Wednesday, March 8, 2017
by Western Washington Athletic Communications

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University softball freshman starting pitcher Anna Kasner has been named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II National Pitcher of the Week for the second time during her stellar start to the season.

Kasner went 2-0 in the circle over the weekend as WWU split a four-game series against visiting Montana State Billings at Viking Field. Over 12 innings pitched, she struck out 23 batters and allowed only four hits in a pair of complete-game shutout efforts while limiting the Yellowjackets to an .098 batting average (4-for-41). Kasner was named the GNAC Softball Pitcher of the Week for the second time during the season on Monday.

In her first start on Saturday, she recorded 11 strikeouts and allowed just one hit as WWU topped the ‘Jackets, 9-0, in 5 innings. She gave up a single to the second batter of the game before fanning eight batters in a row, with one reaching base via a dropped third strike. The only other baserunner to reach against Kasner in the outing came via a hit by pitch in the fifth inning. She struck out eight of the nine batters in the MSU Billings lineup over the five innings.

Starting for the second consecutive game in the series during Sunday’s first game, Kasner totaled 12 strikeouts, one shy of tying her career high, in a 5-0 win. The first seven outs of the game she recorded were strikeouts. She allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks in the shutout victory, once again striking out eight of the nine MSU Billings batters in the starting lineup

Kasner was previously honored as the NFCA/Louisville Slugger National Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 8 following the first week of the season for WWU. In three appearances during the Vikings 5-1 trip to Hawai'i, Kasner went 2-0 with a 0.78 ERA (2 ER, 18.0 IP) while racking up 32 strikeouts against one walk. She allowed only seven hits, limiting opposing hitters to a .115 batting average (7-for-61), also earning GNAC Softball Pitcher of the Week honors for her performance.

During the trip to Hawai’i, she recorded 13 strikeouts in each of her starts. The 13 strikeouts are the most by a GNAC pitcher since 2012 (14, Jessyka MacDonald, Montana State Billings) and tied for the 6th-most strikeouts in a single game in WWU program history during her complete game in the opener. Her strikeout total vs. Chaminade is also tied for 4th in WWU program history for a 7-inning regulation game (without extra innings).

Kasner joined teammate Emily Benson as the only Vikings to earn the NFCA weekly award since joining the NCAA level in 1999 when she was honored for the first time during the 2017 the season. Benson earned the award March 21-27 last season after hitting .609 (14-for-23) with 5 home runs, 16 RBI and 11 runs scored during a seven-game stretch.

For the season, Kasner (4-2) has recorded a double-digit strikeout total in four of seven starts. She leads the GNAC with 62 strikeouts (11.94 per game) over 36.1 innings pitched. Her strikeouts-per-game average ranks 5th nationally and she ranks 25th nationally in total strikeouts. Kasner also leads the conference in opposing batting average (.173).