IRVINE, Calif. — Getting better and better as her first year of collegiate softball enters its final stretch, Brenna Mitchell added another accolade to her freshman year resume on Monday after being announced Pacific West Conference Pitcher of the Week. The Fairfield native threw 18.2 scoreless innings across four appearances in four games, highlighted by a season-high 14 strikeouts against Holy Names this past Saturday.

Mitchell opened the week with the second shutout of her career against San Francisco State on Apr. 6, allowing just five hits while walking none and striking out one in a 2-0 victory. She one-hit SFSU through her first three innings. Then, game two against the Gators saw her throw 2.1 scoreless relief innings as she picked up another win after the Urban Knights won it on a Samantha Klune double in the sixth.

In the Urban Knights' return to PacWest Conference play and to start a 10-game homestand on Apr. 11, Mitchell was unstoppable against Holy Names. The only Hawk to reach second base was the game's leadoff hitter as Mitchell two-hit HNU in her third career shutout, sitting down 14 batters on strikes. This was the most strikeouts ever by a freshman and the second-most in program history as Mitchell struck out a pair in all but one of her 7.0 innings of work while walking just one. Like SF State, she returned to toss 2.1 no-hit innings in the second contest, adding two more strikeouts to her day's impressive total.

Mitchell now ranks second in the PacWest in innings pitched (169.0) and strikeouts (113). She is now tied for fourth in the country in wins among freshmen and is both three wins and three complete games away from tying the single-season program record. She puts her 18.1 scoreless innings streak on the line tomorrow in a 10:00 a.m. doubleheader hosting BYU-Hawaii at Mission Blue Field.