Pac-12 announces softball players of the week

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - UCLA senior right fielder Alyssa Tiumalu and ARIZONA STATE senior pitcher Dallas Escobedo have been voted the Pac-12 Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for play from Feb. 4-10, the Conference office announced today. 

Tiumalu (Elk Grove, Calif.) had hits in all five games last weekend, earning Tournament Most Valuable Player honors at the Oceanic Time Warner Cable Paradise Classic in Honolulu. The senior helped the Bruins to a 5-0 record to open the season, batting .615 (8-for-13) with nine runs batted in, two home runs, two doubles, two runs scored and two walks. She posted a slugging percentage of 1.231 and an on-base percentage of .688. The right fielder started the tournament with a pair of hits and two RBI against Delaware on Thursday, then had a standout performance on Friday, recording four hits and two homers in a doubleheader against Hampton and Hawai’i. Tiumalu concluded her MVP weekend with two hits against Delaware and Hawai’i on Saturday. 

Escobedo (Glendale, Ariz.) went 3-0 in the first weekend of action as No. 7 Arizona State squad hosted the annual Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Sun Devils went 6-0 on the weekend, outscoring its opponents 48-3 in the process. Escobedo gave up just one earned run while pitching three complete games, including two shutouts. She posted a 0.37 ERA with 32 strikeouts while holding opposing batters to just a .063 batting average, while giving up only four hits. Her 14 strikeouts in the 3-0 victory over Creighton on Thursday was the second-most strikeouts for a regular season in the senior’s career. 

Tiumalu’s Player of the Week selection is the second of her career, with her first coming on Mar. 1, 2011. It is the 123rd overall weekly honor for UCLA. Escobedo’s Pitcher of the Week honor is the sixth of her career, and the 80th weekly selection for Arizona State all-time. 

UCLA returns to the mainland for the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament in Los Angeles, Calif., beginning Friday, Feb. 14 and running through Sunday, Feb. 16. Arizona State remains at home this weekend, taking on Tennessee State on Thursday, Feb. 13 before hosting the Littlewood Classic Feb. 14-15. 

For more information, including a full schedule, visit www.pac-12.com. 

Also Nominated:
Player: Kellie Fox, ARIZ; Cheyenne Coyle, ASU; Victoria Jones, CAL; Courtney Ceo, ORE; Kylie Padilla, OSU; Cassandra Roulund, STAN; Kate Dickman, UTAH; Kylee Lahners, WASH. 
Pitcher: Kenzie Fowler, ARIZ; Madi Schreyer, STAN; Ally Carda, UCLA; Bryana Walker, WASH.