Pac-12 announces softball players of the week

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - UCLA sophomore infielder Mysha Sataraka and OREGON STATE senior pitcher Amanda Najdek have been voted the Pac-12 Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for play from Mar. 11-16, the Conference office announced today. 

Sataraka (Honolulu, Hawai’i) reached base in five of her seven plate appearances in a pair of wins against No. 6 Arizona, including the game-tying home run in Sunday’s victory for No. 3 UCLA. In the 1-0 win over the Wildcats on Saturday, the sophomore hit a double that put her on second, where she was replaced by pinch runner Jessica Amaral who came around to score the lone run of the game. On Sunday, Sataraka launched her team-leading eighth home run of the season to give UCLA the game-tying run, and the Bruins would go on to win, 8-4. Sataraka leads the team with eight home runs and 30 runs batted in, adding a .356 batting average, 19 runs scored, five doubles, 18 walks, a .753 slugging percentage and a .478 on-base percentage. 

Najdek (Portland, Ore.) shut down a high-powered Arizona State offense to help the Beavers to a pair of wins and a series victory over the No. 7 Sun Devils. The senior threw complete games in both of her starts, holding ASU to just a single earned run in each outing. She opened the weekend by allowing just six hits and recording six strikeouts in the first game, a 3-2 victory for the Beavers. Najdek then came back with another gem on Sunday, allowing just one run on seven hits for a 3-1 win. Overall, she held a Sun Devil offense that entered the series averaging nearly seven runs per game to just three total runs over the course of her two starts. 

It is the second-career weekly selection for Sataraka, who received her first earlier this year on Feb. 25. It is the 126th honor for UCLA all-time. Najdek’s honor is the first of her career and the 36th for Oregon State all-time. 

Oregon State travels to face Arizona, while UCLA travels to Washington. Both teams play March 22-24. 

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

Also Nominated:
Player: Kylie Reed, CAL; Alyssa Gillespie, ORE; Kori Nishitomi, OSU; Leah White, STAN; Hannah Flippen, UTAH. 
Pitcher: Stephanie Trzcinski, CAL; Cheridan Hawkins, ORE; Madi Schreyer, STAN; Ally Carda, UCLA; Sammy Cordova, UTAH.  

2014 Pac-12 Softball Players and Pitchers of the Week