Fresno, Calif. – According to a press release, the Western Athletic Conference awarded its 2009 All-WAC honors as selected by the league’s head coaches. UH’s Stephanie Ricketts earned Freshman of the Year honors. Tanisha Milca and Amanda Tauali‘i were selected
Fresno, Calif. – According to a press release, the Western Athletic Conference awarded its 2009 All-WAC honors as selected by the league’s head coaches. UH’s Stephanie Ricketts earned Freshman of the Year honors. Tanisha Milca and Amanda Tauali‘i were selected first team All-WAC and Makani Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu, Kanani Pu‘u-Warren, Stephanie Ricketts, and Clare Warwick earned second team honors.
Ricketts, a righthanded pitcher from San Jose, Calif. (Archbishop Mitty HS), led the conference in wins (13) and innings pitched (118.1) in WAC play. She also tossed a pair of no-hitters against Louisiana Tech and Boise State while starting 15 games with 69 strikeouts. She is the fourth Rainbow Wahine to earn Freshman of the Year honors. Former UH standouts Stacey Porter and Kaulana Gould and current starter, Katie Grimes preceeded Ricketts for the prestigious honor.
It was Milca’s fourth All-WAC honor in as many seasons, but first as a first-teamer. Milca, a senior rightfielder from Kailua, O‘ahu (Kailua HS) hit .312 in conference action, tallying team-highs in hits (24), doubles (6) and RBIs (14).
Tauali‘i, a junior first-baseman from Torrance, Calif., was voted to the All-WAC first team after hitting .297 in WAC action. She led UH with six home runs, two triples, and a .662 slugging percentage. She was second on the squad in hits (22), runs (12), and doubles (12).
Freshman designated player, Duhaylonsod-Kaleimamahu, hit .309 (21-for-68) in conference games with seven runs scored, one double and five home runs. The Mililani, O‘ahu (Mililani HS) native drove in 12 runs and had a slugging percentage of .544.
Junior centerfielder, Pu‘u-Warren, who hails from West Covina, Calif., had a strong conference season, leading UH with a .340 average (14-for-24). She put up solid numbers across the board, scoring 14 runs with three doubles, four home runs and a .640 slugging percentage.
Warwick, a senior from Canberra, Australia, collected her third all-WAC honor. During her career she was named to the first team in 2007 and has been selected to the second team the last two seasons. Warwick, who was one of just two players to start all 51 games, hit .258 with 10 runs scored, a double, two home runs, and nine RBIs. Her defensive play at the “hot corner” also contributed to her selection.
Hawai‘i and regular season co-champion, Nevada, led the way with six total players on the all-WAC teams, while Louisiana Tech had five and Fresno State and New Mexico State had four apiece.
