Sophomore center fielder Caitlin Lowe is making the 2005 season downright honorable for the No. 2 Arizona softball team.
Lowe was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week for the week of March 22-28 along with Oregon's Lovena Chaput, Conference Commissioner Tom Hansen announced yesterday.
Lowe batted .572 with four RBIs in two games against No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette last weekend, including an inside-the-park grand slam in Sunday's 10-3 victory.
It is the second weekly award for the sophomore and makes two straight for the Wildcats (26-2) after senior third baseman Jackie Coburn received the honor last week.
Lowe leads the Pacific 10 Conference with a .520 batting average and the team with a .552 on-base percentage.
"I've just been really trying to get on base to set up our 3-4-5 hitters. I've just really stressed it," she said.
Lowe also leads the Wildcats in runs (29), hits (51) and stolen bases (19).
"The game's a game of confidence," said Arizona head coach Mike Candrea. "If you get someone like Caitlin on a roll, you're going to put some numbers up."
Fox in a hole
If current events are any indication, shortstop Kristie Fox is being outfoxed at the plate.
The sophomore, who hinted at an out-of-this-world March with 21 RBIs in her first 10 games, has not driven in a run since March 18 against Florida State, a span of five contests.
Fox, whose 40 RBIs this season are nearly double the Wildcats' next highest total, has one hit in her last 12 at-bats and hasn't homered since knocking out two against North Carolina State March 13.
She has seven home runs this season, two ahead of Coburn.
"She's a good hitter," Candrea said. "Those last five games that you're talking about, she was facing (Texas') Cat Osterman and some pretty decent pitching. I think Kristie's the type of hitter that will make some adjustments. We need her to just come up and just swing the bat and not worry so much about what happened in the past."
Fox, batting .413 entering the team's Pac-10 opener against No. 3 Stanford Friday, has had two games with more than five RBIs this month, including a 5-for-5, six-RBI performance against the Wolfpack.
Arizona, UCLA to lock up on ESPN, ESPNU
The Arizona-UCLA rivalry is always one of the best in NCAA softball and the newest force in college sports television has taken notice.
ESPNU, ESPN's fledging college sports network, will show two of three matchups between the Wildcats and the defending national champion No. 10 Bruins this season in live telecasts April 16 (2 p.m.) and May 6 (7 p.m.).
ESPN takes on the April 17 game, slated for 1 p.m.
Longhorns near perfect in Pac-10
It's a good thing the No. 4 Longhorns haven't decided to leave the Big 12 Conference to take the Pac-10's 10th softball spot.
Texas (26-4) is 3-1 in games against Pac-10 teams this season, including wins over UCLA, Arizona and No. 20 ASU.
More impressive, Texas has decisions over the teams' three aces: UCLA's Angelica Selden (10-3), Arizona's Alicia Hollowell (17-1) and the Sun Devils' Desiree Serrano (10-2).
The Longhorns' Osterman, a strong candidate for national player of the year honors, is combined 3-0 in those starts, with seven hits allowed and 62 strikeouts in 26 innings.
"I think she's probably a premier pitcher in the world, never mind the Pac or Division I," said ASU head coach Linda Wells.
Osterman is 13-2 with a .31 ERA this season with 264 strikeouts in 112 innings.
Beavers keep it going in win column
With its doubleheader sweep against BYU Friday, No. 15 Oregon State (19-6) broke its school record with 13 straight victories, dating to the Beavers' 8-7, eight-inning win over Wisconsin Feb. 25.
Pitcher/designated hitter Brianne McGowen (16-2), the Pac-10 Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 15-21, won both starts against the Lady Cougars. She has won 12 straight decisions.
McGowen, who carries a .317 batting average, is second on the team in home runs (five) and RBIs (18).
"It really doesn't matter what the record is for either team," said Washington assistant coach Eve Gaw, whose Huskies face the Beavers for a two-game set in Corvallis, Ore. Saturday-Sunday. "They're going to hit the ball, they're going to catch and throw."
Arizona meets OSU April 8 in Tucson and again in Corvallis April 30-May 1.