McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Player of the Week

Brooke Chaffee, So., 2B, New Mexico

New Mexico¹s Brooke Chaffee is the final McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Softball Player of the Week, after helping New Mexico climb into second place in the league standings with sweeps over UNLV (9-1, 8-0) and San Diego State (12-1, 4-0). The Lobos finished the regular-season 36-17 overall and 14-6 in Mtn. West action.

A sophomore from Washburn Rural High School in Topeka, Kansas, Chaffee earned her second player of the week award after batting .545 (6-for-11) over the weekend. She posted a slugging percentage of .909 and an on-base percentage of .583 from the No. 8 spot in the lineup. In game one against UNLV, Chaffee notched a two-run single that was critical in the fourth inning. She then blasted her sixth home run of the season in game two to hit 3-for-6 in the doubleheader. In the opener against San Diego State, Chaffee drilled a three-run double that sparked a nine-run fourth inning that put the Aztecs away. She went 2-for-3 in the nightcap to finish 3-for-5 in the twinbill. The second baseman was also a standout defensively as she had a hand on five double plays and totaled 13 put outs and seven assists. This selection marks the fifth time New Mexico has claimed the player of the week award and the third time the Lobos have swept the weekly honors.

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 (So., 2B) UNM, Apr. 25 ­ Molly McLean (So., OF) Utah, May 1 ­ Jenny Monson (Sr., OF) Utah, May 8 ­ Brooke Chaffee (So., 2B) UNM.

McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Pitcher of the Week

Danielle Cassara, Sr., P/1B, New Mexico

New Mexico¹s Danielle Cassara completes the sweep and is the final McLeodUSA Mountain West Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week for the 2000 season after throwing two shutouts in the Lobos¹ four wins.

A product of Millikan High School in Long Beach, Calif., Cassara pitched two shutouts over the weekend. She struck out four batters and walked none in each of the two complete games. Cassara tossed a one-hitter in the 1-0 night-cap win over UNLV on May 5 and held San Diego State to six hits in game two the following day. The 4-0 win over San Diego State propelled the Lobos past the Aztecs and into second place in the league standings. Not only did she not walk a batter all weekend, however she did not allow any extra base hits and held opponents to a .171 batting average. Cassara improved her season record to 20-6. This is the fourth pitcher of the week honor of the season for Cassara, who also claimed the player award once, and the seventh pitching award for New Mexico this season. In addition to her solid pitching performances, Cassara, who plays first base when not in the circle, batted .455 with six RBI and a double among her five hits in 11 at-bats. Defensively, she made 10 put outs and three assists without an error.

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, May 1 ­ Kristin Arbogast (Jr.) Utah, May 8 ­ Danielle Cassara (Sr.) UNM.

Mtn. West Head Coaches:
BYU ­ Mary Kay Amicone
Record: 16-25 (1st season)

Colorado State ­ Teri Klement
Record: 35-54 (2nd season)

New Mexico ­ Susan Craig
Record: 616-532 (24th season)

San Diego State ­ Kathy Van Wyk
Record: 113-114 (4th season)

UNLV ­ Shan McDonald
Record: 431-380-2 (14th season)

Utah ­ Mona Stevens
Record: 144-87 (4th season)

Utah Wins Regular-Season Conference Race
Utah claimed the first-ever Mountain West Conference regular-season title, despite splitting a doubleheader with BYU (4-7/12 innings, 7-5) in the final week of action. The Utes finished the regular season 15-5 in league play and 36-21 overall. New Mexico climbed into second place by sweeping UNLV (9-1, 8-0) and San Diego State (12-1, 4-0) to finish just one game back with a 14-6 league mark and a 36-17 overall slate. The losses to New Mexico put San Diego State into third place, just two games back with a 13-7 conference record. The Aztecs opened the week with a doubleheader sweep at Colorado State (3-1, 9-5). Colorado State held on to fourth place with a league record of 7-11. The Rams started the week by being swept by San Diego State (1-3, 5-9) before splitting with UNLV (2-1, 2-5). BYU wound up fifth in the standings (7-13) despite giving Utah a scare and earning a split in the twinbill (7-4/12 innings, 5-7). Sixth-place UNLV dropped both games at New Mexico (1-9, 0-8) and the first at Colorado State (1-2) before rally to win the regular-season finale (5-2). The Rebels finished 3-17 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.

An all-tournament package of tickets for the 2000 Mountain West Conference Softball Championship is available at a cost of $12 for adults and $8 for those 18 and under. Singles session tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for those 18 and under. Tickets will be available at the gate or through the Utah ticket office by calling (801) 581-UTIX.

