VIKINGS VS. NIGHTHAWKS LIVES UP TO THE HYPE: A series that featured the conference’s two nationally-ranked teams lived up to the hype last week, as No. 14 WWU and No. 16 NNU split a four-game series in Bellingham in their first meeting of the 2024 season. Elite pitching was on display all weekend, as the conference’s top two offensive teams combined to score just 11 total runs in the four-game set. Three of the four games were decided by a single run. The teams will not meet again until a potential playoff matchup at the 2024 GNAC Softball Championships, if both teams finish in the top-four in the GNAC regular-season standings.

NNU’s Gina Skinner was named the GNAC Pitcher of the Week, after twice shutting out the Vikings to help the Nighthawks win 1-0 and 2-0 to split the series. Skinner, who also pitched in last Monday’s 6-1 win over Simon Fraser, allowed zero earned runs across her 21 innings of work last week. She now ranks 13th in Division II with a WHIP of 0.76 and 16th in Division II with an ERA of 0.79.

While Skinner’s stat line was a notch above the rest, the other four pitchers who threw in the series all posted exceptional performances. NNU’s Sidney Booth struck out 15 batters in 13 1/3 innings of work, but the Viking offense did enough to defeat the ace 2-1 and 3-2 in her two outings. WWU’s Joie Baker earned her team’s two wins with 13 total strikeouts in 12 innings of work, while Kaiana Kong allowed zero baserunners in five perfect innings of relief. Kong enters the week ranked 20th nationally with a 0.89 ERA in her freshman season. Like Booth, WWU’s Alli Kimball took a pair of tough losses despite a stellar performance, as she struck out 10 while allowing three runs in 12 innings of work.

WWU’s Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez had the two biggest individual swings of the weekend, delivering a walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning on Friday, before a game-winning home run in the bottom of the fourth inning on Saturday to help WWU solidify a pair of wins.

BEHIND BENTHAGEN, ‘CATS SWEEP ‘JACKETS: Central Washington senior Alyssa Benthagen propelled the Wildcats (9-16, 5-3) to fourth place in the GNAC standings with a four-game sweep of Montana State Billings last week, garnering her second-career GNAC Player of the Week award. The Wildcat offense put up 32 total runs in the four-game set, extending their winning streak to six games entering the Tournament of Champions.

MSUB’s Teagan Seeton, last week’s NFCA National Player of the Week, hit two more home runs as she upped her GNAC-leading totals to 11 long balls and 24 RBIs on the season. Seeton’s home run total ranks seventh nationally, and she also leads the conference in slugging (.819), runs, (26), total bases (68) and total hits (31).

SAINTS SWEEP THEIR WAY INTO FIRST PLACE: Saint Martin’s (16-8, 7-1) also completed a four-game sweep last week, moving to the top of the GNAC standings with four wins over Simon Fraser. SMU pitching allowed just nine runs in the four-game series, while the offense came through with 29 runs in the all-around strong team performance. Chloe Leverington picked up two more saves, moving up to No. 1 nationally with six on the season. The right-hander also leads the GNAC with 79 strikeouts, while holding a 1.70 ERA and an opponents’ batting average of .223.

SFU’s Megan Duclos notched a pair of stolen bases in the series against the Saints, upping her GNAC-leading season total to 17. Duclos also moved into a tie for third in GNAC history with 75 steals across her collegiate career.

ZIMMERMAN, COLLINS STAR FOR WOLVES: Featuring a pair of the conference’s top players, Western Oregon (13-10, 3-1) has been led this season offensively by Victoria Zimmerman and in the circle by newcomer Mackenzee Collins. Zimmerman leads the conference in hitting (.433) and on-base percentage (.519), and has reached base in all but three of the Wolves’ 23 games this season. Zimmerman went 4-for-4 in last week’s 5-0 win over Corban, and snapped a reached-base streak that extended to 15 games in the team’s 4-0 loss to Division I Portland State last Saturday. In her first season with the Wolves, Collins ranks fifth in the GNAC in both ERA (1.56) and opposing batting average (.201), while ranking second in strikeouts with 70 across 72 innings pitched.

The National Fastpitch Coaches Association releases its national rankings every at noon (ET) on every Tuesday throughout the season, beginning on Feb. 13. The 2024 preseason coaches poll was released on Jan. 23.

After splitting their epic series in Bellingham, Western Washington and Northwest Nazarene each inched up the national poll with the Vikings at No. 14 and the Nighthawks at No. 16. It is the highest ranking of the year for both schools, and it marks the sixth consecutive week that two GNAC teams have been featured in the top-25.

March 18 GNAC Softball Players of the Week

Player of the Week – Alyssa Benthagen, Central Washington

Second-career player of the week, first this season.

Benthagen led the Wildcats to a four-game sweep of Montana State Billings on their home turf. The senior catcher led all GNAC players in batting average (.667), slugging percentage (.933), on-base percentage (.762), and hits (10), while driving in six runs, scoring seven and hitting her first home run of the year. In addition to her GNAC-leading 10 hits, Benthagen drew four walks and did not strike out in 15 plate appearances in the series. Defensively, she made 18 plays behind the plate including catching two of the four runners who attempted to steal on her.

Also Nominated: Teagan Seeton, MSUB; Emma Mulligan, NNU; Ashley Goodale, SMU; Natalie Willoughby, WOU; Emma Andrewjeski-Ramirez, WWU.

Pitcher of the Week – Gina Skinner, Northwest Nazarene

First-career pitcher of the week.

Skinner kicked off her big week by allowing one unearned run in the Nighthawks’ 6-1 victory over Simon Fraser, which clinched a four-game series sweep of the Red Leafs. Facing the 15th-ranked Vikings on Friday, Skinner delivered a three-hit shutout which her team desperately needed in the 1-0 triumph. She capped her big week with a five-hit shutout of the Vikings on Saturday, again helping the Nighthawks claim a narrow, 2-0 win. Skinner struck out seven batters while walking just two in her 21 innings of work, and gave up 12 total hits for a WHIP of 0.67 on the week.

Also Nominated: Ashlee Laver, CWU; Chloe Leverington, SMU; Alivia Holden, WOU; Joie Baker, WWU.

The 2024 GNAC Softball Championships will be played May 2-4 at Viking Field on the campus of Western Washington University in Bellingham, Wash. The four-team double-elimination tournament will determine the recipient of the conference's automatic berth in the NCAA Championships. The top-four teams in the final GNAC regular-season standings earn berths into the conference tournament.