McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Player of the Week

Danielle Cassara, Sr., 1B/P, New Mexico
Danielle Cassara from the University of New Mexico is this week¹s McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Softball Player of the Week after helping New Mexico move into first place in the league standings with a sweep of BYU (5-0, 9-3) and split with Utah (7-3, 3-9).

A senior from Millikan High School in Long Beach, Calif., Cassara earned her first player of the week award of the season and the third for New Mexico after batting .615 (8-for-13) with a slugging percentage of .923 and an on-base percentage of .667 during the week. She collected six RBI with a home run and a double and scored twice. This is Cassara¹s second straight week batting above the .600 mark and she has not been struck out in 10 games dating back to Mar. 18. She hit 3-for-4 with a home run and five RBI in game two vs. BYU and went 4-for-4 with a double in the nightcap vs. Utah. Splitting her time between first base and pitching, she was flawless defensively with 18 put outs and three assists. She pitched 14.1 innings in three appearances and did not allow a run for 12-straight innings. She allowed just one earned run in two complete games, but was reached for four runs in the first inning when she started the second game of the Utah doubleheader. Cassara has claimed the pitching honor three times this year, won the player of the week twice in each of the past two seasons and claimed the pitching honor twice last year.

McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Softball Players of the Week: Feb. 8 ­ Holly Schmillen (Jr., SS) CSU, Feb. 15 ­ Rachel Goodpaster (Jr., SS) UNLV, Feb. 22 ­ Kellie Nordhagen (So., CF) SDSU, Feb. 29 ­ Christy Sears (Sr., DH) SDSU, Mar. 8 ­ Kathy Moore (Jr., P/1B) UNM, Mar. 14 ­ Lyndsey Trevis (So., 3B) Utah, Mar. 21 ­ Sarah Maulorica (So., DP) UNM, Mar. 28 ­ Kellie Labor (Sr., OF) SDSU, Apr. 4 ­ Molly McLean (So., OF) Utah, Apr. 10 ­ Danielle Cassara (Sr., 1B/P) UNM.

McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Co-Pitchers of the Week

Kyla Kiester, Jr., P, Colorado State
Sandra Durazo, Sr., P, San Diego State

Colorado State¹s Kyla Kiester and San Diego State¹s Sandra Durazo share this week¹s McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week honors after leading their respective teams to 3-1 records for the week. Colorado State swept then-league-leading Utah (9-1, 3-1) then split with BYU (6-0, 3-8). San Diego State swept UNLV (3-0, 6-0) then split with No. 16 CS Fullerton (1-0, 2-3).

Kiester, a junior from Johnston High School in Des Moines, Iowa, earns the first pitcher of the week honor in her career and the first for CSU this season after posting a 2-0 record in four starts during the week. She earned the win in the first game of both series with Utah and BYU and started the second game of each doubleheader before being relieved. Kiester struck out eight and scattered six walks and 12 hits over 21.1 innings of work. She held opponent batter¹s to a .158 batting average and allowed one earned run by Utah and one by BYU for an ERA of 0.66 for the week.

A product of Kennedy High School in Granada Hills, Calif., Durazo claims the second pitching honor of the year for SDSU and herself and earns the fourth such recognition of her career. She posted a 2-1 record and allowed just one earned run in three complete games. She threw two shutouts, struck out six batters and scattered 18 hits and three walks over 21 innings of work. Opponents hit .222 off Durazo during the week. In the series opener against UNLV, she allowed just five hits, did not walk a batter and struck out three. In the 1-0 first-game victory over Fullerton, Durazo held the No. 16-ranked team in the nation to three hits and walked just one to register her first win over a ranked opponent this season.

McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Softball Pitchers of the Week: Feb. 8 ­ Danielle Cassara (Sr.) UNM, Feb. 15 ­ Kathy Moore (Jr.) UNM, Feb. 22 ­ Geney Orris (So.) UNLV, Feb. 29 ­ Danielle Cassara (Sr.) UNM, Mar. 8 ­ Kathy Moore (Jr.) UNM, Nicole Truax (So.) UNLV, Mar. 21 ­ Danielle Cassara (Sr.) UNM, Mar. 28 ­ Sandra Durazo (Jr.) SDSU, Apr. 4 ­ Kristin Arbogast (Jr.) Utah, Apr. 10 ­ Kyla Kiester (Jr.) CSU and Sandra Durazo (Jr.) SDSU.

