March 8, 2006

DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis sophomore Ashley Johnson has received the season's first Division I Independent Softball Player-of-the-Week honor. Johnson batted .667 for the Aggies in a rugged Worth Invitational last week that saw the team face three of the top 12 teams in the nation. She batted .667 with a 1.222 slugging percentage and finished the week with five hits in her last five at bats.

Johnson collected two doubles, a homer and four RBIs in the four games UC Davis played last week. All of the games were part of an 11-team Worth Invitational hosted by Cal State Fullerton. On March 4, Johnson went 1-for-3 in the Aggies' match-up with no. 3 Tennessee. The next day, she drew a walk against no. 12 Georgia before going 3-for-3 with three RBIs and a pair of doubles in a 6-3 win over Loyola-Chicago. On Sunday, against no. 9 Oregon State, Johnson capped off her stellar week going 2-for-2 with a home run.

For the year, Johnson leads the Aggies with three homers and nine RBIs. She's second on the team with a .341 batting average.

UC Davis (5-12) is next in action Friday when it begins play at the National Invitational Softball Tournament (NIST) in Sunnyvale. The schedule doesn't get any easier for the Aggies, who face Southern Illinois at 4 p.m. The Salukis are receiving votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Top-25 poll. Following the game, UC Davis faces no. 11 Arizona State. Bracket play begins Saturday with the tournament concluding on Sunday.