Cal State Fullerton sophomore Missy Taukeiaho and Cal Poly freshman Sierra Hyland dominated for their respective teams in nabbing Big West Softball Field Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades.
Extra Base Hits Power Taukeiaho To Offensive Honor
Sophomore Missy Taukeiaho (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Washington) clubbed three home runs and four doubles to help Cal State Fullerton win three times, earning her Big West Softball Field Player of the Week honors.
Taukeiaho batted .643 (9-for-14) with nine runs scored and 12 RBI as the Titans opened Big West play with a 2-1 series victory against UC Santa Barbara. Her extra base prowess led to a 1.571 slugging percentage, and thanks to six walks, she also amassed a .750 on-base percentage.
The infielder smashed a grand slam in the series finale against the Gauchos to help the Titans seal an 11-7 win. She also belted homers in a 10-0 shutout of UCSB and a 6-2 non-conference win over Cal State Bakersfield. Taukeiaho laced a double in each of the first four games of the week.
The University of Washington transfer collected three multi-hit games and four multi-run scoring games as she accounted for 21 of the team’s 38 runs scored.
Others nominated: Kim Westlund (Cal Poly); Shayna Kimbrough (Long Beach State); Kristen Clark (UC Santa Barbara); Leisha Li’ili’i (Hawai‘i)
Perfect Game Highlights Hyland’s Exceptional Week
Freshman Sierra Hyland (Visalia, Calif./El Diamante HS) tossed a perfect game to power Cal Poly to a series-opening victory against Cal State Northridge and garner Big West Softball Pitcher of the Week plaudits.
The right-hander compiled a 1.08 ERA in 26.0 innings pitched, allowing just four earned runs and striking out 21. Hyland opened the series with her second career no-hitter and first perfect game in a 1-0 win over the Matadors. She fanned 11 hitters, threw 75 percent of her 96 pitches for strikes, and reached a full count against a CSUN hitter just twice. Hyland also struck out at least one Matador in every inning during the one hour, 40-minute performance.
In game two of Saturday’s doubleheader, Hyland lasted all 12 innings in a tough 2-1 loss. She did not allow a run until the 12th inning and scattered just eight hits in the complete game effort.
Hyland hurled another seven innings in a 6-5, nine-inning triumph over the Matadors on Sunday. She tacked on six more strikeouts, yielding seven hits and four runs (two earned) with just two walks. Hyland started the game and did not allow a baserunner during her final two innings of relief work, securing her second win of the series.
Others nominated: Christina Washington (Cal State Fullerton); Erin Jones-Wesley (Long Beach State); Loie Kesterson (Hawai‘i)