IRVINE, Calif. – This week’s PacWest Softball Players of the Week are Kenzie Sawyer (Dixie State), Brooklyn Beardshear (Dixie State) and Gracie Sotomayor (Academy of Art). The awards are based on games played Feb. 13-19.
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kenzie Sawyer (Dixie State)
C - Jr. - Cedar City, Utah/Canyon View
 
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Brooklyn Beardshear (Dixie State)
RHP – Sr. – Tucson, Ariz./Sahuaro
 
Sawyer and Beardshear led No. 23 Dixie State to a 4-1 record at the Cactus Classic in Tucson, Ariz. Sawyer hit .571 (8-14) in the five games with two extra-base hits, six RBI and four runs scored. She had three-hit games against Fort Lewis and Mary, driving in a pair of runs in each game. She hit a solo home run against No. 2 West Texas A&M. Beardshear was on the wrong end of a 2-1 loss to Lubbock Christian, allowing two runs (one earned) on eight hits in six innings. She then threw a complete game in Dixie State’s first-ever win over No. 2 West Texas A&M, striking out a career-high 10.
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Gracie Sotomayor (Academy of Art)
IF – Fr. - Delano, Calif./Cesar E. Chavez
 
Sotomayor hit .385 (10-26) with eight RBI and seven runs scored in eight games for the Urban Knights. She drove in six runs in the first four games of the week, all Art U victories, including three RBI in a doubleheader sweep of Northwest Nazarene. She scored six runs in Art U’s first four games at the Cactus Classic.