Colorado State University Athletics
Five Rams Earn Honors
5/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - The All-Mountain West Conference Softball awards as selected by the league's six head coaches were announced today in conjunction with the start of the Mountain West Conference Softball Championship in San Diego, Calif. The championship begins tomorrow (Thursday, May 12) and runs through Saturday, May 14, at SDSU Softball Stadium on the campus of San Diego State.
BYU?s Lauren Watson-Perry was named Player of the Year, while UNLV senior Jacque Kerrigan captured the Pitcher of the Year award, UNLV?s Marissa Nichols garnered Freshman of the Year acclaim and Utah?s Bryanne Durrence was awarded the Sportsmanship Award. UNLV?s Lonni Alameda collected her first-ever MWC Coach of the Year honor.
Watson-Perry, a Castaic, Calif., native, is batting .438 on the season with eight home runs, 33 RBI, 51 runs scored, a slugging percentage of .675, an on-base percentage of .486 and 12 stolen bases. In MWC play, she led the league with a .415 batting average and ranked in the top-10 in on-base percentage (.456), runs scored (13), hits (22), total bases (30) and RBI (10). Nationally, she currently is tied for seventh in runs scored and ranks 13th in batting average. Defensively, Watson-Perry turned in a .969 fielding percentage from the catcher position.
Kerrigan, from Eugene, Ore., is 26-13 on the year, with 176 strikeouts, and leads the MWC in innings pitched (232.2), wins (26), games started (37) and appearances (46). She also ranks in the top-five in four other pitching categories, including ERA (1.62, second), strikeouts (second), saves (five, second) and opposing batting average (.228, fourth). She was 10-1 in conference play, with three saves, a 1.26 ERA and posted an opposing batting average of .206 in 78.0 innings pitched. In the UNLV record books, Kerrigan is the career leader in appearances (163) and saves (11), and is third in wins (70). She also surpassed her own Rebel single-season marks in saves. Nationally, Kerrigan is currently tied for ninth in wins and saves. Kerrigan was also an MWC Pitcher of the Week honoree five times in the 2005 season.
Nichols, a Diamond Bar, Calif., product, led the Mountain West in batting average (.440), slugging percentage (.843), on-base percentage (.498), runs scored (62), hits (84), triples (eight), stolen bases (33 in 33 attempts) and total bases (161). She also finished second in doubles (16) and home runs, and fifth in RBI (43). She broke MWC single-season records in hits and total bases, and the league freshman single season marks in doubles, triples and stolen bases. In MWC play, Nichols led the conference with a .776 slugging percentage, 22 runs scored, six home runs, 11 stolen bases and 52 total bases. She surpassed school single-season marks in runs scored and stolen bases, and currently ranks second in home runs, hits, doubles and triples. Defensively, she holds a 1.000 fielding percentage, with 86 putouts and four assists. Nationally, Nichols is third in runs scored, sixth in slugging percentage and triples, 10th in stolen bases and 12th in batting average. Nichols was also voted MWC Player of the Week a record six times this season.
The 20-member all-conference team includes six players from regular-season champion BYU, five players from Colorado State and UNLV, two players from Utah and one from New Mexico and San Diego State.
2005 All-Mountain West Conference Softball Team
Name Team Ht. Yr. Pos. Hometown (Previous School)
Debbie Dodds* BYU 5-5 Sr. OF Twin Falls, Idaho (Twin Falls HS)
Ianeta Le`i*# BYU 5-7 Jr. 1B Oahu, Hawaii (Iolani HS)
Ashlyn Russell BYU 5-6 Jr. 3B Maui, Hawaii ((Baldwin HS)
Summer Tobias BYU 5-9 Jr. P Temecula, Calif. (Chapparal HS)
Daniella Urincho BYU 5-9 Fr. P Corona, Calif. (Norco HS)
Lauren Watson-Perry# BYU 5-3 Sr. C Castaic, Calif. (Valencia HS)
Lauren Cusick Colorado State 5-5 Fr. 3B Salem, Ore. (South Salem HS)
Brittany Huerta Colorado State 5-6 So. OF Atascadero, Calif. (Atascadero HS)
Julia Kloppe Colorado State 5-8 Fr. 1B Fort Collins, Colo. (Rocky Mountain HS)
Stephanie Roberts*# Colorado State 5-3 Sr. 2B Parker, Colo. (Chaparral HS)
Jessica Strickland* Colorado State 5-9 So. P/DP Lakewood, Colo. (Green Mountain HS)
Kristina Schmallen New Mexico 5-10 Jr. OF Tucson, Ariz. (Pima CC)
Celena Velasquez*# San Diego State 5-6 Jr. P Tucson, Ariz. (University HS)
Jacque Kerrigan# UNLV 5-3 Sr. P Eugene, Ore. (Churchill HS)
Maggie Livreri UNLV 5-2 Jr. C Las Vegas, Nev. (CSU-Pueblo)
Brittany Meade UNLV 5-7 Fr. 3B Tucson, Ariz. (Flowing Wells HS)
Marissa Nichols UNLV 5-8 Fr. OF Diamond Bar, Calif. (Diamond Bar HS)
Caitlyn Paus UNLV 5-8 Fr. 2B New Lenox, Ill. (Lincoln-Way Central HS)
Ivette Hernandez Utah 5-6 Jr. 1B Sylmar, Calif. (Faith Baptist HS)
Diana Phillips Utah 5-8 Fr. OF Taylorsville, Utah (Taylorsville HS)
Player of the Year ? Lauren Watson-Perry, BYU
Pitcher of the Year ? Jacque Kerrigan, UNLV
Freshman of the Year ? Marissa Nichols, UNLV
Sportsmanship Award ? Bryanne Durrence, Utah
Coach of the Year ? Lonni Alameda, UNLV
* 2004 All-MWC Selection
# 2003 All-MWC Selection
$ 2002 All-MWC Selection
