Arizona Freshman Mauga is USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week for Week 9
Â
OKLAHOMA CITY — A .625 batting average, .750 on-base percentage and astonishing 2.125 slugging mark propelled Arizona Freshman outfielder Katiyana Mauga (San Diego, Calif.) to this week’s USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week as the Wildcats swept conference foe Stanford three games to none. Four of Mauga’s five hits cleared the fence including a walk-off, two run homer in the eighth inning of the series finale.  The three-game sweep helped the Wildcats improved to 32-8 on the season, 7-5 in Pac-12 Conference play and climb one spot to No. 9 in this week’s ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll.
Â
“I want to thank USA Softball for the recognition, I am incredibly honored,†said Mauga. “I am proud of the way my team competed this weekend against Stanford and I am happy I was able to help us pick up the sweep in front of our amazing home crowd.â€
Â
Mauga opened the weekend with a perfect 2-for-2 night at the plate with two homers, six RBI, three runs scored and three walks as Arizona won a slugfest 18-12. The outfielder was also a perfect 2-for-2 in game two of the series with a home run, two runs scored, three RBI and a walk to help the Wildcats take down Stanford 12-3.
Â
Mauga closed out the series with a dagger as her walk-off, two-run homer in the eighth inning gave Arizona the series sweep.
Â
“I am very excited for Katiyana to receive recognition as National Player of the Week,†said Arizona Head Coach Mike Candrea. “Kati has made an immediate impact as a freshman and her honor is well deserved. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of a great career at The University of Arizona.â€
Â
Katiyana is now hitting .369 on the year with 13 home runs and 40 RBI. This is the first USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honor for Mauga and the first for an Arizona Wildcat since Kenzie Fowler earned the award in Week Eight of the 2011 season.
Â
2014 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 6-9): Kylee Lahners - Washington - Junior - Infielder– Laguna Hills, Calif.
Week 2 (Feb. 10 -16): Aimee Creger - Tulsa - Senior - Pitcher– Yukon, Okla.
Week 3 (Feb. 17-23): Ally Carda – UCLA – Junior – Pitcher – Elk Grove, Calif.
Week 4 (Feb. 24 – March 2): Cheridan Hawkins – Oregon – Sophomore – Anderson, Calif.
Week 5 (March 3-9): Dallas Escobedo - Arizona State - Senior - Pitcher– Glendale, Ariz.
Week 6 (March 10-16): Alex Hugo – Georgia – Sophomore – Infielder – Olathe, Kan.
Week 7 (March 17-23): Jaclyn Traina – Alabama – Senior – Pitcher – Naples, Fla.
Week 8 (March 24 – 30): Ellen Renfroe – Tennessee – Senior – Pitcher – Jackson, Tenn.
Week 9 (March 31 – April 6): Katiyana Mauga – Arizona – Freshman – Outfielder – San Diego, Calif.
Â
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA SoftballÂ
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed six World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com. Â
Â
About the NCAA Women’s College World SeriesÂ
The ASA Hall of Fame Stadium serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 24th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and complete for a National Championship title. Last year, over 70,000 fans attended the WCWS. Experience It Live May 29 to June 4 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2014 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and make a date with champions!
Â
Â
----------------------------------------------------------------------------Â
Steven Embree | ASA/USA Softball
Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
2801 NE 50th |Â Oklahoma City, OK 73111
Work:Â 405-425-3422 | Cell: 405-207-1004
E-mail: sembree@softball.org | Web: www.USASoftball.com
Â
