OKLAHOMA CITY — After helping the No. 4 Arizona Wildcats to a series win over No. 5 Washington in Week 7 of NCAA Softball play, Danielle O’Toole has been named the USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week, USA Softball announced today. O’Toole was nearly perfect in the circle, allowing just three total hits in 14 innings of work and limiting opponents to a .065 batting average while posting a 2-0 record.
"I’m proud of the outing our team had this weekend,” said O’Toole. “I am thankful to have them and be a part of such a special group. I’m happy and honored to be Player of the Week and I never would have achieved the success without them. I’ll never forget my teammates coming through in big moments, and am excited to continue to compete with them.”
Entering the Pac-12 series against Washington as the leader in opponent batting average, O’Toole was lights out as the senior picked up her first career no-hitter in the series opener. Facing just two batters over the minimum in a seven-inning battle, O’Toole issued eight strikeouts in the shutout win. O’Toole became the first pitcher to throw a seven-inning no-hitter since Taryne Mowatt no hit the Huskies in 2008, while it was the first non-mercy no-hitter against a Top 10-ranked opponent since the 1993 season for the Wildcats.
O’Toole followed her no-hitter with another gem in the series finale against Washington, as the southpaw allowed just two unearned runs on three hits while striking out two Husky batters. For the week, O’Toole issued 10 strikeouts, while allowing just three hits, two walks and one hit batter in 14 innings pitched for a 0.00 ERA. O’Toole, who lowered her season ERA to 0.69, improved to 16-1 on the year with the pair of wins.
“What a tremendous honor for Danielle O’Toole,” said Arizona Head Coach Mike Candrea. “We are very proud of her and our entire team. She is talented, competitive, and most of all a great teammate. Thank you to USA Softball for acknowledging her performance this past week!”
This marks the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week for O’Toole and the second Player of the Week accolades for an Arizona athlete this season after Mo Mercado was tabbed with the honor in Week 3.
2017 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 9-12): Sierra Hyland – Cal Poly – Senior – Pitcher – Visalia, Calif.
Week 2 (Feb. 13-19): Alyssa Denham – Louisiana – Freshman – Pitcher – Alvin, Texas
Week 3 (Feb. 20-26): Mo Mercado – Arizona – Senior – Infield – Temecula, Calif.
Week 4 (Feb. 27-March 5): Nicole Schroeder – Arkansas – Senior – Outfield – Yorba Linda, Calif.
Week 5 (March 6-12): Alexis Osorio – Alabama – Junior – Pitcher – Riverside, Calif.
Co-Week 6 (March 13-19): Braxton Burnside – Missouri – Freshman – Infield – Paragould, Ark.
Co-Week 6 (March 13-19): Sierra Hyland – Cal Poly – Senior – Pitcher – Visalia, Calif.
Week 7 (March 20-26): Danielle O’Toole – Arizona – Senior – Pitcher – Upland, Calif.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.
As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.
About the NCAA Women’s College World Series
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 27th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and compete for a national championship. Last year, over 78,000 fans attended the WCWS. Be there to Share The Experience with softball fans from across the country June 1-7 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2017 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and secure your championship experience!