Feb. 12, 2008
LAS VEGAS - UNLV sophomore shortstop Jaci Hull and sophomore righthander Stephanie Bregante have been named Mountain West Conference Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Hull, from Scottsdale, Ariz., helped UNLV to a 3-1-1 start, including wins over #11/#14 Washington and #3/#2 Arizona State. In five starts, she hit .429 and registered six hits, four of which cleared the fences at Eller Media Stadium in the Sportco Spring Kick-Off Classic. She plated 11 RBI and scored six runs as well. In the season opener vs. Texas Tech, she broke open a scoreless tie in the fifth inning when she reached base via a walk and came around to score the first run in the 2-0 victory. Against Loyola, she helped spur a Rebel come back by smashing two home runs, a grand slam and a two-run shot for six RBI and three runs. She continued her hitting streak vs. #11/14 Washington when she capped off a six-run second inning with her second grand slam of the weekend. Against #2/3 Arizona State, she advanced the Rebels' first run of the game to third on a single in the first inning.
Bregante, a Danville, Calif., native, pitched UNLV to a 3-1-1 record in the opening weekend of the 2008 season. She appeared in all five contests with three starts and two relief stints. Bregante opened the season with a two-hit, complete-game shutout of Texas Tech. Against Loyola, she entered the game in the seventh and struck out the side to allow her offense the opportunity to tie the game at 11-11 and send it to extra innings. She picked up her second win of the weekend on Saturday in a complete-game outing against #11/14 Washington. She delivered her second win over a ranked squad on Sunday when she tossed a three-hit, complete game vs. #3/2 Arizona State. She allowed only three hits in the game and one runner to advance past second base in the 2-1 win. In all, she tossed 23.1 innings and held an ERA of 1.93. She registered nearly a 3:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (14-to-5).
Overall, this is Hull's fourth career MWC Player of the Week honor, as she was singled out three times in 2007. For Bregante it is her second career MWC Pitcher of the Week selection. She took home the honor once in 2007.
