March 24, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

IRVING, Texas - Juniors Christa Raley of Houston and Kelly Nielson of Marshall share this week's Conference USA Hitter of the Week award after both hitting .500 and registering grand slams in series wins last week. Raley hit her grand slam in the Cougars' game one 13-2 win over Southern Miss. In the series sweep, the Texas native went 5-for-10 with five RBI, three runs scored and two doubles. Nielson had a clutch sixth-inning grand slam in the final game of the Herd's series with UTEP to help her team win the series. For the week, the Arizona native went 4-for-8 with five RBI, three runs scored and a double. Allison Kime of UCF is the Pitcher of the Week. Kime registered four of the Knights' five wins during the week, picking up all three victories in the league series with Tulsa. The senior allowed only one run in 20 innings pitched while posting a 0.35 ERA.

CO-HITTER OF THE WEEK (3/24)
CHRISTA RALEY - Houston
3B, Jr., LaPorte, Texas (LaPorte)
Raley hit a grand slam in the Cougars game one 13-2 win over Southern Miss. The blast was her first grand slam this season and her seventh home run in 2008. The junior led her team last week hitting .500 (5-for-10) and her 1.000 slugging percentage and .545 on base percentage were second best. Raley had just one strikeout in four games and notched five RBI. She was a member of a Cougar offense that outscored Southern Miss 26-5 and has outscored their conference opponents 62-10 in six league games. Her efforts helped the Cougars register their second-straight sweep of a C-USA opponent this season. The weekly honor is the first of Raley's career.

CO-HITTER OF THE WEEK (3/24)
KELLY NIELSON - Marshall
SS, Jr., Tucson, Ariz. (Pima CC)
Nielson had a clutch sixth-inning grand slam in the final game of a three-game series against UTEP to help the Herd claim the series. Down 4-3, the junior shortstop blasted her first NCAA grand slam. Nielson finished the weekend with a .500 batting average (4-for-8). She scored a run in every game and registered five RBIs. She scored the winning run in the first game of the series. The Herd defeated the Miners, 7-0, and lost the second game, 8-6, before taking game three. In the lone loss, Nielson hit a two-out RBI double continuing the Herd comeback. She's now batting .226 and has 15 RBIs and two home runs on the season. This is Nielson's first career weekly honor.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK (3/24)
ALLISON KIME - UCF
P, Sr., Brandon, Fla. (Hillsborough C.C.)
Kime registered four of the Knights' five wins during the week, picking up all three victories in the league series with Tulsa. The senior allowed only one run in 20 innings pitched while posting a 0.35 ERA. Against the Golden Hurricane, she pitched 15 of the 20 total innings and did not allow a single run in three appearances, recording two complete-game shutouts and a 0.00 ERA. She allowed only seven total hits to Tulsa and struck out 15 batters, while walking only two. In the win over Jacksonville, Kime posted 10 strikeouts in five innings pitched, allowing only one run. In the doubleheader with the Golden Hurricane on Friday, she picked up both wins, getting a complete-game shutout, holding Tulsa to only two hits and a walk, while striking out six in game one. She entered game two in relief to picked up her second win of the day. She posted three strikeouts in two innings of work, giving up only one hit. In four appearances, the senior gave up only two extra base hits, one to Jacksonville and one in the series finale with Tulsa. The weekly award is the sixth of Kime's career, her first in 2008.