Sierra Frazier wows for UAB in Atlanta
The Blazers’ sophomore catcher batted *just* .563 on the weekend, recording nine hits and nine RBI in five games. She hit three home runs and added four doubles, working four walks, but perhaps most impressive was her individual performance in a game against top-ranked Washington. The second-year backstop posted a 3-4 performance against the Huskies, with two home runs and four RBIs as she led her team to a near-upset of the defending co-PAC 12 champions.
Iowa State wins tournament title; Sami Williams’ hits four home runs
Down in Hawaiian paradise to start the season, Iowa State dropped their season opener to Memphis, before beginning a streak of four straight wins that also saw them capture the Paradise Classic tournament championship. All-star senior Sami Williams hit a quartet of home runs on the weekend, with a single longball in four straight games to begin the year. The star infielder collected thirteen RBIs on the weekend, with a pair of doubles and six runs scored. Fellow senior Hannah Carter led the team with a .538 batting average, with seven hits in thirteen at-bats.
Say it with us: Mata Faapito
Balls were flying out of the park left and right in Las Cruces through the course of the weekend, but it was Faapito that raised some eyebrows with her hard-hitting bat and home run power. The fresman slugger hit a quartet of home runs, going 8-11 at the plate and posting a .727 batting average. She posted a slugging percentage of 1.909 and drove in eight runs. In her team’s run-rule win against Bradley, Faapito posted a perfect 3-3 showing at the plate, with two home runs, a double, and four RBIs.
“Oh” my! South Carolina pitcher looks like an ace
Before the season, our projections mentioned that South Carolina junior pitcher Kelsey Oh needed to return to her ace-like freshman form, and after week one, she looks like she’s done just that. Oh posted a perfect 3-0 record on the weekend, posting victories over Ohio State, Southern Illinois, and UNC-Greensboro. The third-year hurler recorded twenty-two strikeouts and allowed just one extra-base hit through the entirety of the tournament.
Upset city, across the country
Whether it be small-market teams and mid-majors posting wins over top-level ranked and tournament-bound opponents, opening week of the regular season was full of upsets. Mike Perniciaro and Indiana State pulled off arguably the biggest win of his tenure as head coach, upsetting ranked Wisconsin 2-1. UT-Arlington pulled off a pair of wins over Texas A&M, and were later themselves upset by Abilene Christian. Arkansas dropped a game to Bradley, while Army pulled off a win over the Big Ten’s Rutgers. North Texas handed Louisiana-Lafayette their first loss of the season for the second year in a row, while Western Michigan held on to finish off a 9-7 upset victory over Arizona State.
Jazmyn Rollin slugs Missouri to undefeated start
One of the hottest bats in Clearwater on opening weekend, Rollin played a major role in buoying her Tigers to the only 5-0 record to come out of the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The sophomore shortstop recorded a hit in each of her team’s games on the weekend, recording four extra base hits and driving in six runs. Against Baylor on Saturday, Rollin went 2-3 with a home run and 2 RBIs, and against Minnesota, the Tigers slugger posted a similar 2-3 showing at the plate, with two runs and a double. She ended the weekend with a .529 batting average on the young season.
An offensive onslaught in Tallahassee
The Seminoles scored forty-eight unanswered runs across four games to close the weekend. Forty. Eight. Unanswered. After coming from behind and a 7-2 deficit to Alabama, the Seminoles scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh and walked off the in the eighth inning to stun the top-ranked Tide. The Seminoles rode that momentum into Saturday, scoring thirty runs across a pair of games, including an 8-0 run-rule shutout in a rematch against the Crimson Tide. The defending ACC tournament champions closed the weekend with their third consecutive run-rule victory, finishing a 12-0 defeat of Detroit Mercy.
The Bayou Bengals came ready to play
There were some doubts about LSU entering the season: Would the team’s offense show up? Who would be the ace of the pitching staff? After starting the season with a tight victory – and being out-hit – by Central Arkansas, the Tigers left little doubt over the weekend, recording a pair of wins over defending WCWS participant and top-15 ranked Oklahoma State. A pair of run-rule wins over Florida A&M gave the team’s offense a chance to get into a rhythym, but a pair of one-run victories over the Cowgirls of OK State were decidedly the most impressive parts of the team’s opening week performance. Sophomore Georgia Clark hit .667 on the weekend with a pair of home runs, while freshman Taylor Pleasants immediately inserted herself into the Freshman of the Year conversation after posting a .692 batting average and a 9-13 showing at the plate.
This week’s roster of pitchers who said “No-No”‘
* Mariah Mazon, Oregon State
* Ashley Kriesel, Stephen F. Austin
* Logan Hulon, Houston
* Susannah Anderson, Boston College
* Cielo Meza, Arizona State
* Rylee Trlicek, Florida
* Kelly Maxwell, Oklahoma State (perfect game)
