Coming off of her first career no-hitter, UCLA freshman Michelle
Turner was named the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week Monday.
This is the first time she has received the award, and the
second Bruin pitcher to be named Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week this
season, joining Keira Goerl.
The Bruins are the only team in the Pac-10 to have two different
pitchers win the award.
“Turner was a huge lift for the team,” UCLA head
coach Sue Enquist said. “It was challenging going into
Saturday’s game, and Turner gave us energy. She was terrific,
and was always ahead in the count.”
Turner pitched shutouts in both ends of a doubleheader sweep of
Arizona State on Saturday on only 124 pitches combined. She threw
her no-hitter in the first game, the day after Arizona had beaten
UCLA with a walk-off home run by Jackie Coburn.
Going into the NCAA regionals this weekend, Turner didn’t
figure to pitch much, as UCLA has Goerl, one of the best pitchers
in the country and the pitcher with the lowest ERA in the Pac-10
(0.70).
But Turner’s pitching of late may have earned her some
extra playing time.
“After her performance this weekend, it gives me a lot of
latitude to put her in the rotation, where I wouldn’t have
before,” Enquist said.
Turner’s 0.86 ERA is third lowest in the Pac-10, with
Arizona’s Alicia Hollowell (0.79) sandwiched in between Goerl
and Turner.
Ңbull;Ӣbull;Ӣbull;
Several other Bruins finished among the leaders in the Pac-10
statistically.
Natasha Watley (.503) and Tairia Mims (.463) finished first and
second in batting average. Mims (18) and Claire Sua (16) finished
third and fourth in home runs. Mims was third in RBI (60), Watley
was sixth (50) and Sua was eighth (46).
Ңbull;Ӣbull;Ӣbull;
Bruins Tairia Mims and Natasha Watley were named among Softball
West’s 10 finalists for its Collegiate Player of the Year
Award.
Ңbull;Ӣbull;Ӣbull;
All eight Pac-10 teams are going to the NCAA regionals ““
with one going to each regional. The Pac-10 is the conference with
the most teams in the NCAA tournament. All eight regionals will
start on Thursday, with the winner of each qualifying for the
Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Okla., from
May 22-26.