PACWEST SOFTBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
IRVINE, Calif. -- After starting last year’s season with an eight-game win streak, Dixie State has done even better in 2018. The Trailblazers won five games last week in Tucson, Arizona, to improve to 13-0 to start the season.
The Trailblazers opened the tournament with an 8-0 win over Lubbock Christian, which featured a 12-strikeout no-hitter by Cambrie Hazel. The freshman came back the next day to earn a save and a win as she struck out 16 in 10 innings pitched with just one hit allowed and no runs.
In the final game of the tournament, Dixie State got a walk-off single my Kenzie Sawyer to plate Dani Bartholf for the 6-5 win over Southern Nazarene. In that game Janessa Bassett recorded her eighth multi-hit game this year, stole two bases and scored a run.
The PacWest continued to dominate other West Region teams as Academy of Art earned a split against CCAA Preseason Favorite Cal State Monterey Bay, while Hawai`i Hilo and Hawai`i Pacific both got splits against GNAC Preseason Favorite Central Washington. Biola also beat Western Oregon in Tucson.
Azusa Pacific swept its opponents at the Cactus Classic, beating both Franklin Pierce and Southern Nazarene. Preseason all-PacWest selections Kayla Jimenez and Illiana Jimenez both recorded three hits in the win over Franklin Pierce. Becca Jewett drove in four runs in the victory with a home run and a double. Racquel Espinoza threw a one-hit shutout with seven strikeouts for the Cougars.
Conference play begins this week with two big matchups right out of the gates on Saturday. Azusa Pacific will host preseason favorite California Baptist, while Dixie State hosts Concordia.
Dixie State and Concordia are currently the top two teams in the conference standings after both teams have been dominant in non-conference play. This will be the first games for Concordia in two weeks after the Eagles started the year 7-2. It has been an even more impressive start to the season for the Trailblazers, who started the year with 13-consecutive wins for the first time in program history.
Azusa Pacific has a two-game winning streak going into Saturday’s doubleheader with rival California Baptist. The Cougars won three of the four meetings last year, but California Baptist was picked by coaches as the favorite to win the PacWest this year.
Hawai`i Pacific and Hawai`i Hilo will meet on the big island on Saturday. Both teams split against Central Washington last week. Last year, both teams swept their double-headers at home against each other and the Sharks finished one game ahead in the standings.
Weekly Awards for the week of Feb. 12-18
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Janessa Bassett, Dixie State
OF, Sr., 5-3 -- Stransbury Park, Utah
Dixie State won five more games last week to improve to 13-0 to start the season, surpassing the 8-0 starts in the 2008 and 2017 seasons. The reigning NFCA Division II Player of the Week recorded four multi-hit games last week to reach a total of eight multi-hit games already this year. Bassett had one double and one triple and recorded four runs and four RBIs. The senior outfielder stole four bases to improve to 10 for 10 on stolen-base attempts this year. She also boasts a .476 batting average and has a league-leading 43 total bases.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Cambrie Hazel, Dixie State
P, Fr., 5-11 -- Spanish Fork, Utah
Hazel made three outings last week and recorded two wins and a save as Dixie State improved to 13-0 on the season. The freshman threw a no-hitter against Lubbock Christian with 12 strikeouts in seven innings. The next day, she recorded five outs against Southern Nazarene as the Trailblazers came back for a 6-5 win. That same day, she had a four-out save against Fort Lewis for her first career save. Hazel threw a total of 10 innings with 16 strikeouts and just one hit and no runs allowed.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Brooke Larsen, Academy of Art
P, Fr., 5-6 -- Sacramento, Calif.
Larsen earned her third-consecutive PacWest Freshman of the Week selection after throwing her fifth complete game of the season to lead the Urban Knights to a win over Cal State Monterey Bay. The freshman struck out nine batters in the 6-3 victory over the CCAA Preseason Favorite. She now has a 4-1 record with a 1.29 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 38 innings pitched. At the plate, Larsen went 4-7. While pitching a complete game, she had a 3-for-4 game at the plate with two doubles and two RBIs.