Player of the Week
Molly McLean, So., OF, Utah

Utah¹s Molly McLean is this week¹s McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Softball Player of the Week.

A product of Bingham High School in Riverton, Utah, McLean earned her second conference player of the week award of the season and her career and the third of the season for Utah. McLean helped the Utes go 3-1 in conference action and take sole possession of second place in the standings with a 10-4 record. Utah is 30-20 overall. The sophomore who hits in the second slot, batted .429 (6-for-14) during the week, including her first career home run. She collected two RBI, scored five runs and stole four bases over four games. In a doubleheader split with UNLV (4-7, 7-6), McLean went 3-for-7, with a stolen base and run scored in each game. She again went 3-for-7 in the home twinbill sweep over San Diego State (1-0, 7-3). She scored three times, stole two bases and hit a home run in game two. Defensively, the right fielder made 12 catches without an error during the week. McLean leads Utah and the conference with 24 stolen bases on the season.

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, Apr. 18 ­ Brooke Chaffee (S0., 2B) UNM, Apr. 25 ­ Molly McLean (So., OF) Utah.

McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week
Kathy Moore, Jr., P/1B, New Mexico

Kathy Moore from the University of New Mexico is this week¹s McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week.

Moore, from Garden Grove, Calif., was key in the Lobos holding on to first place in the conference standings earning both victories in the sweep of Colorado State. UNM claimed game one, 5-2, as Moore allowed two runs on four hits in the complete game win. She also hit 2-for-4 in the game with a double and RBI. In the nightcap, Moore came on in relief to throw five innings and hold the Rams scoreless after they had tallied three runs in the first two innings. For the doubleheader, she held CSU to a .227 batting average, struck out six and posted a 1.17 ERA. For the season, Moore owns a 14-7 record and 2.24 ERA in 153 innings. This is the third pitcher of the week honor of the season for Moore and the sixth for UNM. The Lobos are 10-2 in conference play and 32-13 overall.

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, Apr. 18 ­ Sandra Durazo (Jr.) SDSU, Apr. 25 ­ Kathy Moore (Jr.) UNM.

Mtn. West Head Coaches:
BYU ­ Mary Kay Amicone
Overall: 13-22 (1st season)
School: 13-22 (1st season)

Colorado State ­ Teri Klement
Overall: 32-48 (2nd season)
School: 32-48 (2nd season)

New Mexico ­ Susan Craig
Overall: 612-528 (24th season)
School: 612-528 (24th season)

San Diego State ­ Kathy Van Wyk
Overall: 107-112 (4th season)
School: 107-112 (4th season)

UNLV ­ Shan McDonald
Overall: 430-375-2 (14th season)
School: 430-375-2 (14th season)

Utah ­ Mona Stevens
Overall: 139-86 (4th season)
School: 139-86 (4th season)

The Regular-Season Conference Race
After sweeping a doubleheader at Colorado State, New Mexico held on to first place in Mountain West Conference standings with a 10-2 record. Utah is just one game back in second place with a 10-4 mark. The Utes split a doubleheader with UNLV and swept a twinbill with San Diego State. The Aztecs went 2-2 for the week by sweeping BYU before the losses at Utah. Colorado State, which stands fourth with a 5-7 league record, started the week with a non-conference sweep of South Dakota State before falling to UNM. BYU is fifth in the standings (4-10) after dropping both games to San Diego State and sweeping UNLV. UNLV went 1-3 during the week, splitting at Utah and being swept by BYU, and is now 2-12 in conference action.

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.

Mountain West Conference Preseason Softball Coaches Poll
Pl. School (1st) Points
1. Utah (3) 23
2. New Mexico (2) 21
3. San Diego State (1) 18
4. UNLV 13
5. Colorado State 10
6. BYU 5

Mtn. West in NCAA Statistics
(as of Apr. 23)

Individual
Batting
43rd -Holly Schmillen (CSU) .400

Home Runs
6th-Sunny Smith (Utah) 15 (.30/gm)
7th-Racheal Goodpaster (UNLV) 14 (.30/gm)

Triples
3rd-Holly Schmillen (CSU) 8 (.21/gm)

Pitching Victories
2nd-Kristin Arbogast (Utah) 29

Team
Won-Loss Percentage
t24th ­New Mexico (32-13) .711

NCAA Div. I West Regional Rankings
(Through Apr. 23)
Rk School
1. Fresno State 44-11
2. CS Fullerton 37-11
3. Long Beach State 34-17
4. Utah 30-20
5. New Mexico 32-13
6. San Diego State 28-24
7. Pacific (Calif.) 23-20
8. UC Santa Barbara 20-17

