Long Beach State senior Nalani St. Germain and UC Davis sophomore Justine Vela excelled during tournament action to claim Big West Softball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades.

St. Germain Bats .471 at Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic

Nalani St. Germain (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala HS) hit .471 and led Long Beach State to a 3-2 record at the prestigious Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, garnering Big West Softball Field Player of the Week acclaim.

St. Germain tallied multiple hits three times during the tournament, and hit 6-for-10 (.600) in the final three contests that all resulted in 49er wins.  In addition to recording eight hits, St. Germain walked twice as she recorded a .526 on base percentage.

The 5-9 infielder laced a pair of singles in a 2-for-4 performance in a 3-1 win versus Oklahoma State.  In a 7-2 triumph against UNLV, St. Germain went 3-for-3 with a double, triple and two runs scored.  She concluded the tournament with a 1-for-3 effort as the 49ers piled on six runs in the seventh inning to spark a comeback from a 6-1 deficit.  St. Germain singled in that big inning to set up a walk-off grand slam from Ashley Holmes.

St. Germain also had a multiple-hit effort against No. 14 Arizona, going 2-for-4 with a run scored in a 4-3 loss to the Wildcats.

Others nominated:  Desiree Ybarra (Cal State Fullerton); JJ Wagoner (UC Davis); Dionne Anderson (UC Riverside); Melanie Habib (Pacific)

Vela Earns All-Tournament Team Spot at NFCA Leadoff Classic

Sophomore Justine Vela (Bakersfield, Calif./Stockdale HS) tossed back-to-back complete game shutouts, including in a win over No. 14 South Florida, to garner Big West Softball Pitcher of the Week kudos.

The 5-5 hurler posted a 2-0 record with a 1.87 earned run average in four appearances at the NFCA Leadoff Classic.  After a couple of no decisions against Southern Illinois and No. 14 Michigan, Vela stepped up with two dominant efforts to give the Aggies both tournament victories.

Taking the circle against No. 14 South Florida, Vela led the Aggies to the 1-0 upset as she fanned a season-high 12 batters and walked none.  Vela allowed six hits against the Bulls, but only one was for extra bases.

The following day, Vela one-hit Fordham in a 2-0 triumph.  The right-hander walked three and struck out three as she concluded the tournament with 15 consecutive scoreless innings.

Others nominated:  Chloe Wurst (Cal Poly); Jasmine Antunez (Cal State Fullerton); Taylor Alvarez (UC Riverside)