Fresno State Athletics
Willis Dominates Weekly Honors
5/11/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
By: Kimberly Fisher
kimfisher@csufresno.edu
GoBulldogs.com
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.- Fresno State softball's Kierra Willis was named the Mountain West Player of the Week on Monday afternoon for games held May 7-9 against UNLV. In addition to claiming her second career conference weekly accolade, the Bulldog leftfielder was named the Fresno State Sysco Student-Athlete of the Week for the second time this year.
Willis went 7-for-9 (.778) at the plate with four runs batted in, five runs scored and three walks while posting a perfect fielding mark as Fresno State earned the 2015 MW Softball championship with a road sweep at UNLV. The Bulldog leftfielder had a .846 on-base percentage and a 1.111 slugging percentage against the Rebels after posting multiple hits in all three games.
During the series opener on Thursday, Willis was 2-for-3 and drove in one run during Fresno State's 10-2, six-inning victory. On Friday, she went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and an RBI as the Bulldogs run-ruled UNLV 15-7. The Pleasant Hill, Calif., native closed out the series on Saturday going 2-for-2 with three runs scored and generated two runs as Fresno State earned a 12-4 decision in the final 2015 regular season matchup.
As the Bulldogs' cleanup batter, Willis has a second-best batting average of .376 including seven doubles, a conference-leading nine triples and a team high of eight home runs. She holds the highest number of runs scored (55) on the team while posting a .688 slugging percentage and .479 on base percentage, with 24 walks and 108 total bases.
She ranks second nationally for the most triples (9) and triples per game in the latest NCAA Softball Statistics, only two shy of the nation's leader.
Fresno State (40-14) is headed to the Eugene, Oregon Regional of the 2015 NCAA Tournament and will open up against North Dakota State (43-9) on Thursday, May 14 at 2 p.m. Also attending the Eugene Regional this week at Howe Field is No. 2 overall seed Oregon (44-6) and BYU (39-12).
2015 MW Softball Player of the Week
Feb. 10 - Sharon-Renae Estrada, Sr., IF, San José State
Feb. 17 - Jessie Hufstetler, Jr., IF, San José State
Feb. 24 - Kierra Willis, So., OF, Fresno State
March 3 - Jenavee Peres, Fr., C, San Diego State
March 10 - Kayla Jordan, Sr., OF, San Diego State
March 17 - Brenna Moss, Sr., OF, Fresno State
March 24 - Kayla Jordan, Sr., OF, San Diego State
March 31 - Lorena Bauer, Sr., Util., San Diego State
April 6 - Jasmine Casados, So., 3B, New Mexico
April 14 - Kayla Jordan, Sr., OF, San Diego State
April 21 - Nicole Schultz, Sr., OF, San José State
April 28 - Whitney Smith, Jr., IF, Fresno State
May 5 - Lorena Bauer, Sr., LF, San Diego State
May 11 - Kierra Willis, So., OF, Fresno State
2015 MW Softball Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 10 - Lauren Soles, Jr., LHP, New Mexico
Feb. 17 - Erica Romero, So., RHP, San Diego State
Feb. 24 - Carrie Sheehan, Sr., RHP, New Mexico
March 3- Morgan Ettinger, So., RHP, UNLV
March 10 - Erica Romero, So., RHP, San Diego State
March 17 - Jill Compton, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
March 24 - Jill Compton, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
March 31 - Trinity Harrington, Fr., RHP, Colorado State
April 6 - Jill Compton, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
April 14 - Jill Compton, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
April 21 - Jill Compton, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
April 28 - Jill Compton, Jr., RHP, Fresno State
May 5 - Erica Romero, So., RHP, San Diego State
May 11 - Erica Romero, So., RHP, San Diego State
"Be Bold!" - The official home of Fresno State Softball is 790 AM ESPN2 The Deuce. For ticket information contact the Bulldog Ticket Office at 559-278-3647 or log on to www.gobulldogs.com.
