May 8, 2007
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - ARIZONA STATE junior Mindy Cowles has been named the Pac-10 Softball Player of the Week for May 1-7, Commissioner Tom Hansen announced today.
Cowles found her power stroke last week in leading the Sun Devils offense to 18 runs in three games vs. the Oregon schools. Half of the 18 runs were driven home by Cowles who drove out four home runs over the weekend, becoming the Arizona State career home run leader in the process.
On Friday at Oregon State, Cowles was 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI as Arizona State outlasted OSU, 5-4, in eight innings. Cowles doubled home a run in the third inning, then homered in the top of the eighth to give ASU the lead and ultimately the win.
Saturday, Cowles gave the Sun Devils the early 1-0 lead over Oregon with a first inning solo shot. The score would hold steady at 1-0 until Cowles came up in the sixth inning and hammered her second solo homer of the game for a 2-0 lead. That sparked the ASU offense to score six more times in the inning, putting the Ducks away early, 8-0. Cowles second homer was the 41st of her career, moving her past Phelan Wright (2001-04) into the No. 1 spot among ASUs all-time home run leaders.
Cowles, a native of Riverside, Calif., extended her new record with her 42nd career home run and 15th of the season against the Ducks on Sunday. The three-run blast cut Oregon's lead to 6-5, but the Ducks held on for the win.
For the weekend, Cowles hit .600 (6-for-10) with four home runs, nine RBI, four runs scored and a double for a slugging percentage of 1.900. Cowles is now tied for third in the Pac-10 with 15 homers and her 50 RBI are sixth in the league and are a new career high.
Arizona State (11-7 Pac-10, 47-14) is at home for the regular seasons final weekend, and will try to wrap up second place in the Conference with one game against Washington, which is tied for second at 11-7, and two against fourth place UCLA (10-8).
This is the second career Player of the Week award for Cowles, and the 51st Player/Pitcher of the Week award for Arizona State.