Softball Player of the Week
Cameron Astiazaran
UIC, Senior, OF, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
UIC senior Cameron Astiazaran is the Horizon League Softball Player of the Week for the period ending Feb. 28.
Senior Cameron Astiazaran led UIC at the plate for the second straight weekend, posting a .500 average and 1.056 slugging percentage with four doubles, three triples and four RBI at the USD Invitational. Astiazaran was also perfect in the field with seven putouts to her credit. The California native hit safely in all five of the Flames' games, including a trio of multi-hit outings. Her best effort came in UIC's 5-2 win over UC-Riverside on Saturday as she went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. For the season, Astiazaran is now batting a team-high .462 with seven doubles, three triples and seven RBI.
Softball Pitcher of the Week
Kelly Murphy
Youngstown State, Junior, P, North Olmsted, Ohio
Youngstown State junior Kelly Murphy is the Horizon League Softball Pitcher of the Week for the period ending Feb. 28.
Murphy picked up both of YSU's wins at the Eastern Kentucky tournament last weekend. The right-hander tossed a one-hit shutout over IUPUI with seven strikeouts on Saturday. On Sunday, Murphy threw five innings of scoreless relief to pick up the victory over IUPUI, 2-1. For the week, Murphy went 2-0 with an ERA of 0.00. She allowed just four hits in 12 innings pitched with seven strikeouts and her opponents batted just .105.
Other Top Player Performances - Feb. 28
Brandi Steiner, Wright State, Junior, Shortstop (Springfield, Ohio)
Steiner smacked a two-run homer in the win over Drexel in the Georgia State Spring Classic on Saturday in Atlanta, Ga. In the same day, she went one for three, in the win over Georgia State.
Lacy Bronson, Youngstown State, Junior, Outfield (Bowling Green, Ohio)
Bronson led the Penguins offense to a 2-2 record with a .500 batting average in four games at the Eastern Kentucky Tournament. She batted 4-for-8 with a two runs scored, a double and two RBI and posted the game-winning hit against IUPUI on Saturday. Bronson also posted a slugging percentage of .625 and an on-base percentage of .600.
Other Top Pitching Performances - Feb. 28
Mercedes Lovato, UIC, Freshman, Pitcher (Simi Valley, Calif.)
Lovato remained undefeated in her inaugural collegiate campaign, posting two more wins over the weekend at the USD Invite. In three appearances, Lovato went 2-0 with a 2.06 ERA. Her highlight performance came on Friday night when she tabbed her first career shutout versus tournament host San Diego, allowing just four hits and walking none in seven innings in the circle. For the season, Lovato is now a perfect 5-0 with a team-low 2.21 ERA.
Jessica Lander, Wright State, Freshman, Pitcher (Lebanon, Ohio)
Lander picked up her first collegiate win with a complete-game effort against Georgia State on Saturday in the Georgia State Spring Classic in Atlanta, Ga.
Horizon League News & Notes
Butler Bulldogs (0-3, 0-0 HL)
The Bulldogs opened the 2005 season on the road at the University of Tennessee-Martin Tournament in Martin, Tenn. on Feb. 19-20. Butler dropped all three of its contests on Saturday, falling to the host Skyhawks (0-9), Saint Louis (0-4) and IUPUI (3-6). On Sunday the Bulldogs were to finish out the tournament with games against Indiana State and Belmont, but those contests were canceled due to poor weather. Butler is back in action March 5-6 when it travels to Terre Haute, Ind. for the Sycamore Classic.
Cleveland State (0-0, 0-0 HL)
Cleveland State opens its season in less than three weeks, when it travels to Charleston, S.C. for the Charleston Southern Invite March 4-6. On day one, the Vikings open with Tennessee Tech at noon EST followed by College of Charleston for a mid-afternoon start. Day two begins with a noon showdown with the host Buccaneers and then caps off against North Carolina A&T in the afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Bracket Play begins on Sunday with times and opponents to be determined.
Detroit Titans (0-0, 0-0 HL)
For the fourth year in a row, the Detroit softball team had one of the highest GPA's in America. The Titans placed fourth overall with a 3.466. That also tied them with the tennis team at UDM for the school's highest GPA.
Junior Pitcher of the Year candidate Lindsay Roy (Brampton, ON/Turner Fenton Secondary) was named the top pitcher at 2004 Junior Women's Canadian Fast Pitch Championships that ran from Aug. 8-15 in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Roy posted a 4-0 record with a 0.00 ERA in 26 innings pitched with 24 strikeouts as a member of the Cambridge Junior Ladies.
Detroit returns eight starters from 2004 and all four of its pitchers as well for head coach Bob Wilkerson. The Titans begin their season with the Rebel Spring Games in Orlando, Fla. where they will play 10 games from March 6-11.
UIC Flames (7-5, 0-0 HL)
The Flames went 3-2 at the University of San Diego Invitational in San Diego, Calif. on Feb. 25-27. UIC opened the invite with a 5-2 loss to Nevada, but rebounded with three straight wins, including victories over host San Diego (6-0), St. John's (4-3) and UC-Riverside (5-2). The Flames ended the weekend on a sour note, however, as they lost a 7-6 heartbreaker to UC-Riverside on Sunday. UIC is back in action this weekend at the UNLV Tournament in Las Vegas, Nev.
Loyola Ramblers (0-5, 0-0 HL)
Loyola went 0-5 against a competitive field at the Troy Cox Classic in Las Cruces, N.M., last weekend. The Ramblers were outscored 49-8 at the tournament, including 15-0 in the first inning alone. With one RBI over the weekend, senior 1B Allison Scanlin moved into a tie for fifth place on the Loyola career chart with 62 RBI. None of the Ramblers' three pitchers who saw action over the weekend had thrown an inning of collegiate softball prior to this season. Loyola is off until it competes at the Rebel Spring Games in Florida, March 6-11.
UW-Green Bay Phoenix (0-5, 0-0 HL)
The Phoenix went 0-5 at the six-team Metrodome Classic Feb. 10-13, hosted by the University of Minnesota. UW-Green Bay will return to action March 13 at the Rebel Spring Games in Orlando, Fla.
Wright State Raiders (2-0, 0-0 HL)
Wright State was declared co-champions of the Georgia State Spring Classic last week as the Raiders defeated Drexel and Georgia State on Saturday before play was washed out by rain on Sunday. Brandi Steiner led the WSU offense against Drexel with a two-run homer. Wright State managed just three hits against Georgia State, but came away with the win behind the pitching of Jessica Lander, who held the Panthers to one run with three strikeouts in her collegiate debut. The Raiders will compete in the Fairfield Inn Flyer invitational this weekend against Dayton, IUPUI and Akron.
Youngstown State (2-2, 0-0 HL)
Kelly Murphy moved into sole possession of second place on the YSU all-time wins list with 38 and needs just nine more to become the Penguins' career leader in victories. With two runs scored over the weekend, junior Tiffany Patteson, who batted .364 over the weekend moved into sixth-place on the YSU all-time runs scored list with 73. She needs two more to move into fifth place on that list.
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