Mtn. West in NCAA Statistics
(as of May 7)
Individual
Home Runs
6th-Sunny Smith (Utah) 17 (.30/gm)
10th-Racheal Goodpaster (UNLV) 15 (.28/gm)

Triples
5th -Holly Schmillen (CSU) 9 (.19/gm)

Pitching Victories
2nd-Kristin Arbogast (Utah) 34
13th ­Sandra Durazo (SDSU) 25

NCAA Div. I West Regional Rankings
(Through Apr. 23)
1. Fresno State 44-11
3. CS Fullerton 37-11
2. 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 15-6
Non-Division I 0-0
Totals (.516) 96-90

Team vs. Team Breakdown

Game 1 ­ No. 3 San Diego State vs. No. 6 UNLV
San Diego State and UNLV will meet in a conference softball tournament for the first time ever this week. The Rebels lead the overall series against the Aztecs 21-18, but SDSU has won the last five meetings, including all four contests this season.

Game 2 ­ No. 4 Colorado State vs. No. 5 BYU
After its first season as a varsity program, BYU enters its first post-season tournament as the No. 5 seed. No. 4 Colorado State will be making its third appearance in a conference tournament, but its first since 1992. The Rams won three-of-four games vs. the Cougars this season.

Game 3 ­ No. 2 New Mexico vs. No. 3 SDSU/No. 6 UNLV
New Mexico is making its fourth trip to a post-season league tournament and has been the No. 2 seed three of those four appearances. The Lobos trail in the all-time series with both SDSU (12-22) and UNLV (6-10), but won three-of-four vs. the Aztecs this season and swept the Rebels in their four-game series. New Mexico and SDSU have met three times in conference tournament play, with the Lobos prevailing twice. SDSU eliminated New Mexico in the 1999 Western Athletic Conference Tournament with a 2-0 win. A UNM vs. UNLV match-up would be the first-ever meeting in the postseason.

Game 4 ­ No. 1 Utah vs. No. 4 Colorado State/No. 5 BYU
Utah secured the regular season title and the No. 1 seed in a conference softball tournament for the third time in four appearances. The other two occasions where the Utes entered the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed, they won back-to-back Western Athletic Conference titles (1991 and 1992). Utah holds a 34-18 series advantage over Colorado State and split the four-game series with the Rams in 2000. The Utes and Rams have met just once in post-season action, with the Utes winning 2-0 in 1991. Utah won three-of-four vs. in-state rival BYU this season, with its only loss being a 7-4 12 inning affair.

Composite Conference Tournament Records

School      App.  W-L   Pct.  Championships
BYU          0    0-0  .000   ----
CSU          2    4-4  .500   ----
UNM          3    4-6  .400   ----
SDSU         3    2-6  .250   ----
UNLV         1    0-2  .000   ----
Utah         3   10-2  .833   2 (1991-92)

Multiple RBI Games (5 or more)
Danielle Cassara, UNM 13
Sunny Smith, Utah 12
Racheal Goodpaster, UNLV 11
Kathy Moore, UNM 11
Jenny Monson, Utah 9
Lyndsey Trevis, Utah 9
Nicole Wilkinson, Utah 8
Nicole Miller, UNLV 7
Niki Hayhurst, Utah 7
Holly Schmillen, CSU 6
Alyson Carter, CSU 6
Brooke Caniente, BYU 6
Christy Sears, SDSU 6
Sarah Hershman, SDSU 6
Sarah Maulorico, UNM 5
Krissy Keene, UNM 5
Geney Orris, UNLV 5
Kellie Nordhagen, SDSU 5
Brooke Chaffee, UNM 5
Sara Hyzer, CSU 5

Longest Hitting Streaks (8-plus)
Holly Schmillen, CSU 19
Nicole Miller, UNLV 14
Lisa Hashimoto-Hall, Utah 14
Molly McLean, Utah 12
Brittania Erickson, CSU 11
Krissy Keene, UNM 11
Brooke Chaffee, UNM 10
Kelly Glass, UNM 10
Kellie Nordhagen, SDSU 9
Erica Vollweiler, UNLV 9
Racheal Goodpaster, UNLV 9
Niki Hayhurst, Utah 9
Sarah Hershman, SDSU 8
Lyndsey Trevis, Utah 8

