Tournament Notes

FRESNO, Calif.—The fourth-seeded University of Hawai'i softball team (36-16, 14-7 WAC) begins defense of its Western Athletic Conference Tournament crown against fifth-seeded Utah State on Wednesday, May 11 at 4:30 p.m. The Aggies (15-40, 8-13 WAC) have won five of their last eight games, while UH has recaptured some of its early season success sweeping its last two series over WAC regular season champions New Mexico State and San Jose State.

Leading the 'Bows at the plate is sophomore shortstop Jessica Iwata, who has a .358 overall batting and a .429 average in conference action. This past weekend, Iwata hit .667 (6-for-9) with three home runs and nine RBI - all team highs--at San Jose State. Overall, Iwata leads UH in runs scored (42), hits (57), home runs (15), and RBI (42).

Senior utility player Jenna Rodriguez has remained consistant, hitting .312 on the season with 49 hits, six doubles, five home runs and a team-low 10 strike outs. Sophomore centerfielder Kelly Majam has worked her way up the ranks and is now third on the team overall with a .288 average and is second in WAC games with a .319 average. Majam leads the team with 10 doubles and 33 walks and is second on the team with 36 runs and a .529 slugging percentage.

But the strength of the 'Bows this season has been the pitching staff. The anchor has been junior Stephanie Ricketts who is 21-11 overall and 8-4 in conference. She has a 1.62 ERA with 29 complete games and nine shut outs in 36 appearances and 224.2 innings. She has walked 63 while fanning 244 strike outs. Sophomore southpaw Kaia Parnaby is 12 -5 overall and 4-3 in WAC play. Parnaby has a 1.24 ERA with 14 complete games and four shut-outs while holding opponents to a .180 batting average. She has 32 walks with 131 strike outs in 19 appearances this season. Rodriguez has also proved her mettle on the mound during the WAC season, earning two wins on one day in relief against New Mexico State. She is 3-0 this year in six appearances in 13.2 innings pitched.