Affleck, Graham Earn Weekly Honors

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- BYU first baseman Stacie Graham was named Mountain West Conference Softball Co-Player of the Week along with University of New Mexico shortstop Stefanie Carramusa while BYU senior Paige Affleck has been named Pitcher of the Week for games played from April 11-17.

The honor is the first for Graham in her career and the fourth-career honor for Affleck. Affleck joins BYU pitchers Hannah Howell and Tori Almond in earning MWC Pitcher of the Week this year, the third time in conference history that three pitchers from the same school have claimed the honor in the same season.

Graham, a 5-10 junior from Farmington, Utah, helped the Cougars go 2-1 last week, all on the road. Against UNLV in the first game of the week on Thursday, Graham hit 2-for-3 with a double, single, hit by pitch, three runs, and three RBI in BYU's 14-0 shutout of UNLV in Las Vegas. In the fifth inning alone against the Rebels, Graham was hit by a pitch and scored a run before hitting a three-run double in her second at bat of the inning and scoring another run.

On Friday at San Diego State, Graham won the game for BYU, hitting a towering home run to center field in the top of the eighth inning to break a scoreless tie, 1-0. The solo shot was Graham's first in her BYU career and would prove to be the game-winning hit and run. Earlier in the game, Graham made a number of great defensive plays at first base, including a sliding stop of a grounder which she then flipped back to the second baseman covering for her at first for the out with the Aztecs threatening at second base. The Cougars ended up on the opposite side of a 1-0 eight-inning game with the Aztecs on Saturday, but Graham was instrumental to the Cougar defense with 13 putouts and an assist covering first base.

Affleck, a 5-11 senior from New Harmony, Utah, earned her first weekly honor of the season by going 2-1 with a 0.00 ERA over 20.1 innings last week. Affleck pitched to all but a single batter over three games for BYU last week. At UNLV on Thursday, Affleck pitched 5.0 innings with five strikeouts, three hits and three walks in the 14-0 win.

On Friday at San Diego State, Affleck combined with the Aztecs’ Bailey Micetich for the first of two pitcher's duels between the two veterans. Affleck registered eight strikeouts and just five hits in 7.2 innings for the 1-0 8-inning win, her sixth-straight win in her last six decisions. On Saturday, Affleck pitched for the third complete day, pitching a complete game, 1-0 loss in eight innings. Affleck garnered five strikeouts, no earned runs, and scattered another five hits.

Carramusa, a 5-4 sophomore from Tucson, Ariz., led the Lobos to a 2-0 record last week in Conference play against Colorado State in Fort Collins. Carramusa hit .571, 4-for-7 at the plate with four extra base hits. She finished the weekend with a six RBI and scored five times. Carramusa also had a perfect fielding percentage while playing shortstop for the Lobos. In Saturday’s 13-5 win over the Rams, Carramusa was 1-of-3 with a walk. She belted a two-run homer in the second inning to start the Lobo scoring. On Sunday, Carramusa was 3-of-4 at the plate with four RBI and three runs scored in the 19-6 victory. She had two doubles and another home run.