COLORADO SPRINGS -- BYU senior outfielder Monica Gonzales and sophomore righthander Paige Affleck have been named Mountain West Conference Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Gonzales, a native of Westlake Village, Calif., led the Cougars to a 3-1 finish at the Capitol Classic in Sacramento, Calif. She finished the tournament batting .700 with three RBI, three runs scored and two stolen bases.
“Monica has been playing well lately,” BYU head coach Gordon Eakin said. “It is a well-deserved award.”
The left-handed slapper, who usually swings to reach base, also hit an RBI double against Sacramento State to open play for the Cougars. Gonzales went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles in BYU's 4-0 victory over then-No. 10/7 California. She scored a run in the fifth inning to give her squad a 3-0 lead. In the five-inning, 8-0 win over Dartmouth, the senior batted 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI. While going 7-for-10 over four games, she raised her batting average from .282 to .330. Gonzales also has yielded a perfect fielding percentage in centerfield this season.
Affleck, who hails from New Harmony, Utah, threw a complete-game shutout over No. 10/7 California at the Capital Classic. The righthander allowed only five hits against the Golden Bears, striking out seven batters while walking only three.
“Paige’s performance was a result of really hard work,” BYU associate head coach and pitching coach Vaughn Alvey said. “It is nice to see her put together a complete game, using all of her pitchers for a favorable outcome against a tough opponent.”
The win over Cal marked Affleck's second victory this season against a top-25 opponent. In three total appearances at the tournament, she threw a combined 13.2 innings without giving up a run, and allowed eight hits with 17 strikeouts. The three scoreless appearances helped Affleck reduce her ERA from 1.76 to 1.56, all in games played on a 33-game road trip that opened the 2009 season.