U... Utah Valley's Rien Milliken posted an impressive 1.200 slugging percentage last week as she drove in seven runs and hit a pair of multi-run home runs in a double header against Boise State on Monday.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Grand Canyon's Lexy Coons led the Lopes to a shutout win over California Baptist on Saturday as she went the distance to earn the win… NM State's Matalasi Faapito finished 2-0 last week as she struck out four batters across two outings… Seattle U's Carley Nance struck out six batters on the way to earning the complete-game win over Tarleton on Saturday… Tarleton's Tristan Bridges posted 13 strikeouts as she finished with a 2-1 record last week, including a win over North Texas on Wednesday.