After crushing a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning giving the Redbirds a win over No. 6 Iowa, 6-3, during the Louisville Slugger Classic hosted by Arizona State, senior Jamie Bagnall was honored with the first Valley softball Player of the Week selection of her career.
A native of Santa Ana, Calif., Bagnall went 5-13 at the plate posting a .385 batting average during the Classic. Bagnall collected four RBI, a grand slam and a double helping the Birds to bring home a 3-2 record over the weekend.
Hitting was a priority for Bagnall in preparation for the Louisville Slugger Classic, compared to her performance in Miami, Fla., two weeks ago.
In the Florida International tournament, I wasnt happy with my hitting, said Bagnall, who carries a career batting average of .252. I made more goals for myself for this tournament and I was more confident stepping up to the plate.
When I stepped up to bat against Iowa (in the top of the seventh inning), I knew I would get a hit. After they walked Corey (Harris), I knew that I had to step up to the plate and do it, said Bagnall, referring to her grand slam.
Defensively, the senior infielder recorded good marks over the weekend, grabbing a .971 fielding percentage, collecting 22 putouts and 11 assists for the Redbirds. Bagnall leads the team in assists, thus far, with 18.
Jamies leadership has been a critical part of our success, said head coach
Melinda Fischer. Its important that our freshmen, who will potentially see a lot of starting time this season, have someone like Jamie to look up to when theyre on the field.
Both offensively and defensively she has been playing great for us, Fischer added. Since her freshman year she has been working to improve her hitting in key situations, and so far Ive seen that improvement.
Fischer also said that Bagnalls attitude and consistency about playing different positions on the field has been positive for the Birds.
It helps that we can put Jamie in any position, said Fischer. Shes a steady player with a great attitude.
