COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- San Diego State softball brought home two of the three Mountain West weekly awards, the league announced Monday. Lala Macario was named the Player of the Week and Cece Cellura garnered Pitcher of the Week for the Aztecs for their play during SDSU’s 5-0 weekend in the Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield.
San Diego State (8-2) had a phenomenal weekend in the Sunshine State. The Aztecs knocked off No. 14/12 Alabama 4-1 and walked off on Wichita State 4-3 on Friday. On Saturday, SDSU took down No. 16/16 Missouri 5-2 and Virginia 6-2. San Diego State capped off the weekend with an 11-8 walk-off victory against Charlotte. The Aztecs were one of only two teams to play at least five games and go undefeated in the event, which featured many of the nation’s best teams. SDSU made program history, beating multiple ranked teams in a weekend for the first time since 2008 and going 5-0 in a weekend tournament for the first time since 2016.
Macario started all five games at second base. She hit .500 (8-for-16) with hits in every game including a 2-for-3 game in the win against Alabama and a 3-for-4 day against Charlotte on Sunday. The Chula Vista, California, native crossed the plate four times including three against Charlotte and walked, drove in a run and stole a base over the weekend. Defensively, she tallied seven putouts and 11 assists. This is the senior’s first time as Mountain West Player of the Week, but she was named the AAC Player of the Week on February 28, 2022, when she was playing at Central Florida.
Cellura appeared in all five games for the Aztecs, starting the opener against Alabama. In 14 1/3 innings across the weekend, the Preseason Mountain West Pitcher of the Year struck out ten hitters while walking none and allowing just five runs and 13 hits. She earned wins against Alabama, Wichita State, Virginia and Charlotte while picking up the save in her other appearance against Missouri. Against the Crimson Tide, the sophomore hurled five innings, allowing just one run and four hits while striking out three and keeping Alabama off the board after the first inning, allowing the Aztec bats a chance to heat up. In 2 1/3 innings across the next two wins, Cellura kept Wichita State and Missouri off the board, allowing just two hits with two strikeouts. Last season, she brought home her first Mountain West Pitcher of the Week award on April 15, also winning Freshman of the Week on that date.
Next Weekend, San Diego State heads to Cathedral City, California, for the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic. The action begins against Oregon at 1 p.m. on Friday before a doubleheader on Saturday night against UC Santa Barbara at 5 p.m. and UC Riverside at 7:30. The Aztecs will round out the weekend with Sunday games against Saint Mary’s at 11 a.m. and Hawai’i at 1 p.m. The weekend’s games will be broadcast on FloCollege (subscription required).