Mtn. West Head Coaches:
BYU ­ Mary Kay Amicone
Overall: 10-17 (1st season)
School: 10-17 (1st season)

Colorado State ­ Teri Klement
Overall: 28-44 (2nd season)
School: 28-44 (2nd season)

New Mexico ­ Susan Craig
Overall: 607-527 (24th season)
School: 607-527 (24th season)

San Diego State ­ Kathy Van Wyk
Overall: 100-109 (4th season)
School: 100-109 (4th season)

UNLV ­ Shan McDonald
Overall: 429-368-2 (14th season)
School: 429-368-2 (14th season)

Utah ­ Mona Stevens
Overall: 132-84 (4th season)
School: 132-84 (4th season)

The Regular-Season Conference Race
New Mexico took sole possession of first place in Mountain West Conference action by going 3-1 during the week. The Lobos received considerable help from Colorado State, which swept previously undefeated Utah. San Diego State climbed into second place with a 4-2 record, percentage points ahead of Utah¹s 5-3 mark. CSU stands 3-3 in league play, followed by BYU (2-6) and UNLV (1-3). >{? Utah Host of 2000 Mtn. West Softball Championship
The inaugural Mountain West Conference Softball Championship will be hosted by the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. All six Mtn. West softball teams will compete in the double-elimination event for the first league title May 11-13. Seedings will be decided by regular-season results in conference games.

All requests for media credentials for the inaugural Mountain West Conference Softball Championship should be submitted in writing to Director of Communications Elaine Adams at the Mtn. West office or Utah Media Relations contact Julie Lapomarda prior to the event.

Utah Favored In Inaugural Mtn. West Softball Race
The University of Utah was favored to win the first-ever Mountain West Conference softball title in a preseason vote by the league softball coaches.

An indication of the parity within the league¹s six teams is the distribution of first place votes among three teams. Utah received three top votes and 23 points to edge New Mexico that claimed two No. 1 votes and 21 points. San Diego State garnered one first-place vote and totaled 18 points for third place in the poll.

Utah returns eight starters and 13 letterwinners from a team that registered an overall record of 28-27 in 1999 and went 8-11 to place fifth in the Western Athletic Conference. The Utes finished second to Fresno State in the WAC Tournament. New Mexico posted the most wins in school history last season, going 42-14 overall and tying for second place in the WAC with a 14-7 slate. The Lobos return eight starters among 10 letterwinners under the direction of 23-year veteran head coach Susan Craig who earned WAC co-Coach of the Year in 1999. San Diego State finished tied for third in the conference in 1999 with a 16-8 league record and a 24-34 overall mark. The Aztecs return nine starters and 12 letterwinners.

UNLV finished the 1999 season with an 18-31 record and placed sixth in the conference. The Rebels return 10 starters and 15 letterwinners after losing just three players from the 1999 squad. Colorado State posted a 17-24 overall record in 1999 and placed seventh in the league race. The Rams return seven starters among 10 letterwinners. The softball program at BYU is in its first season as a varsity sport under the direction of Utah graduate Mary Kay Amicone.

NCAA Div. I West Regional Rankings
(Through Mar. 31)
Rk School
1. Fresno State
2. CS Fullerton
3. Long Beach State
4. Utah
5. New Mexico
6. UNLV
7. Pacific (Calif.)
8. San Diego State
9. UC Santa Barbara
10. Hawaii

Non-conference Slate
Here is a list of how the Mountain West Conference stacks up against other conferences thus far:

America East 0-0
Atlantic Coast 3-0
Atlantic 10 1-1
Big East 1-3
Big Sky 0-0
Big South 0-0
Big Ten 7-4
Big XII 11-14
Big West 17-20
Colonial 0-0
C-USA 1-0
Ivy 0-0
Metro Atlantic (MAAC) 0-1
Mid-American (MAC) 2-0
Mid-Continent 7-1
Mid-Eastern (MEAC) 0-0
Midwestern (MCC) 3-1
Missouri Valley 1-0
Northeast (NEC) 0-0
Ohio Valley 5-0
Pacific-10 4-28
Patriot 0-0
Southeastern 7-2
Southern 0-0
Southland 1-1
Southwestern (SWAC) 0-0
Sun Belt 1-0
TransAm 0-0
West Coast 0-0
Western (WAC) 6-5

