PacWest Release
Phoenix, AZ -- In Academy of Art University softball's four-game series sweep of Dominican this past weekend, senior infielder
Genna Allen wielded the league's hottest bat en route to the first Pacific West Conference Player of the Week of her career. As one of the conference's top home run hitters, Allen not only blasted three long balls, but also incredibly hit over .700 during the week. In addition, the ART U outfield was also recognized as sophomore
Elyse Cordova and senior
Ashley Lokey both collected PacWest Weekly Top 10 Honor Roll selections. The honors were announced by the PacWest Media Office in Phoenix, AZ on Tuesday, Apr. 17 for games played Apr. 9-15.
The Thousand Oaks, CA native began the weekend series in style by blasting the first grand slam of her career in her opening at-bat before going 3-for-4 in a 13-1 mercy rule victory. Allen then doubled twice in game two, drove in one, and stole her eighth base of the year. Back home at Mission Blue Field for a doubleheader on Sunday, she went deep once in each game, tied the program record for hits with a 4-for-4 series finale while notching three runs batted in, and now has a five-game hit streak running.
Allen completed the dominant week by hitting a most impressive .714 (10-for-14) in four starts while adding six runs scored, three doubles, three homers, nine RBIs, and two stolen bases. The senior slugged 1.333 for the week along with a .714 on-base mark.
In addition to offering the second-most home runs in the conference (10), Allen now ranks 3rd in the PacWest in RBIs (40), 4th in total bases (88), and among the Top 10 in slugging percentage (.657) for the season.
Cordova was hitting well above .400 for the season heading into last week and she proceeded to raise it even further. Beginning by going 1-for-3 with a pair of runs scored in the Knights' impressive opener (Apr. 14), the sophomore nearly hit for the cycle in game two. She knocked her second triple of the year, hit her fourth double, and added a single to round out her perfect 3-for-3 performance. Cordova would sccore twice more in the 10-2 final, drove in one, and stole a base as well. The speedy outfielder came back the very next day with another 3-for-3 outing (her 10th multi-hit game of the year) where she drove in another, swiped her 16th base of 2012, and was plated twice yet again. In the series finale, Cordova would go 1-for-4 to extend her current hitting streak to five games.
Currently the owner of the PacWest's second-highest batting average, Cordova went a scorching 8-for-13 (.615) through her four starts with six runs, a double, a triple, two RBIs, and two stolen bases. She also posted an .846 slugging rate and a .643 on-base mark.
Lokey has flirted with a .400 batting average all season long and she used three consecutive multi-hit games to stay on track for a senior year above that mark. The outfielder's week began with a 3-for-4 game one in which Lokey triple for the fifth time this season (3rd in PacWest), drove in two, and scored three times in a lopsided 13-1 ART U victory (Apr. 14). That contest was followed by a 2-for-3 game two that included a double, two more RBIs, and a run scored. Her team-best 16th multi-hit game came in the first matchup on Apr. 15 where the Eugene, OR native went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs, two runs scored, and a steal of home plate.
Lokey stayed hot at the top of the ART U lineup, batting .500 (7-for-14) in four starts with six runs, two doubles, a triple, six RBIs, three walks, and a stolen base. She slugged .786 and added a .588 on-base percentage for the week.
This is the first Player of the Week honor for Allen in her career and the third time an Urban Knight has taken a top weekly award in 2012. Cordova collects her fourth PacWest Weekly Top 10 selection of the season and the eighth in her career while Lokey takes home her second weekly honor this year and the eighth in her career as well.
