PacWest Release #13 (Player of the Week)
PacWest Release #13 (Weekly Fantastic 15)

Phoenix, AZ -- After a day at the plate that will forever be remembered in Academy of Art University Softball history, sophomore Taylor Thurman has been awarded Hawaii Tourism Authority Pacific West Conference Player of the Week. In addition to Thurman's honor, junior Elyse Cordova and senior Kimberly Dauer each were selected to the PacWest Weekly Fantastic 15 for their solid production during a 2-2 week for ART U. The honors were announced by the PacWest Media Office in Phoenix, AZ on Tuesday, Apr. 30 for games contested Apr. 22-28.

Thurman delivered an exhibition on offense in the Knights' Apr. 22 doubleheader against BYU-Hawaii, going 6-for-6 on the day with seven RBIs, a home run, three doubles, and three runs scored. She got rolling with a two-run double in the first inning of game one, giving her team a lead they would not relinquish. The sophomore then doubled in the third inning and came around to score then walked in the fifth inning before closing out her 3-for-3 performance with a RBI single as part of a three-run ART U sixth.

Game two featured more hot hitting from Thurman who opened with a RBI single to score Academy of Art's first run in the bottom of the first inning. Although she flied out to left in the third, it came with a runner on third resulting in a sacrifice fly for Thurman. The biggest shot of the day, however, was in the fifth when the Lake Forrest, CA native blasted a two-run homer over the left field fence for her first home run of the year. Despite the big fly, Thurman still wasn't done. She doubled for the seventh time this season in the sixth, driving in another run to help give her team an 8-5 cushion of victory. Thurman was 3-for-3 with four RBIs in total that contest.

“I was just focused and really relaxed [at the plate],” Thurman said. “It feels good [to get these wins] and I couldn't have done it without my team.”

Versus Notre Dame de Namur in a pair on Senior Day, Thurman turned in back-to-back 2-for-3 performances to give her four multi-hit games during the week. She ends the 2013 season on a five-game hitting streak.

For the week, Thurman hit a stunning .833 (10-for-12) in a four starts with three runs scored, seven runs batted in, three doubles, and a home run. Thurman's slugging and on-base percentages were off the proverbial charts as she posted a 1.333 slugging rate while producing a .786 on-base average in her four games. She finishes the season batting .316 with seven doubles and 24 RBIs.

Cordova was not all that far off Thurman on Apr. 22 against BYU-Hawaii as the Tulare, CA native offered up five hits in the doubleheader. She started by scoring one of the Knights' two runs in the first inning of game one then, in the sixth, Cordova launched a two-run double to left and later scored her 100th career run as Academy of Art went on to win 6-2. She would finish off the contest having gone 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. After singling in her first at-bat of game two, the junior proceeded to steal her eighth and ninth bases of the season before coming in on Thurman's RBI single. 

In her two starts against the Seasiders, Cordova hit .625 (5-for-8) with five runs scored, two doubles, two RBIs, three stolen bases. She had an .875 slugging rate and a .625 on-base mark. Cordova finishes the season with a .342 batting average which ranks 22nd in the PacWest Conference and is among the Top 20 in runs scored (32), hits (54), and doubles (10).

Starting the week on an untouchable note, Dauer threw five innings of no-hit softball against BYU-Hawaii. The Los Osos, CA native began with a pair of strikeouts in the first inning then fanned the first two batters of the frame and continued to roll through the fifth when she struck out the side. During that amazing stretch, the senior struck out seven of 11 batters faced and retired 11 of 12. Dauer maintained her bid for the first no-hitter in program history through the fifth, but that was broken up with a single in the sixth. Despite taking a loss in her final start against Notre Dame de Namur on Apr. 27, Dauer still completed 7.0 innings to give her 43 complete games in her Academy of Art career.