Series Notes

HONOLULU—The No. 21/25 University of Hawai'i softball team (25-9, 3-0 WAC) heads to Fresno State (19-8, 3-0 WAC) for an important early Western Athletic Conference battle at Bulldog Diamond. The series opening game will be televised live on ESPNU on Friday, April 1 at 7:00 p.m.

Hawai'i swept Utah State to open the WAC season, winning 5-2, 8-0 (6), and 2-0. Senior utility player Jasey Jensen led UH at the plate, hitting an even .500 (3-for-6) with a double and a home run, while sophomore shortstop, Jessica Iwata hit .444 (4-for-9) with three runs scored a double and a home run. Junior pitcher Stephanie Ricketts tossed two complete games wins, giving up two runs in 14.0 innings with a walk and 14 strike outs.

Overall, the Rainbow Wahine continue to be led by senior utility player Jenna Rodriguez's .327 average (34-fo-104). She is tied for the team lead with 34 hits and has four doubles, two home runs, and 20 RBI. Rodriguez is one of six UH players to start all 34 games. Iwata is right behind Rodriguez with a .324 batting average (34-for-105) and leads the squad with 31 runs scored and 11 home runs, while rookie catcher Sharla Kliebenstein is hitting .312 (29-for-93) with a team-high 30 RBI. She is leads UH with six doubles and is second with 10 home runs.

On the mound, Ricketts (15-7, 2-0 WAC) has been the anchor for the 'Bows this season. She has fired 151.0 innings with a 1.39 ERA and has 21 complete games in 24 starts with seven shut-outs. Ricketts has held opponents to a .172 batting average while walking 39 batters and striking out 171. Sophomore southpaw Kaia Parnaby is 9-2 this season with a 1.10 ERA and three shut-outs and has thrown 70.0 innings with 15 walks and 87 strike outs.

It is the first time that a Hawa'i regular season game will be televised nationally. The 'Bows have been on ESPN's family of networks 12 times--three games each at the the 2007 Regionals (at UCLA), 2007 Super Regionals (at Tennessee), 2010 Super Regionals (at Alabama), and 2010 Women's College World Series.

 

The Bulldogs are 19-8 overall and 3-0 in WAC action after sweeping Louisiana Tech in Ruston, La. As a team, Fresno State is hitting .246 with an ERA of 2.25. Overall, senior shortstop Haley Gilleland leads the team with a .319 (29-for-91) average and 12 stolen bases. She is also tied for the top spot with 16 runs scored and five doubles. Freshman third baseman Brooke Ortiz has made an immediate impact for Fresno State. She is second on the squad hitting .315 (28-for-89) and has scored the second-most runs (13). Ortiz has two doubles and two triples and is 8-of-10 in stolen bases. Junior rightfielder/pitcher Michelle Moses has team-highs in RBI (22) and home runs (8) and is tied for the team-lead with 16 runs scored and five doubles. Gilleland, Ortiz and Moses are the only three Bulldogs to start all 27 games thus far this season.

The Bulldog pitching staff is led by Junior Mackenzie Oakes who is 12-2 overall with a 1.61 ERA. She has thrown 91.1 innings with 10 complete games and two shut-outs with 23 walks and 50 strike outs this season while stifling opposing teams with a .219 batting average. Moses, who splits time between rightfield and pitching, is 6-6 on the season with a 3.00 ERA with a team-high 102 strike outs to just 35 walks. She has held opponents to a .228 batting average and has thrown 86.1 innings. Nicole Angene has also seen limited action in the circle, tossing 15 innings with a 1.87 ERA and a 1-0 record.