2-Out RBI Leaders (10 or more)
Lyndsey Trevis, Utah 27
Sunny Smith, Utah 18
Kathy Moore, UNM 17
Nicole Miller, UNLV 15
Nicole Wilkinson, Utah 15
Sarah Hershman, SDSU 15
Racheal Goodpaster, UNLV 13
Nikki Hayhurst, Utah 12
Kellie Nordhagen, SDSU 12
Geney Orris, UNLV 11
Alyson Carter, CSU 11
Krissy Keene, UNM 11
Brooke Chaffee, UNM 11
Sara Hyzer, CSU 11
Tashie Aguinga, SDSU 10

.400+ Average Reach as Leadoff
(Miniumum 30 opportunities)
Kathy Moore, UNM (20-30) .667
Kellie Labor, SDSU (26-41) .634
Liz Smith, BYU (19-35) .543
Krissy Keene, UNM (18-35) .514
Lindsey Hodgen, BYU (22-43) .512
R. Goodpaster, UNLV (23-45) .511
Marianna Fenelli, UNM (29-57) .509
Lyndsey Trevis, Utah (17-35) .486
L. Hashimoto-Hall, Utah (39-82) .476
Kellie Nordhagen, SDSU (44-93) .473
Molly McLean, Utah (22-47) .468
Holly Schmillen, CSU (35-76) .461
Nicole Miller, UNLV (18-41) .439
Brooke Chaffee, UNM (16-37) .432
Christy Sears, SDSU (14-33) .424
Danielle Cassara, UNM (13-31) .419
Geney Orris, UNLV (13-32) .406

.333+ w/Runners On
(Miniumum 30 at-bats)
Kellie Nordhagen, SDSU (38-80) .475
Sunny Smith, Utah (41-93) .441
Nikki Hayhurst, Utah (34-87) .391
Sarah Hershman, SDSU (36-96) .375
Lyndsey Trevis, Utah (32-89) .360
R. Goodpaster, UNLV (33-92) .359
Jenny Monson, Utah (28-78) .359
Danielle Cassara, UNM (34-97) .351
Nicole Miller, UNLV (31-90) .344
Holly Schmillen, CSU (15-45) .341
Sara Hyzer, CSU (25-70) .341
Molly McLean, Utah (29-85) .341
Alyson Carter, CSU (23-69) .333
Charelle Ainslie, UNLV (23-69) .333

.300+ w/Runners in Scoring Position
(Miniumum 30 at-bats)
K. Nordhagen, SDSU (22-46) .478
Nikki Hayhurst, Utah (21-52) .404
Nicole Miller, UNLV (23-57) .404
Sara Hyzer, CSU (17-43) .395
Lyndsey Trevis, Utah (26-68) .382
Krissy Keene, UNM (17-46) .370
Charelle Ainslie, UNLV (16-44) .364
Alyson Carter, CSU (18-51) .353
Danielle Cassara, UNM (25-71) .352
Sunny Smith, Utah (24-69) .348
Jenny Monson, Utah (17-50) .340
Michele Larsen, Utah (17-50) .340
Celeste Alvarado, UNLV (10-30) .333
Sarah Hershman, SDSU (19-58) .328
R. Goodpater, UNLV (17-53) .321
Stacy O¹Farrell, Utah (15-47) .319
Brittania Erickson, CSU (10-33) .303
Molly McLean, Utah (16-53) .302
Nicole Wilkinson, Utah (16-53) .302

Team Notes:

BYU Cougars (16-25, 7-13 Mtn. West)
Nearly playing spoiler in the final week of regular-season play, BYU split a doubleheader at league-leader Utah on May 6, cutting the Utes conference lead to just one game. The Cougars scored three unearned runs in the 12th inning to claim game one, 7-4, then narrowly lost the second game 7-5.

... BYU completed its first season of varsity play in fifth place in the conference standings. The Cougars registered a 5-5 record in the second half of conference play to finish 7-13 in the league.
... Saturday¹s victory over Utah marked the second time in as many weeks that BYU upset a regionally ranked opponent (swept New Mexico on Apr. 29).
... Maryon DeWitt (Jr., P) struck out 11 and recorded the Cougars¹ first extra-inning victory in the 12-inning, 7-4 win at Utah. DeWitt finished with a 2.84 ERA and a 9-9 record during the regular season. She went 4-5 in conference play with a 2.36 ERA. Her 99 strikeouts on the season rank fifth in the conference.
... Mindy Hanson (Jr., 1B) led the team with a .350 batting average in conference games. Overall, she hit .313 and led the Cougars with 20 RBI.
... Liz Smith (So., OF) hit. 333 in conference action and led the squad with a .314 overall batting average. She brings a seven-game hitting streak into the tournament.
... Lindsey Hodgen (Jr., OF) is listed fourth in the league in stolen bases with 20.
... In the Mtn. West Championship first-round action, the Cougars will meet No. 4 Colorado State at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

Colorado State Rams (18-30, 8-12 Mtn. West)
Holding onto fourth place in the standings, Colorado State went 1-3 at home in the final week of regular-season play. The Rams played third-place San Diego State tight, but lost both games on May 5. SDSU needed to score in the seventh inning to win game one, 3-1, then required 10 innings to take game two, 9-5. In the regular-season finale against UNLV on May 7, CSU won the first game, 2-1, but fell in the second, 5-2.

