PACWEST SOFTBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK

IRVINE, Calif. -- Concordia picked up a game on California Baptist in the conference standings by sweeping Dixie State to extend its winning streak to eight games on the season with a 38-12 record overall.
 
Biola split with the Lancers on Saturday, giving California Baptist just its fifth loss in conference play this year. Biola scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning to break a scoreless tie. Terri Van Dagens came back out for her 10th inning and retired three batters in a row to strand runners at the corners to complete the victory. Van Dagens allowed just two hits and struck out 10 batters.
 
Meanwhile, Callie Nunes recorded her third win of the week against Dixie State by allowing just one run over six innings with nine strikeouts to help Concordia make up a game in the standings. The Eagles went on to complete the doubleheader sweep of the Trailblazers, splitting the season series with a 4-2 win.
 
Academy of Art moved up to third place in the standings at just three games behind California Baptist after earning a four-game sweep of Hawai`i Pacific. The Urban Knights now have a conference-best nine-game active winning streak.
 
Dixie State is also three games out of first place followed by Hawai`i Hilo at four games behind in fifth place. All five teams are competing for a spot in the NCAA West Regional Tournament and are ranked among the top nine in the region. Concordia leads in second place in the region.
 
The battle for qualification to the NCAA West Regional heats up next week as teams look to strengthen their case for a playoff spot with two weeks left in the regular season.
 
The top eight teams in the West Region will advance and Academy of Art was ranked ninth last Wednesday in the regional poll. The Urban Knights then swept Hawai`i Pacific and has a key home doubleheader on Tuesday against Hawai`i Hilo, who is ranked eighth in the region. The Urban Knights will then host Holy Names on Sunday. Hawai`i Hilo will only have one other chance to make its case for a playoff spot, playing at Chaminade next week before the conclusion of the regular season.
 
California Baptist and Concordia are both looking for a chance to host the regional, which is rewarded to each of the top-two seeds. Concordia is currently in the second position, but the teams will meet head-to-head on Tuesday. Concordia is currently two games behind in the conference standings and is looking for a chance to move into a tie for first place, while California Baptist is trying to defend its lead. Concordia will also have a tough doubleheader on Saturday at Biola, who just split with California Baptist last week.
 
Weekly Awards for the week of April 16-22
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Amy Eilefson, Concordia
1B, Sr., 5-10 -- Anaheim, Calif.
Eilefson helped Concordia win all six games last week to improve to 38-12 on the season, including two wins over No. 6 Dixie State to split the season series. Eilefson recorded nine hits, including a double and a home run to lead the Eagles’ offense. The senior drove in 10 runs, including eight in the final three games. Eilefson hit a 2-run home run in the opening win against Cal State San Marcos. She later drove in three runs in Concordia’s 9-1 win over Dixie State, going 2 for 4 with a double. She now has 11 home runs on the season and is batting .290 with 38 RBIs. The Eagles are now on an eight-game winning streak and Eilefson has a win in all of those games. She also had three multi-hit games to wrap up the week.
 
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Callie Nunes, Concordia
RHP, Fr., 5-5 -- Modesto, Calif.
Nunes earned three wins and a save in four outings last week as Concordia extended its winning streak to eight games. Nunes started the week with a two-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts against Azusa Pacific. In the next game of the doubleheader Nunes recorded five outs to earn her second win of the day, striking out two batters. Against No. 6 Dixie State, Nunes threw six innings with only one run allowed and nine strikeouts for her 22nd win of her freshman campaign. She came back in the next game for a five-out save, her seventh of the year. She now has a 0.56 ERA this year and a 22-3 record. The freshman struck out 27 batters with just two walks to reach 258 strikeouts on the season.
 
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Brooke Larsen, Academy of Art
RHP, Fr., 5-6 -- Sacramento, Calif.
Larsen threw two complete games against Hawai`i Pacific to improve to 19-3 on the season. The freshman started with a one-hit shutout to preserve a 1-0 victory. In the next game, she struck out eight batters and only allowed two earned runs for a 7-3 win. She brought her ERA on the season down to 1.10 with 183 strikeouts. At the plate, Larsen went 3 for 12 with a double and a run. She now has a .369 batting average in her freshman season. Academy of Art has the longest active winning streak in the PacWest at nine games, moving ahead of Dixie State for third place in the conference standings. The four-game sweep of the Sharks boosts Academy of Art’s record to 35-12 on the season.