This Week in WAC Softball - Feb. 23
This Week in WAC Softball - Feb. 23
Complete Release (PDF)
TICKETSMARTER PLAYER AND PITCHER OF THE WEEK
After over 50 games featuring conference schools during the second weekend of the NCAA softball season, Tarleton’s Brady Rowland has been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week while Grand Canyon’s Ariel Thompson earning TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week honors.
Rowland pieced together a .462 batting average with .632 on-base and 1.077 slugging percentages as the Texans won five games and improved to 10-0. She had a pair of multi-hit games, slammed a pair of homeruns, scored four runs and tallied six total RBI in the five-game stretch. Rowland highlighted her weekend with a 3-for-3 effort, with a double and homerun, in Tarleton’s 11-7 Saturday victory against Prairie View.
Thompson appeared in four games for the Lopes in helping her team to a 3-1 mark during those four contests. She threw 13.2 total innings with a 2-0 record and a save. Thompson struck out 11 batters. She started the week with a relief appearance against Minnesota she grabbed the victory from the circle after throwing two innings. In her lone start, she tossed a complete game with seven strikeouts as Grand Canyon recorded a 7-3 win against Idaho State. Thompson finished the week with a two inning save as the Lopes beat Idaho State 2-1.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Katelyn Dunckel helped Grand Canyon to four wins in six games last week with a .389 batting average and five RBI … Amanda Argomaniz led California Baptist to a 4-1 weekend with a team best three RBI while registering a .400 batting average … Laura Lockard had a .571 batting average with three multi-hit games as Dixie State split a four-game weekend … NM State’s Riley Carley tallied six hits in 14 at-bats (.429 batting average) with a pair of long balls in the Aggies four games … Shaylon Govan put up a solid week against several power five conference schools with a .588 batting average, eight runs scored and four homeruns for Stephen F. Austin … Lamar’s Kaylee Ancelot week was highlighted by a game winning homerun in the sixth inning for the Cardinal’s Sunday win against Creighton
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: In two games for Tarleton, Reagan Chism nabbed a pair of victories as she struck out five in eight total innings … Stefanie Madrigal started three games for Seattle U where she tossed 19 innings with nine strikeouts as she registered two wins … Alyssa Argomaniz had two wins and save for California Baptist with 18 total strikeouts … Dixie State’s Attlyn Johnston struck out 11 in 10.2 innings while tallying a win against Utah State in three appearances … Aaliyah Ruiz highlighted her week in the circle with a 12-strikeout effort in 12 innings during Lamar extra inning contest against New Mexico
THE WEEK(END) AHEAD
With “only” 43 games this weekend featuring WAC teams, the third weekend of the season is a light weekend compared to the opening first two. During those opening weeks there were 50-plus games each week with a conference team playing.
A non-conference game begins the week on Wednesday as Stephen F. Austin travels to TCU.
Two teams are in southern California at the Mary Nutter Classic as California Baptist and Seattle U compete in Cathedral City. Utah Valley travels to Dixie State tournament to complete the two WAC teams at one tournament theme.
Undefeated Tarleton goes to New Mexico to play in the Lobo Classic while Lamar travels to Houston’s tournament.
Grand Canyon hosts another tournament as they welcomes teams to the Lopes Up Classic. The longest trip of the weekend goes to Abilene Christian who travels over the Pacific Ocean to play in Hawai’i’s tournament in Honolulu.
TOP 10 IN THE NATION
Grand Canyon has been speedy on the base paths as they rank sixth in the nation in stolen bases per game (3.00 steals per game).
Individually, preseason WAC Player of the Year Shaylon Govan is second in the country with six total homeruns with her 34 total bases ranking her seventh for Stephen F. Austin. Grand Canyon’s Denae Chatman has been a force with runners at the bases as she fourth among NCAA Division I players with 17 RBI. Teammate Gianna Nicoletti is third in country with 12 stolen bases
SEATTLE U, STEPHEN F. AUSTIN PICKED TO WIN 2022 WAC DIVISION TITLES
With the addition of four Texas schools during the summer of 2021, the WAC separated the 11 playing softball members into two divisions. One division feature Texas only schools with the remaining six institutions playing in the Western Division.
Defending WAC tournament champion Seattle U was picked to win the Western Division. NM State, runner-up at the WAC tournament in 2021, was selected in the number two position in the preseason head coaches poll. Grand Canyon was chosen third with Dixie State picked fourth as California Baptist and Utah Valley rounded out the six-team division. The Southwest Division preseason pick went to Stephen F. Austin with Sam Houston selected in the runner-up spot. Abilene Christian was chosen in the third position as Tarleton and Lamar completed that five-team division.
PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM
The top two spots on the preseason all-conference team went to a pair of Stephen F. Austin players. Shaylon Govan was selected as the conference’s preseason Player of the Year with Kassidy Wilbur voted the preseason Pitcher of the Year.
The 13-player preseason all-conference team features nine players who earned first- or second-team WAC accolades last season. (! - 2021 First-Team, $ - 2021 Second-Team)
$Kayla Bowen (NMSU) Sr., Util.
!Kristin Fifield (GCU), Jr., Util.
Gaby Garcia (SFA) Jr., C/OF
Shaylon Govan (SFA) Jr., INF/OF
!Hannah Hughbanks (DSU) Jr., OF/1B
!Ramsey Lopez (NMSU) r-Soph., INF
$Carley Nance (SU) Grad, LHP
!Stefanie Madrigal (SU) Jr., RHP
!Gianna Nicoletti (GCU) Sr., OF
!Linnah Rebolledo (UVU) Sr., INF/OF
Kalena Shepherd (UVU) Jr., C
$Olivia Viggiano (SU) Sr., OF
Kassidy Wilbur (SFA) Sr., RHP
SAM HOUSTON TO HOST 2022 WAC TOURNAMENT
Sam Houston will serve as hosts for the season ending WAC tournament from May 12-14 at the Bearkat Softball Complex in Hunstville, Texas.
2021 WAC REGULAR SEASON CONFERENCE RECAP
NM State won the regular season title. When there were seven teams playing for the conference title, the Aggies finished one game better than Seattle U. They won the title with a 14-4 league mark with the Redhawks completing their season with a 13-5 conference record.
Grand Canyon, Utah Valley and California Baptist all won eight regular season games. Dixie State (6 wins) and Tarleton (5) wrapped-up the regular season standings.
WHAT HAPPENED AT THE 2021 WAC TOURNAMENT
Seattle U took advantage of hosting the season ending WAC tournament by winning three games without a loss to win the four-team event and claim the league’s automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament.
Seeds:1-NM State, 2-Seattle U, 3-Grand Canyon, 4-Utah Valley
G TEAMS R-H-E
1 Utah Valley 6-8-1
NM State 5-10-0
2 Grand Canyon 4-8-0
Seattle U 5-10-0
3 NM State 6-9-1
Grand Canyon 2-6-4
4 Seattle U 5-9-2
Utah Valley 1-3-0
5 NM State 4-7-0
Utah Valley 3-8-0
6 Seattle U 7-8-0
NM State 5-7-2