For the second week in a row, Long Beach State took both honors for Big West Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week as they continued to sit on top of the Big West Conference standings with a 5-5 overall record, going 2-3 in its second week of tournament play. Third baseman Hannah De Gaetano earned Big West Player of the Week and teammate Erin Jones-Wesley received Big West Pitcher of the Week honors.
De Gaetano Hit’s .500 on the Week
De Gaetano, a San Pedro native, led Long Beach State in both wins last week at the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic in Las Vegas. This is the first career honor for the 2011 first team All-Big West honoree.
De Gaetano hit a perfect 3 for 3 in the tournament opener against Indiana with one home run and two RBI’s as Long Beach took the 13-3 win. De Gaetano also went 2-for-3 against the Memphis Tigers with one RBI and a sac bunt in the bottom of the seventh to advance the runners into scoring position, resulting in a 2-1 victory.
For the tournament, De Gaetano posted a .500 batting average with two home runs and five RBI’s. Her two home runs this past week matched her season total from her freshman season. She hit in four of her five outings at the plate for the 49ers this last week while driving in runs in three of those five games.
Others nominated: Nikki Armagost (Pacific), Kelly Harman (UC Davis), Ashley Carter (Cal State Fullerton)
Jones-Wesley Continues Dominance
Erin Jones-Wesley captured her second straight Pitcher of the Week award. The Alta Loma native posted a 2-1 record after racking up 22 innings of work at the Louisville Slugger Classic in Las Vegas. This was Jones-Wesley’s eighth career honor.
In the tournament opener against Indiana, Jones-Wesley allowed only three runs on five hits, while walking one and striking out two. In the down to the wire battle against Memphis, Jones-Wesley pitched a complete game as she allowed the Tigers just one run on three hits with eight strikeouts. The 49ers pushed a run across with one out in the bottom of the seventh, for the 2-1 win and make Jones-Wesley the winning pitcher.
The Long Beach starter went 2-1 on the week with a 0.88 ERA, allowing only 16 hits while facing 73 batters. She pitched two complete-game wins and held Portland State to no earned runs in the 12-1 loss.
Others nominated: Jessica Thweatt (UC Davis), Aly Fascetti (Cal State Fullerton)