FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2018

Three wins, a save and perfect ERA seals USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week honors for Giselle “G” Juarez

OKLAHOMA CITY — A flawless week in the circle has landed Arizona State’s Giselle “G” Juarez (Glendale, Ariz.) USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week honors, USA Softball announced today. Juarez, who earned her third-consecutive Pac-12 Conference Pitcher of the Week honor for her performance, saw action in each of the Sun Devils four contests on the week while averaging 11.77 strikeouts per game.

Juarez continued her stellar 2018 campaign by closing out Arizona State’s series win over No. 1 Washington to start out the week, fanning eight Huskies batters in a complete game, shutout win. The sophomore continued to deal in the circle, opening a three-game series against California with a 10-inning, complete game shutout and a career high 17 strikeouts. She then earned her third win of the week in another extra-inning thriller with California. After entering the circle in the eighth inning, Juarez held off the Golden Bears offense by retiring every batter faced, including eight strikeouts. In the series finale against California, Juarez picked up a save after entering in the bottom of the sixth inning to close out a 4-0 win.

"What an honor for both Giselle and the program,” said Arizona State Head Coach, Trisha Ford. “She is hitting her stride and it’s a lot fun to watch her compete. Maddi Hackbarth and G have spent a lot of time in the bullpen and work hard on how they are going to attack hitters. Giselle is a special player who is very humble, hardworking and an even better person. It’s always nice to see those types of players rewarded for their efforts."

For the week, Juarez posted a 3-0 record with one save in four appearances that included two complete games. In her 22 innings pitched, Juarez allowed just two runs on ten hits, both unearned, while striking out nearly half of the batters faced on the week to bring her total weekly strikeouts to 37.

2018 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 8-11): Vanessa Shippy – Oklahoma State – Senior – Infield – Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Week 2 (Feb. 12-18): Kylee Hanson – Florida State – RS Senior – Pitcher – Jupiter, Fla.
Co-Week 3 (Feb. 19-25): Kelly Barnhill – Florida – Junior – Pitcher – Marietta, Ga.
Co-Week 3 (Feb. 19-25): Rachel Garcia – UCLA – RS Sophomore – Pitcher – Palmdale, Calif.
Week 4 (Feb. 26-March 4): Jessica Hartwell – Texas Tech – Junior – Infield – Galt, Calif.
Week 5 (March 5-11): Alexis Osorio – Alabama – Senior – Pitcher – Riverside, Calif.
Week 6 (March 12-18): Madison Aurin – San José State – Junior – Pitcher/IF – Bakersfield, Calif.
Week 7 (March 19-25): Giselle “G” Juarez – Arizona State – Sophomore – Pitcher – Glendale, Ariz.

About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 69 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.

As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit,www.USASoftball.com<http://www.usasoftball.com/>.

About the NCAA Women’s College World Series
USA Softball Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 28th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and compete for a national championship. Last year, over 70,000 fans attended the WCWS. Be there to Share The Experience with softball fans from across the country May 31-June 5/6 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2018 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here<http://www.ncaa.com/tickets/softball/d1> to purchase your tickets and secure your championship experience!


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Codi Warren I Managing Director of Communications
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