Courtesy of the Big Sky
OGDEN, Utah (March 9, 2015) – Idaho State outfielder Kacie Burnett and Weber State third baseman Alyson Kulp were named co-Big Sky Softball Players of the Week, and Sacramento State’s Caitlin Brooks was named the Big Sky Softball Pitcher of the Week for games played from March 2 through March 9.
Burnett, a sophomore from Napa, Calif., was a combined 10-for-12 (.833) with seven runs scored, two RBIs and seven stolen bases as Idaho State took two of three in a three-game series at Nevada. She had a pair of RBIs and a slugging percentage of 1.083 and wasn’t caught stealing in all seven attempts.
Burnett went 3-for-4 with a triple, two stolen bases and two runs scored in a 4-1 win over Nevada in game one. She put together another 3-for-4 outing in game two with two runs and a pair of stolen bases in a 7-2 win. Burnett was a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBIs, three runs scored and three stolen bases as the Bengals dropped the series finale, being edged 9-8 in eight innings.
The 2014 Big Sky Freshman of the Year and All-Conference First Team Selection leads the conference this season with a .500 average and .576 on-base percentage along with 36 hits, 30 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases. This is her second Player of the Week honor of the season and fourth of her career
Kulp, a junior from Orange, Calif., finished with eight hits, including three home runs and two doubles, and posted a .905 slugging percentage in leading the Wildcats to a 4-1 record at the Springhill Suites Invitational in Boise, Idaho. She finished with seven RBIs, seven runs scored and had 19 total bases over the weekend.
Kulp went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 5-1 win over Saint Mary’s and added another solo shot to go with a 3-for-5 performance in a 10-7 win over Boise State. She went deep again with a three-run shot in a six-inning win over Utah State Sunday, finishing 2-for-4. In the weekend finale, Kulp hit a two-run double that ignited an 11-run ninth inning for the Wildcats that led to a 19-10 win over Boise State.
The 2014 Big Sky second-team selection is batting .397 this season with 29 hits – 11 of those extra-base hits – and is slugging .644 with a .430 on-base percentage. This is her first Player of the Week honor. Kulp was also an honorable mention selection as a true freshman in 2013.
Brooks, a senior from Escalon, Calif., led Sacramento State to a 2-1 victory, taking a no-hit bid through six innings and striking out nine against IUPUI in her lone appearance of the weekend. Brooks allowed just two hits, including a solo home run by IUPUI’s Megan Cory to break up the no-hit bid. That was Brooks’ lone blemish as she faced just four batters over the minimum, and struck out Maggie Good with the potential tying run on second base to end the game.
After walking the first batter of the contest, Brooks retired 15 batters in a row while striking out the side in both the first and fifth innings. In fact, at one point, Brooks struck out five straight batters spanning the first and second innings. The reigning Big Sky Conference Pitcher of the Year needed 102 pitches to earn her third victory of the season.
Brooks is now 3-1 with a 2.68 ERA, and opponents are batting just .136 against the right-hander. She has allowed one run or less in three of her last four appearances, and posted at least eight strikeouts in each of those four outings. This is Brooks’ 10th Pitcher of the Week honor, as she claimed the award four times last season and five times in 2013.
Others Nominated:
Player: Delene Colburn – Montana; Shelby Hard – North Dakota; Alexa Chattleton – Sacramento State;
Pitcher: Bailey Foster – Idaho State; Carli Riordan – Montana; Hanna Wynn – Southern Utah; Sierra Whitmer – Weber State