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 (ACC) 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 18-21
Colonial 0-0
C-USA 1-0
Ivy 0-0
Metro Atlantic (MAAC) 0-1
Mid-American (MAC) 2-0
Mid-Continent 9-2
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 (SEC) 7-2
Southern 0-0
Southland 1-1
Southwestern (SWAC) 0-0
Sun Belt 1-0
TransAm 0-0
West Coast (WCC) 0-0
Western (WAC) 6-5

Independents 11-6
Non-Division I 0-0
Totals (.505) 92-90

Team-by-Team Notes
BYU claimed its first home victories ever in a sweep over UNLV on Apr. 22, claiming each game by a single run (7-6, 4-3). The Cougars were swept by San Diego State (1-6, 2-3) the day before and split a twinbill with non-conference foe Southern Utah (3-0, 0-2) on Apr. 25. Jamie Kreipl (Fr., DH) hit .625 (5-for-8) with two triples in the UNLV doubleheader. The Cougars conclude their 12-game homestand this weekend, hosting Colorado State Friday and New Mexico Saturday.

Colorado State swept non-conference foe South Dakota State (7-3, 4-1) on Apr. 21, then dropped both games of a doubleheader to New Mexico (2-5, 3-4) on Apr. 22 to finish the week 2-2. Leslie Strassel (Sr., OF) hit .500 (5-for-10), including two doubles, during the week¹s four games. Kyla Kiester (Jr., P) pitched 14 innings with a 1.50 ERA and appearances in all four games. Holly Schmillen (Jr., SS) is ranked 43rd in the nation with a .400 batting average and stands third in the country with eight triples. This week the Rams step out of conference to play at Utah State on Thursday, then play at BYU Friday and Utah Saturday.

New Mexico retained sole possession of first place in the league standings by sweeping a doubleheader at San Diego State (5-2, 4-3) in its only action of the week. UNM owns the 24th best overall win percentage in the nation (.711) and is tied for the fifth longest current win streak in the country. UNM has won 14 of its last 16 games. Kathy Moore (Jr., P/1B) claimed her third pitcher of the week honor after holding opponents to a .227 average and posting a 1.17 ERA in 12 innings in the circle. New Mexico is the only Mtn. West team receiving votes (39) in the national poll and is just one slot out of the top-25 aand is listed fifth in the West Region rankings released today. This weekend, the Lobos travel to Utah and BYU for their final two conference road games. The showdown with second-place Utah will be pivotal as UNM seeks its first conference softball title.

In its first conference road action of the season, San Diego State swept a doubleheader from BYU (6-1, 3-2) on Apr. 21, then dropped both games at Utah (0-1, 3-7) the following day. Currently third in the league standings, SDSU has won 12 of its last 14 games. The Aztecs are listed sixth in the NCAA West Region rankings released today. Six Aztecs are batting over .300. The Aztecs play at UNLV on Thursday, then step out of conference to face cross-town rival San Diego Saturday.

UNLV claimed just its second win in conference play by splitting a doubleheader at Utah (7-6, 4-7) on Apr. 21. The following day, the Rebels lost both games at BYU (6-7, 4-5) by one run each. Nicole Miller (Sr., SS) hit .571 (8-for-14) with two doubles and highlighted by a perfect 4-for-4 effort in game two against Utah. Miller is now hitting .489 in Mtn. West play. Racheal Goodpaster (Jr., SS) is ranked seventh in the nation with 14 home runs and leads the team with a .396 season average, 36 RBI and is just one home run shy of the UNLV single-season record. In this week¹s only action, the Rebels host San Diego State on Thursday.

In its first conference home action, Utah split a twinbill with UNLV (7-6, 4-7) on Apr. 21 then swept San Diego State (1-0, 7-3) to move into sole possession of second place in the Mtn. West standings with a 10-4 record. The Utes added a single-game win (5-2) over non-conference foe Southern Utah on Apr. 26. Utah is listed fourth in the NCAA West Region rankings released today. Claiming her second player of the week honor, Molly McLean (So., OF) hit .429 (6-for-14), including her first career home run, and collected four stolen bases during the week. Sunny Smith (Sr., C) ranks sixth in the nation and continues to add to Utah¹s single season home run record with 15 already this season. After pitching in all four games and going 3-1 during the week, Kristin Arbogast (Jr., P) ranks second in the nation in victories and stands 29-16 on the season. This week, the Utes host league-leader New Mexico on Friday, then Colorado State Saturday.