Cal State Fullerton's Candice Baker was selected Big West Pitcher of the Week while Pacific's Michele Anunciation and Cal Poly's Erin Myers earned a share of Big West Player of the Week acclaim, ushering in the start of the 2005 softball season.
Baker, a sophomore, started off the 2005 campaign in impressive fashion by posting wins over two top 10 opponents in the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Classic last week. The right-hander tossed seven innings in a 4-3 triumph against No. 2/3 UCLA, collecting six strikeouts, while allowing only three earned runs in her season debut. Against No. 7/10 Georgia, Baker allowed only one earned run on four hits in five innings of work, while sitting down three Bulldogs in a 9-1 run-rule victory.
Anunciation helped the Tigers to a 3-1 record at the Stanford Mini Tournament last week. The senior shortstop hit .417 for the tournament, collecting five hits, one double and one home run, while driving in five runs. Her home run came in Pacific’s season-opener against Santa Clara, a three-run bomb to lift the Tigers to a 4-0 win. In a rematch with the Broncos, Anunciation posted a 1-for-3 effort with a stolen base as the Tigers won 3-2. Against No. 5 Stanford, Anunciation laced a two-run double into right center with two outs to break a 2-2 tie, giving the Tigers a 4-2 lead that would turn into a 4-3 victory over the Cardinal. Anunciation was also flawless defensively at shortstop, recording seven putouts and 15 assists with no errors.
Myers helped the Mustangs open 2005 with five wins last week, including a 4-2 record in Cal Poly’s own Mustang Roundup. For the week, she batted .400 (8-for-20) with a double, two home runs, four runs scored and six RBI. The senior catcher went 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI in an 8-0 win versus Arkansas. Against Sacramento State, she recorded a 2-for-3 effort with two runs scored and two RBI in a Mustang 10-0 romp. In a season-opening non-conference game, Myers belted her first career home run over the right field fence in the bottom of the eighth to give Cal Poly a 4-2 walk-off win over Colorado State.