April 2, 2012

FULLERTON, CA - Cal State Fullerton's Nicole Johnson was named the Big West Conference Player of the Week on Monday afternoon after a perfect weekend from the senior helped lift the Titans to a series victory on the road at Cal Poly.

Johnson, who was named a weekly award winner for the first time in her career, was a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate with five runs scored and four RBI while also drawing five walks (two intentionally) and being hit by a pitch once. She slugged 2.000 for the weekend as three of her five hits went for extra bases on a pair of doubles and her fifth home run of the season.

With the award, Johnson becomes the first Titan field player to earn weekly honors from the conference office since teammate Gabby Aragon was named the winner on April 26, 2010.

The Canyon Country, Calif., native opened the series with a 3-for-3 day in the opener, scoring three times and driving home four while falling a triple short of the cycle in Fullerton's 10-2, six-inning victory. She also doubled and scored a run in game two of the series while being walked twice and finished out the weekend with a single, two intentional walks and a hit by pitch in the series finale.

Johnson, who raised her average 52 points to .338 entering this week's games with the performance on the coast, now has hits in each of her last six at-bats dating back to a sixth-inning single against Purdue on March 14 and has reached base safely in each of her last 12 plate appearances. Going a step further, Johnson has reached safely in her last six games overall dating back to a win over Utah State on March 11, posting hits in five of those six contests with a hit by pitch in the other game.

Cal State Fullerton returns to Anderson Family Field for a three-game series this week against Big West co-leader UC Santa Barbara. Due to the Easter holiday, the series opens on Friday evening (April 6) with a doubleheader at 4 p.m. before concluding with a single game on Saturday (April 7) at 12 p.m.