Mariee Mena Sweeps National Honors

NORMAN, Okla. Mariee Mena completed the sweep Wednesday morning as she was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week for her impressive play Feb. 19-25. It marks the third honor of the week for the fifth-year senior who was also named the USA Softball National Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week on Tuesday.

All three honors mark the first of her career and it also marks the first time in history a Sooner has swept all three awards.

Mena hit .667 (10-for-15) in helping lead the Sooners to a 6-0 week, including wins over nationally ranked California and Oregon State, and program-best 16-0 start.

Mena's week at the plate consisted of a 1.133 slugging percentage and 17 total bases which included a double and two home runs. She drove in eight runs and ran her hit streak to eight games, a career-best tally.

The team leader with a .514 average, Mena opened the Palm Springs Classic with a 2-for-3 showing against Notre Dame that included a double, home run and RBI. She followed that outing with another 2-for-3, RBI game against Loyola Marymount.

In the win over Cal, Mena staked the Sooners to an early lead, and she capped her 1-for-2, two RBI performance by driving in another run to extend the OU lead to 7-1.

In her second straight game against a Pac-10 opponent, Mena helped the Sooners to the upset of then-No. 6 Oregon State with a 2-for-3, RBI showing against the Beavers.

She closed the week with a perfect 2-for-2 outing against Ohio State. The Escondido, Calif., native drove in three runs in the victory, including a single that broke open a 1-1 tie and a fifth-inning two-run home run that extended the Oklahoma lead to 5-1.

Mena and the Sooners will play seven games in the next five days at the OU Softball Complex. OU hosts a doubleheader against Arkansas on Wednesday beginning at 3 p.m. and will welcome North Texas on Thursday for a 4 p.m. contest. The Sooners will round out the home stand this weekend as they host the OU Residence Inn Invitational this Saturday and Sunday.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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