KONG DOMINANT, VIKINGS SWEEP: Much of WWU’s success last week came at the hands of freshman right-hander Kaiana Kong, who earned wins in four of the team’s five games in the circle. Kong allowed just two earned runs in 17 1/3 innings pitched for a 0.81 ERA, while striking out seven batters and walking three. That was enough for the Vikings to out-slug all of their competition last week, as WWU posted a run differential of plus-13 in its five wins.

Offensively newcomer Emma Andrewjeski starred with a GNAC-leading three home runs and eight RBIs to earn GNAC Player of the Week honors. The junior BYU transfer is the conference’s early leader in both categories with four long balls and 12 RBIs to start the season. Western Washington returns to action with its 2024 home debut, hosting University of British Columbia in a doubleheader on Saturday (11 a.m. PT).

SAINTS JUST AS IMPRESSIVE: Saint Martin’s (8-2) matched WWU’s feat of winning all five games at the North Bay Challenge, and the Saints did so while allowing just nine total runs. Chloe Leverington – the conference’s all-time saves leader – had a hand in all five of the victories with three wins and two saves to earn GNAC Pitcher of the Week honors. Freshman Ashley Goodale has gotten her collegiate career off to a good start, leading SMU with a .423 batting average and going a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts. The Saints are off this week, and return to action with non-conference doubleheaders against Western Washington (Feb. 23) and Western Oregon (Feb. 25) at home.

Read More: Leverington Leads Saints To 5-0 Weekend (SMU Recap)

NIGHTHAWKS SPLIT AGAINST NO. 14 CONCORDIA: No. 24 NNU completed just two of its eight scheduled games last week due to torrential rain in Southern California. The Nighthawks (4-1) rode an 11-inning complete-game masterpiece by Sidney Booth to a 6-1 triumph, before falling 3-2 for their first loss of the season. Booth was three outs away from her third-career no-hitter, and finished the game allowing just one run on one hit with nine strikeouts and zero walks. Booth improved to 4-0 on the season, and moved into a tie for fourth in GNAC history with the 59th victory of her career. NNU next takes the field on Feb. 23-24 with a four-game, non-conference series against Central Washington in Ellensburg.

Read More: Softball Up One Spot To No. 24 in NFCA Poll (NNU Release)

‘CATS, RED LEAFS LOOK TO BUILD OFF WINS: Simon Fraser (2-4) and Central Washington (1-7) both return to the field this week and will look to carry the memory of their most recent games with them. SFU closed its trip to Los Lunas, N.M., with a 9-1 trouncing of Western New Mexico on Feb. 4. The Wildcats meanwhile salvaged their first victory of the season with a come-from-behind, 6-4 triumph over Our Lady Of The Lake on Feb. 7. The Red Leafs begin a six-game tour of California on Friday with a doubleheader against Academy of Art (noon PT), before taking on Dominican on Saturday (noon PT) and Stanislaus State next Tuesday (3 p.m. PT). Central Washington meanwhile will break in Frederick Field with a four-game set against Eastern Oregon kicking off on Saturday at noon PT.

Read More: Wildcats Set For Home Opener (CWU Preview)

PLAYER TO WATCH

Kanilehua Pitoy – Western Washington

Pitoy delivered a dramatic, walk-off home run last week, capping a five-run seventh inning in WWU’s 6-5 win over Cal State Monterey Bay. Perhaps the single most important swing of the team’s undefeated season thus far capped a 4-for-4 ballgame for the junior. Pitoy is off to a .333 start to her 2024 campaign, has scored six runs and has struck out just twice in 35 plate appearances. Defensively at second base, Pitoy has committed just one error in 44 chances for a .977 fielding percentage.

PITCHER TO WATCH

Mackenzee Collins – Western Oregon

The UTEP transfer has come as advertised in her debut season with the Wolves, slotting right into the ace role with her new team. Thus far in 20 innings pitched, the right-hander holds a 1.75 ERA with 15 strikeouts, a victory and a save. Collins’ signature performance of the season to this point was a five-hit shutout in WOU’s 4-0 win over Biola on Feb. 3. She figures to be a key arm on WOU’s Hawaii tour this weekend, as the Wolves have doubleheaders slated against Chaminade on Friday (noon HT), Hawaii Hilo on Saturday (noon HT) and Hawaii Pacific on Sunday (noon HT).

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.

Western Washington achieved its first top-25 ranking since the 2011 season, cracking into the latest NFCA poll at No. 18. Northwest Nazarene remained in the rankings for the second straight week, moving up one spot to No. 24.

Feb. 12 GNAC Softball Players of the Week

Player of the Week – Emma Andrewjeski, Western Washington

First-career player of the week.

The Viking newcomer was an offensive cog in the team’s 5-0 week in California, leading all GNAC players last week in home runs (3) and RBIs (8) while slugging .762, scoring four runs and hitting .333. Andrewjeski started her week with three RBIs in a 7-3 win over Dominican, and capped it off with a four-RBI performance in a 6-1 win over Cal State Monterey Bay. The catcher had at least one hit in all five of WWU’s games last week, bookended with 3-run home runs.

Also Nominated: Laney Kaysner, CWU; Clarissa Moreno, NNU; Olivia Matlock, SMU; Victoria Zimmerman, WOU.

Pitcher of the Week – Chloe Leverington, Saint Martin’s

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

Contributing in all five of Saint Martin’s wins last week, Leverington notched three victories and a pair of saves in SMU’s California road trip. The right-hander had a season-high seven strikeouts across 3 1/3 innings in the team’s 5-1 win over Sonoma State. On the week Leverington led all GNAC pitchers in earned run average (0.58) and strikeouts (15), while pitching 12 innings, holding the opposition to a .167 batting average and posting a WHIP of 0.83.

Also Nominated: Olivia Ross, CWU; Sidney Booth, NNU; Kaiana Kong, 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.