University of Hawaii softball seniors Brittany Hitchcock and Nicole Lopez were named the Big West pitcher and player of the week on Monday after sweeping UC Riverside last weekend.
Hitchcock posted an 0.45 ERA in 15 2/3 innings against Riverside to earn her fourth career Big West pitcher of the week award and first of the season. During the series, Hitchcock struck out seven batters and walked one. She improved to 17-7 this season and 9-2 in conference play.
Lopez, a Mid-Pacific Institute alumna, earned her third career Big West player of the week award as she hit a double and homer over the weekend. The third baseman also turned a pair of rally-killing double plays.
Lopez leads the team with 53 hits, 43 runs scored and 11 doubles this season.
Hilo’s Kinoshita selected for NCAA play
Hawaii Hilo senior Jared Kinoshita was selected to participate in the NCAA Division II West Regional golf tournament, which will be held May 9-11 in St. George, Utah.
Kinoshita will be one of four individuals to participate, joined by the top teams in the West region. They will be playing for the opportunity to advance to the NCAA Division II finals on May 20-24 in West Virginia.
Kinoshita will be the top-ranked golfer playing as an individual in St. George and currently ranks 47th in the NCAA Division II.
Spain named PacWest pitcher of the week
Hawaii Hilo junior Dylan Spain earned the Pacific West Conference pitcher of the week honor on Monday for his performance against Point Loma last week.
The Saint Louis alum threw a three-hit shutout against the Sea Lions in the first game of the series in San Diego. He walked one and struck out another as the second-ranked team in the region was shut out for the first time this season.
This is Spain’s second PacWest pitcher of the week honor this year. He is 5-1 this season with a 2.63 ERA.