... The conference leader with a .760 slugging percentage, Holly Schmillen (Jr., SS) led the Rams with a .380 overall batting average, 29 RBI, 38 runs scored and 10 home runs. Her league-best nine triples rank fifth in the nation. A conference player of the week, she put together the longest hitting streak by a Mtn. West player (19 games) and managed multiple hits 14 times.
... Alyson Carter (Sr., 1B) batted .407 in conference action and posted a .331 overall average. She has hit safely in seven of her last eight games and owns 14 multiple-hit games this season. Her 28 RBI and nine home runs are second on the team.
... Sara Hyzer (Sr., CF) hit .312 in conference action and .289 overall. She collected multiple hits in 13 games. Hyzer led the Rams with 13 stolen bases.
... Coming on strong during conference play, Brittania Erickson (So., 3B/OF) hit .377 with 11 RBI and six doubles compared to a .248 average and 14 RBI overall. A clutch player, she hit .625 with runners on third and less than two outs.
... A conference pitcher of the week, Kyla Kiester (Jr., P) finished the season with a 2.74 overall ERA and a 13-15 record and went 6-6 in league play. She held opponents to a .260 batting average, the third lowest in the league.
... The No. 4 seed in the conference championship, the Rams will face No. 5 BYU in first-round action at 11:30 a.m. Thursday.

New Mexico Lobos (36-17, 14-6 Mtn. West)
Back on the winning track, New Mexico won all four conference games over the final weekend to climb back into second place in the standings. The Lobos swept two five-inning games from UNLV (9-1, 8-0) on May 5 then swept an important doubleheader from San Diego State (12-1, 4-0). UNM hit .432 as a team and outscored its opponents 33-2 for the weekend. The wins over SDSU moved UNM ahead of the Aztecs into second place in the league standings and helped the Lobos tie the school record for conference victories.

... A four-time conference pitcher of the week, and once as a player, Danielle Cassara (Sr., P/1B) is listed among the conference leaders in numerous offensive and pitching categories. She became the first player in UNM history to pass the century mark in career RBI and eclipsed the 200 career hit milestone. Cassara collected multiple RBI in a league-high 13 games and managed more than one hit 15 times. She leads the Lobos with 45 RBI and 13 doubles, and stands second with nine home runs and a .345 overall batting average.
... Chosen the conference pitcher of the week three times and player of the week once, Kathy Moore (Jr., P/1B) is equally productive at the plate or in the circle. The junior is racing Cassara for the career home run title and leads the squad with 11 this season. Moore owns 44 RBI this year, including 11 games with more than one. She collected multiple hits in 10 games.
... Leading the Lobos with a .360 overall batting average, Krissy Keene (Jr., OF) stands sixth in the conference. She is riding the longest active hitting streak in the Mtn. West, having hit safely in the last 11 games entering the tournament. Her average in Mtn. West games is even more impressive at a team-high .390.
... The team-leader with 26 stolen bases, Kelly Glass (Fr., OF) is second in the conference. Glass is one of five Lobos hitting above the .300 mark and owns an overall average of .322.
... One of five Lobos to eclipse .300 in league games Brooke Chaffee (Jr., OF) hit .349 in conference action and had 11 multiple-hit games. She was selected the conference player of the week twice.
... The team leader in most pitching categories, UNM hurlers boast a 2.55 combined ERA, 212 strikeouts and just 64 walks and held opponents to a .254 batting average.
... The Mtn. West team that received votes in the top-25 polls throughout the season (but did not crack the ranks), UNM is listed fifth in the latest West Region rankings released Apr. 23.
... The Lobos snagged a first-round bye in the Mtn. West Championship and will face the winner of the San Diego State vs. UNLV game on Thursday at 2 p.m.

San Diego State Aztecs (35-25, 13-7 Mtn. West)
Slipping into third place in the league standings, San Diego State lost both games of a doubleheader showdown at New Mexico (1-12, 0-4) in the regular-season finale. SDSU started the week with a sweep (3-1, 9-5) at Colorado State.

