Both collecting series sweeps this weekend, and Long Beach State taking sole possession of the first place slot, Big West Player of the Week honors were awarded to the Gauchos and 49ers. This week’s Big West Player of the Week is Jenessa Jeppesen of UC Santa Barbara, along with Taylor Petty of Long Beach State grabbing Big West Pitcher of the Week.
Jeppesen Comes Through With Game Winning Performance
Jeppesen led the Gauchos to a series sweep with her outstanding offensive performance last week recording 7-of-10 from the box scoring two runs, with 6 RBI. This is the El Dorado Hills native’s first recognition this season as Big West Player of the Week.
The freshman came out strong going 2-for-3 in the first game of the doubleheader against Cal Poly with her solo home run in the bottom of the third to tie the game 1-1. In game two she gave UC Santa Barbara an early 1-0 lead with an RBI single, and then came through in extra innings to score the game-winning run in a 5-4 win over the Mustangs. In the final game, Jeppesen hit a three-run homer for an early 3-0 lead.
On the week she averaged .700 at the plate, with a 1.300 slugging percentage and .700 on-base percentage.
Others nominated: Nora Sobczak (Cal Poly), Karli Sandoval (Long Beach State), Rachel MIller (UC Davis), Brittany Keeney (UC Riverside)
Petty Produces Two-game Perfection
With her first recognition this season as Big West Pitcher of the Week, Petty pitched two games for the 49ers allowing only four hits and no runs scored.
The San Pedro native pitched a total 10 innings last week to record two of the three wins, improving to 8-1 on the season. She helped Long Beach to a three-game sweep against Cal State Fullerton to claim the No. 1 seed in conference standings.
She finished her five-inning showing in game one allowing no runs scored while giving up only three hits, with a season-best nine strikeouts. On Sunday she pitched a one-hitter against the Titans with five strikeouts over five innings.
Over the week she held her opponents to a .118 batting average with a total 14 strikeouts against 38 batters.
Others nominated: Justine Vela (UC Davis), Jordyn McDonald (UC Riverside), Shelby Wisdom (UC Santa Barbara)