Garcia Repeats as UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of Week

For the second-straight week, redshirt junior Rachel Garcia of the UCLA softball team has been named the UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week (Mar. 11-17).

Garcia hit and pitched the top-ranked Bruins to a three-game sweep at No. 5 Washington last weekend, batting .600 with eight runs batted in and tossing 12 shutout innings with 16 strikeouts.

On Friday (March 15), Garcia picked up the complete-game, shutout victory, limiting the Huskies to six baserunners on three hits, two walks and a hit by pitch, while striking out nine. She was a dual threat on Saturday (March 16), throwing five shutout innings of relief with seven strikeouts and only five hits and one walk allowed. At the plate, Garcia had two hits, but none bigger than her two-out, two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning to give the Bruins a 4-2 lead, which would also be the final score.

Garcia didn't need to pitch on Sunday (March 17), mainly because she used her bat to help the Bruins score 15 runs off the Huskies. She had hits in all four at-bats, starting with an RBI single in the first, a two-run double in the second, a three-run homer in the third and a leadoff single in the fifth. Garcia's six RBI set a new career high, while her four hits and three runs scored tied personal bests.

The Sullivan Award finalist lowered her season earned run average to 0.54, as she is 12-0 with 128 strikeouts in 77 1/3 innings. At the plate, she is batting .333 with five home runs and 26 runs batted in.

This is Garcia's third UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week award this season and fourth of her career.

Also Nominated: Megan McNamara, Beach Volleyball; Nicole McNamara, Beach Volleyball; Katelyn Ohashi, Gymnastics; Zach Pettway, Baseball; Maria Polyakova, Swimming & Diving; Lizette Rozeboom, Women's Water Polo; Keegan Smith, Men's Tennis; Cameron Stone, Track & Field.