Pac-12 announces softball players of the week

SAN FRANCISCO - The Pac-12 Conference office announced the softball weekly honors for play from Mar. 24-29. OREGON’s Geri Ann Glasco was voted Player of the Week, while UO’s Cheridan Hawkins was named Pitcher of the Week for the second-straight week and UTAH’s Miranda Viramontes was named Freshman of the Week. 

Glasco (Watkinsville, Ga.) hit a monstrous .800 clip with a 2.100 slugging percentage and a .857 on-base percentage as the Ducks went 4-1 on the week. The junior posted eight hits in 10 at-bats, scoring five runs and driving in six with four home runs and a double in the five games. Three of her four homers came in the series finale against the Huskies, matching the UO single-game record shared by two other players. Glasco had three multi-hit games, once in the doubleheader against Utah Valley then twice against UW. The designated player also went 1-1 in the circle with 13 strikeouts in nine innings pitched. 

Hawkins (Anderson, Calif.) threw her first-career perfect game and the first for the Ducks since 2013 when she blanked No. 19 Washington on Friday in the series opener. Hawkins tallied three strikeouts and three just 56 pitches in the five-inning, 8-0 victory for UO. The junior started the third game of the series as well, pitching 4.2 innings to pick up the win and improve to 15-2. She struck out six and allowed two runs on five hits, marking the first two earned runs she’s allowed in Conference play and her first since March 8. Hawkins now has a 0.43 ERA on the year with 122 strikeouts in 97 innings. 

Viramontes (Chino, Calif.) picked up her eighth win on Friday and then tallied her team-leading ninth win in the circle on Sunday to help lead the Utes to a 2-1 series win over the Stanford Cardinal. It was Utah’s first Pac-12 road series win in school history since joining the Conference in 2011. Viramontes yielded just five runs in her 11.0 innings of work, tallying nine strikeouts in the two games. She struck out four in her seven-inning effort in the series opener, which Utah won, 6-3. Viramontes then tied a career high with five K’s in four innings in Sunday’s 7-2 victory. 

Glasco earns her first-career weekly selection, while Hawkins’ honor is the ninth of her career, which is tied for ninth-best in Pac-12 history. Oregon now has 55 weekly honors all-time. Viramontes earns her first-career weekly honor, and the fourth all-time for the Utes. 

The Ducks travel to play at UCLA this weekend in a three-game series that begins Friday, Apr. 3, while the Utes host Southern Utah in a doubleheader on Tuesday before hosting a three-game series against California beginning Thursday, Apr. 2. For more information, including a full schedule, visit www.pac-12.com. 

Also Nominated
Player: Hallie Wilson, ARIZ; Amber Freeman, ASU; Cheyenne Cordes, CAL; Erin Ashby, STAN; Sammi Noland, OSU; Stephany LaRosa, UCLA; Marissa Mendenhall, UTAH.
Pitcher: Bev Miller, OSU; Kylie Sorenson, STAN; Ally Carda, UCLA; Miranda Viramontes, UTAH.  
Freshman: Jenna Lilley, ORE; McKenna Arriola, OSU; Haley Snyder, STAN. 

2015 PAC-12 SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK