By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University senior shortstop Mallory Asaro (Rocklin, CA/Rocklin HS) has been chosen as the Northwest Conference Softball Position Player Student-Athlete of the Week for her efforts in games played by the Bearcats on Monday, March 20 and Saturday, March 25.

Asaro was 9 for 17 at the plate for a .529 batting average during the week. She provided the Bearcats with five runs, eight RBIs, four doubles and two home runs. She was 2 of 2 on stolen base attempts.

In addition, Asaro earned a 1.118 slugging percentage and a .600 on-base percentage. She had at least one hit in all five games, including three multi-hit games. She also had at least one RBI in every game.

The Bearcats went 5-0 during the week with two games on Monday, plus three games completed on Saturday. Willamette swept a doubleheader from Pacific Lutheran University at the WU Softball Field on Monday, winning 11-3 on the run rule in five innings and 5-4 on a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

On Saturday, the Bearcats triumphed in the continuation of a game against University of Puget Sound that was tied 9-9 after seven innings when it was suspended on Feb. 25. WU won the game 12-11 in nine innings, and then swept a doubleheader from Puget Sound with victories of 6-4 and 9-2. The continued game and both games of the doubleheader were played in Tacoma, Washington.

In the continuation of the suspended game, Asaro opened the top of the ninth with a single and went on to score the go-ahead run. She hit a home run earlier in that game (on Feb. 25), and also smacked a homer in the first game of the doubleheader that followed on March 25.

Willamette is 7-5 in the Northwest Conference and 7-7 on the season. The Bearcats lead several offensive team categories in the NWC statistics for conference games. Willamette is first in team batting average (.351), slugging percentage (.529), on-base percentage (.434), stolen bases (34) and doubles (23). WU has nine more stolen bases than any other NWC team in conference play.

The Bearcats are tied for first place with Linfield College in triples (4). Willamette is tied with George Fox University in home runs (11), despite playing two fewer games (GFU 14, WU 12).

Up next for Willamette is a doubleheader at University of Redlands in Redlands, California, on Tuesday, March 28. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. (PDT). WU will take on Pomona-Pitzer in two games on Wednesday, March 28 in Claremont, California, starting at 2:30 p.m.