Alapese Matautia
Even when she’s not hitting home runs, Anchorage’s Alapese Matautia is still an RBI machine.
The Southwestern Oregon Community College sophomore shortstop drove in 10 runs in a four-game sweep of Grays Harbor after batting 8-for-10 with a double and seven singles.
In Game 3 of the series, she went 3-for-3 and drove in four runs – the ninth time in 41 games this year that she’s had four RBIs or more in a game. She knocked in three runs with two singles as part of her team’s nine-run first inning and later added another run-scoring single in the third inning in a game SWOCC won 22-1.
Matautia, of Bartlett High fame, is batting .562 on 68-of-121 hitting and leads the NWAC with 87 RBIs, which is believed to be the most for a player from Alaska in a college softball season.
The 5-foot-7 infielder is a serious MVP candidate as arguably the best hitter on the best team in the NWAC. With the Alaskan hitting cleanup, SWOCC boasts a league-best 39-3 record and Matautia ranks among the league leaders in virtually every major offensive category:
MATAUTIA CHASING MVP
RBIs: 87 (1)
Runs: 60 (2)
Hits: 68 (2)
SLG: 1.157 (3)
OBP: .638 (3)
HRs: 16 (4)
BA: .562 (4)
SBs: 19 (5)
SWOCC enters the weekend coming off Tuesday’s 9-2 loss to Mt. Hood. Matautia went 2-for-4 with a solo home run.
Her 16 home runs rank third all-time among Alaskans in a single season.
Fairbanks’ Kacy Duffield had 19 homers and 71 RBIs for Indian Hills in 2016 and Anchorage’s Lillian Bullock had 17 homers and 56 RBIs for North Carolina A&T in 2007.
Matautia hit five homers in February, five in March, four in April and has two so far in May. She has time to mash more taters as SWOCC has four games left in the regular season before taking the field for the NWAC Championships.