Fresno State Athletics
Gilleland Grabs First WAC Weekly Honor
2/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Softball
FRESNO, Calif. - Fresno State's Haley Gilleland received her first career Verizon Western Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week award for her performance at the plate and on the base paths during the Bulldogs' contests at the Cathedral City Classic this past weekend.
"Haley has been very deserving throughout her career and it is nice to see her recognized this week," head coach Margie Wright said of Gilleland's honor. "She can be the WAC offensive player of the week for us every week. In Cathedral City, she was great from a hitting standpoint, being aggressive and making things happen."
Gilleland, a senior shortstop from Fresno, Calif., went 5-for-11 (.455) with three runs, a pair of doubles, five RBI and two stolen bases as the Bulldogs went 3-1 on the week. In a 4-3 win over No. 19 Oklahoma State, she hit the game-winning two-run double and scored on a suicide squeeze in the Dogs' 7-5 win over UMass. With her two steals on the week, she improved to 5-for-5 this season and moved her Bulldog career record to 64, good for 10th all-time in the WAC.
New Mexico State's Alex Newman was named the WAC's Pitcher of the Week for Feb. 21-27.
Newman, a sophomore from Rio Linda, Calif., went 4-0 on the week with 16 strikeouts in 19.0 innings of work. She posted a 1.47 ERA, allowing just four earned runs. In a 6-4 win over rival UTEP, she came into the game in the bottom of the first with the Aggies down 4-1 and threw 7.0 innings in relief to pick up the win. In a 12-10 extra-inning win over Bradley, she entered in the top of the eighth and got NM State out of a jam, forcing two outs. Against Texas State, Newman went the distance for a complete-game shutout, allowing the Bobcats just four hits in the game. She closed out the week with a win over North Dakota to move her season record to 8-0.
Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: Boise State's Tazz Weatherly hit .500 with a double and two RBI on the week ... Melissa Gonzalez of Hawai'i hit .400 with eight hits and six RBI on the week ... Nevada's Megan Fincher hit .417 with a .563 on-base percentage on the week ... Hoku Nohara of New Mexico State hit .444 with four doubles and three home runs on the week.
Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: Fresno State's Mackenzie Oakes went 2-0 on the week with a pair of complete-game victories ... Stephanie Ricketts of Hawai'i went 2-2 with a 0.78 ERA on the week.
"We Are Your Team!" --- Fresno State takes to the road for the next month and returns to Bulldog Diamond on March 10 when the Dogs host the 2011 Bayer CropScience Classic. Fans can purchase season tickets for as low as $39 (youth) or $65 (adult general admission) by logging on to www.gobulldogs.com, calling 559-278-DOGS or by visiting the Bulldog Ticket Office.
