Ball State University Athletics
Softball Sweeps MAC Weekly Awards For Third Time
March 27, 2012 | Softball
MUNCIE, Ind. - - For the second straight week, and third time this season, the Ball State softball team swept the Mid-American Conference West Division weekly honors with senior catcher/designated player Amanda Montalto (Las Vegas, Nev./Palo Verde) picking up player of the week and senior pitcher Kim Mazzapica (Palm Harbor, Fla./East Lake) earning pitcher of the week.
"Amanda and Kim turned in solid performances in perhaps our toughest weekend of the season to date," said Ball State head coach Craig Nicholson. "Amanda continues to show why she is considered one of the top sluggers in the league, belting out a pair of doubles to move into the top 20 nationally in double-per-game average. Kim turned in four good appearances in the circle and is looking strong entering league play this weekend."
Thanks in part to the efforts of Montalto and Mazzapica, the Cardinals posted a 3-2 record at the Mustang Classic hosted by Cal Poly last weekend. It was BSU's final tune-up before opening league play Friday with a doubleheader at defending MAC regular season and tournament champion Western Michigan.
The Cardinals enter conference action with a league-best 19-9 (.679) overall record, while the Broncos are second in the MAC West at 11-9 (.550).
Montalto, who earns MAC West Division Player of the Week for the second time this season and the fifth time in her career, paced the Cardinals with a .467 (7-for-15) batting average at last weekend's Mustang Classic. Over the five games, Montalto collected a pair of doubles to help improve her doubles-per-game average to 0.357 which ranks 17th nationally. She also drew a pair of walks and was hit by a pitch to lead the Cardinals with a .556 on-base percentage.
In Friday's 3-2 win over Cal Poly, Montalto drove in the game-winning run with an RBI single in the fourth inning. In Saturday's 9-4 win over the host Mustangs, Montalto helped account for four of BSU's nine runs, including driving in what turned out to be the game-winning run with an RBI double.
Mazzapica, who earns MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week for the first time this season and the second time in her career, turned in a 1-1 record at the Mustang Classic while posting an 1.50 ERA and limiting opposing hitters to a .222 batting average over four appearances.
She opened the tournament by picking up the win over host Cal Poly Friday night, pitching 6.2 innings and holding the Mustangs to just six hits and two runs. In a pair of relief appearances versus UNLV and Cal Poly, Mazzapica pitched 5.0 innings without surrendering a run and holding opponents to just two hits. In the tournament finale versus Lipscomb, Mazzapica limited the Lady Bison to six hits and two earned runs.
Overall, the Cardinals have won all six MAC West Division Player of the Week awards since opening play the second week of the season. Montalto is the first two-time winner, picking up the honors March 13 and March 27, and is joined by sophomore first baseman Taylor Rager (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) Feb. 21, sophomore third baseman Audrey Bickel (Munster, Ind./Andrean) Feb. 29, freshman outfielder/designated player Hanne Stuedemann (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) March 11 and junior outfielder Amanda Carpenter (Santee, Calif./Santana) March 20.
BSU has also claimed three of the six MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week honors since opening the season, with Mazzapica being joined on the list by senior Audrey Workman (Wickenburg, Ariz./Wickenburg) who has earned the honor twice (Feb. 21 & March 20).
