PACWEST SOFTBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
IRVINE, Calif. -- PacWest play began last week with a battle between nationally-ranked foes as No. 4 Dixie State hosted No. 16 Concordia as the Trailblazers earned the sweep to start conference play 2-0.
Dixie State won the first game in a freshman pitching duel that featured Concordia’s Callie Nunes and Dixie State’s Cambrie Hazel. The two teams combined for nine hits and the Trailblazers scored the game’s only run on a sixth-inning RBI-single by Dani Bartholf to earn the 1-0 victory. Hazel allowed just four hits and one walk as she struck out six batters in the complete-game shutout.
In the second game, Dixie State touched up PacWest Preseason Pitcher of the Year Grayson Harvey for nine runs. Janessa Bassett went 3 for 4 with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base. Ryley Tyteca had a bases-clearing double in the third inning that helped Dixie State finish with a 9-6 win.
California Baptist also opened the PacWest season with an important sweep, taking two against Azusa Pacific. Ciara Stapp threw a one-hit shutout in the opener to claim a 1-0 victory. In the second, game California Baptist scored seven runs in the first inning on its way to a 9-1 win.
Notre Dame de Namur and Dominican both won two conference games last week. The two teams split against each other on Sunday. Notre Dame de Namur also split against Holy Names on Saturday and Dominican opened conference play with a split against Academy of Art on Monday.
Biola will get its conference season started next week with an eight-game trip to Hawaii, starting with a four-game set against Chaminade. The Eagles are on a seven-game winning streak going into their PacWest opener. They will also play a double-header against Hawai`i Pacific on Thursday and a doubleheader against Hawai`i Hilo on Saturday before returning to La Mirada.
Azusa Pacific will host a key non-conference doubleheader as the Cougars play UC San Diego. The two teams met in Las Vegas at the beginning of the season with the Tritons earning the win at the Desert Stinger.
Dixie State will be looking to build on its 15-game winning streak with Notre Dame de Namur coming to St. George for a four-game series on Saturday and Sunday. Only North Georgia has had a better start to the 2018 season, at 21-0 so far.
Academy of Art will play a doubleheader on Saturday at Holy Names. The Urban Knights are one of three teams in the conference that has already reached double-digit wins this year. Academy of Art has benefitted from the success of its two freshmen pitchers Brooke Larsen and Cecilia Lopez, who have won eight combined games.
Weekly Awards for the week of Feb. 19-25
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Hailey Boyett, Biola
UT, Jr., 5-7 -- San Diego
Boyett helped Biola win all four of its games last week to boost its winning streak to seven games going into the start of conference play. The junior recorded six hits with three being home runs. Boyett has now recorded an RBI in every game that she has played in this year. Boyett tallied a total of seven RBIs, including two RBIs in each of the three games where she homered. Boyett has four home runs on the season and a .632 batting average. Biola is now 11-3 on the season going into its trip to Hawai`i next week.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Ciara Stapp, California Baptist
P, So., 5-6 -- Yorba Linda, Calif.
A sixth-inning RBI-single was all the help Stapp needed to give California Baptist a win in its PacWest opener against Azusa Pacific. Stapp struck out four batters as she tossed a one-hit shutout to earn the road victory against Azusa Pacific. It was Stapp’s third victory of the season as California Baptist went 2-0 on the weekend to enter a tie for first place atop the PacWest standings. The sophomore now has a 1.62 ERA on the season with 14 strikeouts in 30.1 innings pitched. California Baptist has a 7-3 record on the season.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Cambrie Hazel, Dixie State
P, Fr., 5-11 -- Spanish Fork, Utah
Hazel continued her dominant start to her collegiate career, throwing a complete-game shutout against Concordia for her seventh win already this season. She struck out six batters and allowed just four hits and one walk. In the second game, Hazel threw two innings and allowed two runs with one strikeout as Dixie State won 9-6 against Concordia. On the season, Hazel is 7-0 with one save and a 1.22 ERA. She has struck out 40 batters in 34.1 innings of work. Dixie State is 15-0 on the season going into a four-game set with NDNU.