Oklahoma City, OK - - Rachel Garcia earns second USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week honor of 2018 season
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Rachel Garcia earns second USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week honor of 2018 season
OKLAHOMA CITY — After helping the fourth-ranked UCLA Bruins to a series sweep over Arizona, redshirt sophomore pitcher Rachel Garcia (Palmdale, Calif.) has been named the Week 10 USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week, USA Softball announced today. This marks the second time this season that Garcia has been named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week, having earned the honor in Week 3 of this season.
"I am once again honored to receive this award from USA Softball," said Garcia. "My success comes directly from my teammates and coaches and I want to share this award with them. Without them, I cannot do what I do. We had a mission this weekend where everyone contributed and the rivalry between UCLA and Arizona is one of the best in college softball, so I give a lot of respect to the Wildcats."
Garcia got it done both in the batter’s box and in the circle for the Bruins last week, earning both Pitcher and Player of the Week honors for the Pac-12 Conference. In the opening game of the series, Garcia went 2-for-2 with two walks and three RBI while posting her first-ever, two home run game. In the circle, she also tossed four innings of relief while striking out five batters and allowing just two runs. In the second game of the conference matchup, Garcia helped the Bruins lock up the series win after striking out six batters in three innings of shutout relief. At the plate, she had three hits which included an RBI single. For the series finale, Garcia continued her hot streak with nine strikeouts in four and a third frames in the circle. At the plate, she also hit a three-run home run before being walked in her final three at-bats.
"Rachel thrives on being in big moments," said UCLA Head Coach, Kelly Inouye-Perez. "She showed her mental toughness competing after being off for a while. She brings great confidence to our entire team."
On the week, Garcia hit .857 (6-for-7) with three home runs and seven RBI. In the circle, she went 2-0 in the circle with 20 strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA in 11 and one-third innings.
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 Jose State – Junior – Pitcher/IF – Bakersfield, Calif.
Week 7 (March 19-25): Giselle “G†Juarez – Arizona State – Sophomore – Pitcher – Glendale, Ariz.
Week 8 (March 26-April 1): Paige Parker – Oklahoma – Senior – Pitcher – Independence, Mo.
Week 9 (April 2-8): Sydney Sherrill – Florida State – Freshman – Infield – Moore, Okla.
Week 10 (April 9-15): Rachel Garcia – UCLA – RS Sophomore – Pitcher – Palmdale, Calif.
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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