Cal State Fullerton seniors Jenny
Topping and Jodie Cox
were named the Big West Conference Player of the Year and Co-Pitcher of
the Year, and the Titans placed seven players on the all-conference honor
rolls released on Tuesday afternoon by the Big West office.
Topping (Whittier, Calif./La Habra HS) became the first player in the
history of the Big West Conference to win Player of the Year honors three
times, and became only the second player in the history of the league
to win three Player or Pitcher of the Year honors as well. Former Titan
pitcher Tiffany Boyd won three-consecutive Pitcher of the Year honors
in 1990-92.
A five-time Big West Player of the Week in 2003, Topping finished the
regular season hitting .444 with nine home runs and 35 RBI. She leads
the Big West Conference in average, slugging (.726), on base percentage
(.576), walks (41) and total bases (98) while co-leading the conference
in home runs and hits (60).
Cox (Lancaster, Calif./Quartz Hill HS) became the first Titan pitcher
since Boyd in 1992 to earn Big West Pitcher of the Year honors, sharing
this year's award with Long Beach State's Meredith Cervenka.
Invited to the US National Team Selection Camp later this summer, Cox
finished the year with a 19-7 record and a 1.18 ERA. She struck out 196
batters in 171 1/3 innings and held the opposition to a .126 batting average.
Cox, who was named Big West Pitcher of the Week four times this year,
ranked among the top five in the league in six major pitching categories,
leading the Big West in opponent's batting average, strikeouts and wins
while ranking second in ERA and batters struck out looking, and finishing
the regular season fifth in innings pitched.
It is the first time since 1992 that the Titans have had both the Big
West Player and Pitcher of the Year when Boyd and Denise DeWalt swept
the honors
Cox also earned first-team honors as both a pitcher and outfielder and
was joined by teammate Gina
Oaks (Alta Loma, Calif./Rancho Cucamonga HS), who was also a first-team
pitcher and first-team utility player.
Topping was named to the first team for the third consecutive season,
this time at first base after two seasons as an all-conference catcher.
Senior shortstop Amanda Hockett earned her third consecutive second-team
honor and was joined on the second team by three players earning their
first all-conference honors.
Sophomore Heather Saltarelli
(Huntington Beach, Calif./Marina HS) earned the nod at second base, senior
Amy LaRocque (Fontana,
Calif./A.B. Miller HS) was named as the second-team third baseman, and
senior Krista O'Hanian
(Norwalk, Calif./St. Paul HS) was named as one of three players to the
second-team outfield.
Cal State Fullerton returns to action this weekend when it hosts seven
other teams in the 2003 NCAA Softball Regional Championships at the Titan
Softball Complex. For more information on the Regional, please click
here.
2003 BIG WEST CONFERENCE CO-PITCHERS
OF THE YEAR Jodie Cox, Cal State Fullerton
& Meredith Cervenka, Long Beach State
2003 BIG WEST CONFERENCE PLAYER OF
THE YEAR Jenny Topping, Cal State Fullerton
2003 BIG WEST CONFERENCE COACH OF
THE YEAR Pete Manarino, Long Beach State
2003 ALL-BIG WEST CONFERENCE TEAMS First Team
P - Jodie Cox, Cal State Fullerton P - Meredith Cervenka, Long Beach State P - Gina Oaks, Cal State Fullerton C - Jami Trinidad, UC Santa Barbara 1B - Jenny Topping, Cal State Fullerton 2B - E.J. Lauchland, UC Santa Barbara
3B - Chantal Pershing, UC Santa Barbara
SS - Chelsy Stoufer, Cal Poly
OF - Christen Bedwell, Cal State Northridge
OF - Barbara Moody, Pacific OF - Jodie Cox, Cal State Fullerton
UT - Gina Oaks, Cal State Fullerton DP - Kia Fennell, Cal State Northridge
Second Team P - Carly Harmon, UC Santa Barbara
P - Loren Thornburg, UC Santa Barbara
P - Kia Fennell, Cal State Northridge
C - Janine Grund, Cal State Northridge
1B - Holly Ballard, Cal Poly 2B - Heather Slatarelli, Cal State Fullerton
3B - Amy LaRocque, Cal State Fullerton 3B - Melissa Sanchez, UC Riverside SS - Amanda Hockett, Cal State Fullerton OF - Arleigh Thorp, Long Beach State
OF - Emilee Moores, Cal State Northridge OF - Krista O'Hanian, Cal State Fullerton UT - Janine Grund, Cal State Northridge
DP - Shannon Brooks, Cal Poly
Honorable Mention P - Lindsey Knoff, Long Beach State
P - Natalie King, Pacific
C - Amanda Carlson, Utah State
1B - Brandy Thurman, Pacific
2B - Roni Sparrey, Cal Poly
3B - Kristen Allen, Pacific
SS - Jamie Farnworth, Cal State Northridge
OF - Sondra Milchiker, Cal State Northridge
OF - Leslie Simien, UC Santa Barbara
OF - Estee Okumura, Pacific
OF - Jamie Yee, UC Riverside
UT - Monique Lovell, Cal State Northridge
DP - Candice Hatch, Utah State
DP - Katie Oliver, UC Santa Barbara
