College: NCAA Div. I National Players of the Week… Two Pitchers Who Had 0.00 ERA’s! (Mar. 19, 2019)

Two pitchers were in the groove last week as they went a combined 5-0 with a 0.00 ERA and one pitched a perfect game! Below, we honor the Division I Players of the Week as featured by USA Softball and Louisville Slugger/NFCA

Here are this week’s honorees for Mar. 11-17, 2019…

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Rachel Garcia named Week 6 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week

After helping the No. 1 ranked UCLA Bruins open up Pac-12 play with a perfect record, UCLA redshirt junior Rachel Garcia (Palmdale, Calif.) has earned Week 6 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week honors. 

Announced today by USA Softball, Garcia reached base safely in each of the three contests against then-No. 6 Washington while holding the Huskies to zero runs in two outings in the circle.

“I am honored to be recognized as the USA Softball Player of the Week,” Garcia said. “I give full credit to my amazing team and coaches. This is a very special group of young women who came out on a mission this past weekend. We really worked together and stuck to a plan. I can’t do what I do without them alongside me on every pitch or every swing of the bat, and I am happy to contribute to this team’s success any way I can.”

Garcia and the Bruins opened up Pac-12 play on the road at Washington with a 3-0, shutout win.  Earning the complete game win, Garcia fanned nine batters while helping out her cause by scoring one run after being intentionally walked.

Garcia had another strong performance in the circle and at the plate in the second game of the series.  Hitting a go-ahead, two-run homer in the top of the eighth inning, Garcia also earned the win in the circle after striking out seven in five shutout frames of relief.

Garcia closed out the weekend with a perfect 4-for-4 outing at the plate in the series finale, setting a career high with six runs batted in and tying personal bests with four hits and three runs scored.

“Rachel has played inspired softball with the recent loss of her Papa,” said UCLA Head Coach, Kelly Inouye-Perez. “She continues to get stronger each outing and enjoys the big moments in each game.”

For the week, Garcia had a .600 (6-for-10) average with two home runs, eight RBI and six runs scored while amassing a 1.300 slugging percentage.  From the circle, a pair of wins and 16 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched has led to a perfect 12-0 record for the season.

This is the fourth USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week for Garcia, who has earned a weekly accolade in each season played.

2019 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week

• Week 1 (Feb. 7-10): Kassidy Wilbur – Stephen F. Austin – Freshman – Pitcher – Bridge City, Texas
• Week 2 (Feb. 11-17): Zoe Casas – Florida State – Senior – Outfield – Rialto, Calif.
• Co-Week 3 (Feb. 18-24): Danielle Gibson – Arkansas – Sophomore – Infield – Murrieta, Calif.
• Co-Week 3 (Feb. 18-24): Andrea Scali – Kent State – RS Freshman – Pitcher – Parma, Ohio
• Week 4 (Feb. 25-March 3): Meghan Beaubien — Michigan — Sophomore — Newport, Mich.
• Week 5 (March 4-10): Jenna Cone — George Washington — Junior — Trabuco Canyon, Calif.
• Week 6 (March 11-17): Rachel Garcia — UCLA— RS Junior — Palmdale, Calif.

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Rachel Garcia & Brooke Yanez earn 2019 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I weekly honors

UCLA’s Rachel Garcia and UC Davis’ Brooke Yanez were named Louisville/Slugger NFCA Division I National Player and Pitcher of the Week of the Week, respectively, for games played March 11-17.

Garcia

Garcia was lights out, keying the No. 1 Bruins to a three-game road sweep of then-No. 5 Washington in the opening weekend of Pac-12 play. She was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and a shutout. Garcia scattered eight hits, walked three and struck out 16 over 12 innings of work.

The junior from Palmdale, Calif. also hit .600 (6-for-10) with a double, two home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored. She slugged 1.300 and posted a .636 on-base percentage. Garcia tossed a three-hit shutout (9 K) in game one. She hit the go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the eighth and provided five innings of scoreless relief in game two. She capped off the series going 4-for-4 with a double, long ball and six RBI.

Yanez

Yanez twirled the first perfect game in the program’s Division I history versus Sacramento State. For the week, she was 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 26 strikeouts. Yanez surrendered just three hits, walked three and held her opponents to a .054 batting average. In the perfecto, she fanned 10.

The sophomore southpaw tossed a two-hit shutout versus Santa Clara and held Marist to just one hit and struck out eight in five innings of work to improve to 14-1 on the season.

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2019 Honorees (Player /Pitcher)

• Mar. 19: Rachel Garcia, UCLA / Brooke Yanez, UC Davis
• Mar. 12: Jenna Cone, George Washington / Gabbie Plain, Washington
• Mar. 5: Teaghan Cowles, Stanford & Brigette Nordbert, North Carolina State / Amber Fiser, Minnesota
• Feb. 26: Cali Harrod, Florida State /Giselle Juarez, Oklahoma
• Feb. 19: Tristen Edwards, Nebraska  / Keely Rochard, Virginia Tech
• Feb. 12: Caitlyn Nolan, Virginia Tech / Kelly Barnhill, Florida

Selected Top Performances

Mya Stevenson, Marshall– .727, 8 H, 4 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 1.818 SLG, .750 OBP, recorded first cycle in program history; Summer Ellyson, Louisiana– 5-0, 0.49 ERA, 3 SHO, 43 K, 28.2 IP, .163 opp. BA; Giselle Juarez, Oklahoma– 2-0, 0.64 ERA, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 18 K, .083 opp. BA, perfect game v Loyola Marymount; Christina Biggerstaff, USC Upstate– 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 20 K, 2 SHO; Marissa Rizzi, St. John’s– .700, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 1.600 LSG, .786 OBP; Julie Rawls, Louisiana– .733, 11 H, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 8 R, 1.467 SLG, .765 OBP; Brittany Pickett, North Carolina– 3-0, SV, 0.76 ERA, 20 K, 2 BB, 18.1 IP; Sierra McKee, Saint Francis– .538, 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 1.462 SLG, .611 OBP; Katie Reed, Kentucky- .462, 2 2B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 6 R; Marybeth Olson, Connecticut– 3-1, 0.00 ERA, 21 K, 3 BB, 20 IP; Morgan Geno, Ohio– .65, 8 H, 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 7 R, 1.615 SLG, 3 BB, .688 OBP; Corina Gambo, Colorado State- .667, 8 H, 2 2B, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1.333 SLG; Max Ortega, Columbia- .588, 4 2B, 3B, HR, 9 R, 7 RBI, 2-2 SB, .611 OBP; Caleigh Clifton, Oklahoma– .555, 7 H, 2B, HR, 9 R, 7 RBI, 4 BB, .632 OBP, 2-2 SB; Courtney Cashman, UMass Lowell – .650, 13 H, 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R; Jenny Bressler, UNLV- 2-0, 0.50 ERA vs. No. 24 Boise State; Shealyn O’Leary, Texas– 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 10 K, 12 IP; Meghan King, Florida State- 2-0, 0.70 ERA, 5 K, 0 BB, 3 H, .088 opp. BA, no-hitter versus Notre Dame; Amber Fiser, Minnesota- 3-0, 2 SHO, 13 K, 2 BB, 20 IP; Lexie Blair, Michigan- .875, 7 H, 2B, HR, 8 RBI, .900 OBP, 1.250 SLG; Madi MacCoy, Bowling Green- .522, 12 H, 2 2B, HR, 9 RBI, 6 R.