Lopez, Mendoza sweep RRAC weekly honors

UHV's Kaylle Lopez and Anyssia Mendoza were named Red River Athletic Player and Pitcher of the Week.
UHV's Kaylle Lopez and Anyssia Mendoza were named Red River Athletic Player and Pitcher of the Week.
March 11, 2024

WACO – UHV's Kaylle Lopez and Anyssia Mendoza shined during a big weekend.

After sweeping Xavier (La.) 10-0 and 16-0 on Saturday, and Louisiana Christian 3-0 and 7-0 on Sunday, Lopez and Mendoza swept the Red River Athletic Conference's weekly honors on Monday.

It's the second Player of the Week nod this season for Lopez and first career Pitcher of the Week for Mendoza, a sophomore.

"I'm thrilled to see Kaylle and Neech recognized for their stellar performances this week," said head coach Lindsey Ortiz. "Kaylle continues to do incredible things on both sides of the ball and the way Neech has stepped up in conference play has been huge for us as a team."

Lopez has proven to be one of the best hitters in the nation with an NAIA-leading 31 RBIs and a .520 batting average this season, which leads the RRAC.

In the four games last week, the senior from Sinton went 7-for-13 with eight RBIs and three home runs. Lopez hit her first two home runs of the season in Saturday's 16-0 win over Xavier for the Jaguars (12-4, 6-0).

The shortstop has hit safely in 15 of UHV's 16 games this season including the last six.

"Being named Player of the Week again, it's very meaningful to me," Lopez said. "Whatever the team needs, I'm going to bring that 100% of the time. The pitchers work their butts off, so I want to get run support for them."

Mendoza put together consecutive gems against the Gold Nuggets and Wildcats, striking out 12 batters in 12 innings of work to improve to 3-0 in conference play.

Against Xavier on Saturday, the Mathis native struck out a career-high seven batters en route to a 16-0 win. She followed that the next day by taking a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

The two shutouts from the right-hander helped UHV's staff ERA drop to 2.04, which ranks second in the conference.

"I've been working hard to get where I'm at right now," Mendoza said. "This wouldn't be possible without my girls behind me. This past week has given me a confidence boost because it showed me what I'm capable of."

The Jaguars welcome Doane (Neb.) to the Victoria Youth Sports Complex for a 3 p.m. doubleheader Thursday. Tickets are on sale here.