Shannon Haddad, Long Beach State Softball Pitcher of the Week Sophomore • Pitcher • Simi Valley, Calif.

• First-place Long Beach State’s ace Shannon Haddad pitched a team-high 12.0 innings during a weekend road sweep of UC Davis to pick up a fourth career, and second straight, Big West Pitcher of the Week nod.

• Haddad’s weekend was highlighted and capped by a four-hit (all singles) complete-game shutout in Sunday’s series finale, a 2-0 Beach victory. It was the Simi Valley native’s fourth shutout of 2023 (third in four league starts), as the fourth-year sophomore fanned six with no walks.

• Haddad (7-5) began the week by starting Saturday’s series opener, going 5.0 frames in a 10-inning win with four more strikeouts and again zero bases on balls. The third-year San José State transfer has 20 strikeouts without a walk in Big West play (0.81 ERA).

• Haddad gives the Beach three straight Big West Pitcher of the Week awards, with teammate Eryka Gonzales the March 13 recipient. Prior to last week, Haddad was The Big West Pitcher of the Week back-to-back again on March 29 and April 5, 2021, as well as The Big West Freshman of the Week on the latter date.

Also Nominated: Maddie Heinlin (UC Riverside); Malaya Johnson (UC Santa Barbara); Sophia Ramuno (Cal Poly); Myka Sutherlin (Cal State Fullerton);

Jessi Alcala, Cal State Fullerton Softball Field Player of the Week Junior • Catcher • Whittier, Calif.

• Jessi Alcala is a first-time Big West weekly award winner of any kind after slashing .750/.833/1.625 for second-place Cal State Fullerton’s dominant series sweep of CSU Bakersfield at home.

• Alcala went 6-for-8 with five runs scored, one double, two home runs, six RBI, four walks and one stolen base on one try. The Titan catcher reached base safely in 10 of 12 plate appearances for the weekend, and did not strike out.

• A fourth-year junior, Alcala was 2-for-3 with two home runs to begin Saturday’s twin bill, blasting a solo shot in the third ahead of a three-run effort in the following frame of an 8-0 run-rule decision. The two homers and four RBI were both new single-game career highs.

• Defensively, Alcala handled 18 putouts behind the plate cleanly without a mistake.

• Alcala joins teammate Hannah Becerra from Feb. 27 as Titans to earn Big West Field Player of the Week distinctions for 2023.

Also Nominated: Keila Bosinger (UC San Diego); Marissa Burk (UC Riverside); Mikayla Carman (CSUN); Jessica Clements (Cal Poly); Anna Dethlefson (UC Davis); Haley Johnson (Hawai’i); Madelyn McNally (UC Santa Barbara); Sara Olson (Long Beach State);

Malaya Johnson, UC Santa Barbara Softball Freshman of the Week Freshman • Pitcher • Roseville, Calif.

• Malaya Johnson aided UC Santa Barbara to a split of the first two games of its league series at UC San Diego, and has garnered a first Big West Freshman of the Week honor.

• After dropping Sunday’s opener 4-3 in walk-off fashion, Johnson fired a shutout in the nightcap for a series-evening 5-0 triumph. The right-hander scattered six hits and two walks while striking out two Tritons.

• Johnson had one perfect frame in the fifth, and ducked around a pair of Deena Pederson doubles in the first and third. With runners at the corners in the fourth through a two-out rally, Johnson retired Georgia Heathcock on a first-pitch flyout to end that threat. Again with two Tritons on base in the seventh, Johnson punctuated the game by getting Pederson to fly out to left on the first toss.

• Johnson had thrown a four-hit shutout versus Wagner on March 3 in Riverside. The Gauchos and Tritons contest the rubber game on Monday afternoon in La Jolla. The set had started with a Sunday doubleheader with both schools having just concluded winter quarter final exams.

• Johnson is the second Gaucho in as many weeks to warrant recognition, following The Big West Field Player of the Week Ashley Donaldson. The Roseville product is the program’s first-ever Big West Freshman of the Week, since the conference added the award for the 2019 season.

Also Nominated: Brooke Perez (UC Riverside); Sophia Ramuno (Cal Poly)

2023 Big West Softball Weekly Winners