Independents 9-6
Non-Division I 0-0
Totals 87-87

Team-by-Team Notes
In the second week of conference action, BYU lost both games of a doubleheader at New Mexico (0-5, 3-9), then split the twinbill at Colorado State (0-6, 8-3) to go 1-3 for the week. The Cougars¹ win at CSU snapped a six-game losing streak, which was the longest of the season. Lindsay Jones (Jr., P) turned a rare starting nod into her first win of the season, throwing the complete game in the 8-3 win over CSU. Cassie Martin (Fr., C), who has been sidelined most of the season due to ankle surgery, turned in a 3-for-4 performance in the second game at UNM. The Cougars will play their first-ever home games Saturday, Apr. 15, when they host rival Utah.

In its first home action of the season, Colorado State upset then-league leader Utah twice (9-1, 3-1) on Apr. 7, then split a doubleheader with BYU (6-0, 3-8) to finish the week 3-1. Leslie Strassel (Sr., OF/UT) hit .600 (6-for-10), including three doubles, during the week¹s four games. Kyla Kiester (Jr., P) shared the Mtn. West pitcher of the week award after starting all four games, allowing just two earned runs and going 2-0. This week the Rams play at UNLV Friday and San Diego State Saturday.

New Mexico moved into sole possession of first place in the league standings after going 3-1 in conference action during the week. The Lobos swept a doubleheader from BYU by identical 7-2 scores, then split the twinbill with Utah (7-3, 3-9). The loss to Utah snapped a season-best nine-game win streak for UNM. Claiming her first player of the week honor after nabbing three pitching awards this season, Danielle Cassara (Sr., P/1B) hit .615 (8-for-13) with a .923 slugging percentage and .667 on-base average for the week. She has not struck out in 10 games. Cassara went 2-1 with a 2.93 ERA in the circle and pitched 12 consecutive innings before allowing a run during the week. She moved into the top-slot on the UNM career chart for shutouts with her 20th (against BYU). The Lobos lead the league with a team ERA of 2.44 and a batting average of .296 on the season. The only Mtn. West team receiving votes in the national poll (22 votes for No. 28), New Mexico ranked fifth in the first edition of the NCAA West Region Rankings. The Lobos travel to second-place San Diego State Friday and UNLV Sunday.

San Diego State held UNLV scoreless in both games of a doubleheader as the Aztecs climbed into second-place in the league standings with the 3-0, 6-0 sweep of the Rebels. SDSU then upset No. 16-ranked CS Fullerton to give head coach Kathy Van Wyk career victory No. 100 ­ ironically over her alma mater. The Aztecs now stand 3-9 against nationally ranked opponents this season. SDSU held its opponents scoreless for 24 consecutive innings, spanning from the final inning against BYU on Apr. 1 until the third inning of the second games vs. Fullerton on Apr. 9. Sandra Durazo (Jr., P) pitched two shutouts and allowed just one earned run while posting a 2-1 record and earning a share of pitcher of the week honors. Olivia Catron (Fr., P) notched her first complete-game shut out in the 6-0 win over UNLV. Vanessa Valenzuela (Jr., 1B) burst out of a hitting slump to go 3-for-3 in the upset of Fullerton. With just three home dates remaining on the schedule, the Aztecs play host to league-leader New Mexico Friday then Colorado State Sunday and non-conference foe St. Mary¹s on Wednesday.

In a light week of action, UNLV dropped both games in a doubleheader at San Diego State (0-3, 0-6) Saturday. Racheal Goodpaster (Jr., SS) leads the team with a .382 season average and enjoyed a 3-for-3 outing with a double in game one at SDSU. This week, the Rebels travel to Utah State for a non-conference doubleheader on Tuesday, then play host to Colorado State Friday and New Mexico Sunday.

Upset by Colorado State twice (1-9, 1-3) Friday, Utah then split with New Mexico (3-7, 9-3) on Sunday to go 1-3 for the week. Sunny Smith (Sr., C) broke the Utah single-season school record for home runs with her 14th of the year and now stands second on the career list with 29. Smith hit .455 (5-for-11) with a 1.182 slugging percentage for the week. This week the Utes play a non-conference twinbill at Utah State on Wednesday, then at BYU Saturday.