Feb. 16, 2011
OKLAHOMA CITY – The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of America has announced its initial selection of the 2011 softball season for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week in Arizona State’s Dallas Escobedo (Phoenix, Ariz.). The freshman pitcher made an outstanding collegiate debut with a 4-0 record including two wins over ranked opponents at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
"It's an amazing honor to be named USA Softball Player of the Week in just my first week as a Sun Devil, though overall it was really great to see my team out there getting things done on the field and at the plate,” Escobedo said. “We have a long season ahead of us and I need to continue to stay focused and do my thing as we make each step towards all of our goals for this season."
Escobedo opened up play with two wins against Western Michigan and Cal Poly. When Cal Poly tied up the score in the top of the seventh, Escobedo came in for the final out of the seventh and then kept runs off the board in the eighth to help secure a 6-5 victory.
"This is a huge honor for Dallas and for any player, regardless of what year they are in their career, and she is deserving of the honor after the performances she put in last weekend,” ASU’s Head Coach Clint Myers said. “She's a competitor through and through and knows that there is still a lot of work on her and everyone's end as well to bring ASU towards the fulfillment of the goals we have set this season. If last weekend is any indicator, she seems primed to help round out an amazing pitching staff and she isn't going to rest until those goals have been achieved."
Escobedo’s best performance came against ranked opponents then-No. 22 Oklahoma State and then-No.6 Oklahoma. She recorded 11 strikeouts against both teams, shutting out Oklahoma State 1-0, on a two-hit performance. She allowed six hits and three runs against Oklahoma for her fourth win and second complete game. On the week she worked 18.1 innings, allowing opponents a .143 batting average.
The Sun Devils are currently ranked No. 9 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll, also released today by the ASA.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation’s largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 76 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 210,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit http://www.asasoftball.com/.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men’s, Women’s, Junior Boys’ and Junior Girls’ National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of the only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles including the last seven consecutive as well as claimed four World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about USA Softball, please visit http://www.usasoftball.com/.