... Named the conference pitcher of the week three times during a four-week stretch, Sandra Durazo (Jr., P) leads the conference with an overall ERA of 1.86 and owns a 1.89 ERA in league action. She finished second in the league in wins (25), innings pitched (214.1) and opponent batting average (.244) and third in appearances (44).
... The league leader with a .391 overall batting average, Kellie Nordhagen (So., CF) is one of three different SDSU players to be chosen conference player of the week during the season. She also tops the charts with 79 hits and 13 doubles. Nordhagen leads the league in multiple-hit games with 22 and managed more than one RBI five times. She is riding a season-high nine-game hit streak entering the tournament. Her .384 conference batting average leads the squad.
... Sarah Hershman (So., 2B) leads the Aztecs with 30 RBI. She managed more than one RBI in six games and multiple hits 17 times.
... Alexis Gutierrez (So., OF) led SDSU with a .432 average in conference action despite playing only 14 games.
... The Aztecs are listed sixth in the latest NCAA West Region rankings released Apr. 23.
... Seeded third in the tournament, SDSU plays No. 6 UNLV in the first game at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

UNLV Rebels (17-39, 3-17 Mtn. West)
Ending the regular season on a positive note, UNLV won game two of a doubleheader at Colorado State, 5-2, on May 7. The Rebels lost the first game of the twinbill, 2-1, and opened the week with a pair of losses at New Mexico (9-1, 8-0), but regrouped for their third league win of the season.

... The Rebels lone player of the week selection, Racheal Goodpaster (Jr., SS) leads UNLV and is second in the league with a .388 overall batting average. Her overall slugging percentage of .738 is third in the conference. She tied the UNLV single-season record for home runs with 15, including a league-high seven in Mtn. West play. Goodpaster led UNLV with 38 RBI, including 11 games with more than one run driven in. She collected multiple hits in 20 games and finished third with a .738 slugging percentage.
... Coming on strong in conference play, Nicole Miller (Sr., SS) hit .441 in Mtn. West play to finish second and also stands second with a .493 conference slugging percentage. She managed multiple hits in 15 games and drove in more than one run seven times.
... The Rebels face No. 3 San Diego State in the opening game of the double-elimination tournament at 9 a.m. Thursday.

Utah Utes (36-11, 15-5 Mtn. West)
The winner of the first Mtn. West regular-season softball title, Utah finished just one game in front of New Mexico by splitting a home doubleheader with BYU on May 6. BYU claimed game one, 7-4, in 12-innings, while Utah won the second, 7-5.

... With five players hitting above the .300 mark, Utah is the team leader with a .299 overall and .324 conference batting average.
... Utah leads the league with a .447 slugging percentage, 301 runs scored, 52 home runs and 73 stolen bases.
... Twice named conference pitcher of the week, Kristin Arbogast (Jr., P) pitched in every one of Utah¹s 20 Mtn. West games. She tossed a Mtn. West-high 76 strikeouts during 125 innings of league work and 186 in 320 innings on the season. Her 34 victories rank second in the nation and she now stands 34-17 on the season. She made 51 starts in 56 appearances.
... The Utah single-season home run record holder with 17, Sunny Smith (Sr., C) leads the league in five offensive categories (RBI, HR, Sac Flies, runs and on-base percentage) and stands second in slugging percentage. She batted .365 overall and .387 in conference games. She collected multiple hits in 17 games, and multiple RBI 12 times.
... One of three Utes to earn player of the week honors, Jenny Monson (Sr., OF) tops the charts in RBI, HR and slugging percentage in league games.
... Lisa Hashimoto-Hall (Sr., OF) stands third in the league with 23 stolen bases and second in doubles with 13. Her longest hitting streak of 14 games is the second-best in the Mtn. West.
... Another Ute to earn player of the week, Lindsey Trevis (So., 3B) owns the league¹s fourth-highest on base percentage (.432). She drove in multiple runs nine times and more than one hit 13 times.
... Twice named conference player of the week, Molly McLean (So., OF) finished second in hits with 64, including 19 games with more than one. She tops the league charts with 27 stolen bases.
... The league leader with a batting average of .451 in conference games, Niki Hayhurst (Fr., DP/IF) stands fourth with an overall average of .369. She enters the tournament riding a nine-game hitting streak and had multiple hits 16 times.
... Utah is listed fourth in the NCAA West Region rankings released Apr. 23.
... As the No. 1 seed, the Utes earned a bye and will play the winner of CSU/BYU game at 4:30 p.m. Thursday.