Courtesy of the West Coast Conference
SAN BRUNO, Calif.-University of Pacific junior second baseman Nicole Zapotoczny and Brigham Young University sophomore pitcher McKenna Bull have been named the West Coast Conference Players of the Week in the sport of softball, the conference office announced Monday.
Zapotoczny guided the Tigers with eight hits in their six games in the Stanford Nike Invitational where Pacific faced national ranked opponents that included #3/4 Alabama, UC Davis, Cal Poly, and host Stanford. For the week, she went 8-for-14 (.571) with four runs batted in and three runs scored. Two of her eight hits were for extra bases as she homered, doubled, and reached third base once. The powerful righty, hit safely in five of the six games, including a 4-for-2 effort with a home run against Stanford on Saturday. Zapotoczny finished the week with a season high 10 assists and two walks to go along with a .647 OBP and 1.000 slugging percentage. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native earns her first career weekly award and first for Pacific since Taylor Petty won the accolade on February 24, 2014.
Bull went 4-0 with a 2.14 ERA and 20 strikeouts to lead BYU to a 4-1 record at the Wilson/DeMarini Desert Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Ogden, Utah, native, who broke BYU’s freshman record for strikeouts (134), began the week with three hits in the Cougars 5-4 victory over the University of Hawaii on Thursday. She returned to the circle where she faced Northwestern junior starter Kristen Wood who was throwing a no-hitter through five innings, until BYU broke through for six hits and five runs in the sixth to defeat the Wildcats 5-1 Friday. Bull scattered two hits and one run throughout seven innings in the win. In the nightcap, she tossed four strikeouts in five innings against the University of Las Vegas as the Cougars handed the Rebels a one-run defeat, 6-5. On Saturday, she allowed just one hit and threw three strikes in four innings in BYU’s 9-0 victory against University of Texas, El Paso. The Cougars scored five runs in the second inning and four more in the third en route to the club sixth win of the season. For the week, Bull dispersed 18 hits throughout 19.2 innings, allowing just six earned runs. Opponents hit just .188 against the All-WCC honoree.
This is the third WCC Pitcher of the Week honor for Bull as she won the award on March 31, 2014 and April 14, 2014.
Also nominated Mercedes O’Connor, Brigham Young; Andrea Hazel, Saint Mary’s; Paige von Sprecken, San Diego; Kailey Hill, San Diego
2015 WEST COAST CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
February 16: Nicole Zapotoczny, Pacific
February 9: Gianetta France, Santa Clara
2015 WEST COAST CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
February 16: McKenna Bull, Brigham Young
February 9: Paige von Sprecken, San Diego
