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Ex-Tornado star Hackett earns WAC softball honor Photo from Portland State University Player of the week honor goes to PSU's Megumi Hackett. By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN Former North Medford High all-state softball player Megumi Hackett went on an eight-game hitting rampage and played errorless defense at second base for Portland State's Vikings last week. Hackett, 19, a two-time all-state player and a member of two Class 4A state championship teams for North Medford, was named the Western Athletic Conference softball player of the week for her performances during the week. "It's a nice honor, but it has more to do with trying to help my team win than anything I was trying to do individually," says Hackett, a freshman who has started all 42 of PSU's games. Hackett, a left-handed slap hitter who is feeling the confidence to swing away more and more, batted .552 (16-for-29) last week for the Vikings. Hackett's batting surge included seven hits in nine at-bats in a doubleheader against Santa Clara Sunday. She was 4-for-5 in the first game. During the week, Hackett -- the state player of the year in 1998 -- had 21 defensive chances at second base and fielded them all cleanly. Offensively, she improved her season batting average from .224 to .300 (42-for-140). In two losses to No. 23 Oregon, Hackett went 5-for-8, with a triple and two runs batted in. One of Hackett's best friends, former North Medford catcher Missy Coe, hit two home runs for Oregon in the doubleheader. "Missy and I didn't get to talk before or after the games," says Hackett. "But she did say `hi' to me when I got up to bat. I just smiled because I was there to hit. "After the game, they had to leave right away and I didn't get to talk to her." Hackett has used her speed and athletic ability to quickly make the adjustment to major-college softball in one year, says Portland State head coach Teri Mariani. "She had a great week last week," says Mariani. "When you think of Megumi, you don't think of her as any type of a power hitter. She normally lives and dies by the short (slap) game. "But she's hit a couple of long balls lately and she's been swinging away instead of slapping. That will make her more effective if they have to respect her long game and her short game." Hackett, who stands 5-foot-1 and weighs 110 pounds, doesn't look like an imposing hitter. "You look at her and you don't think she looks that strong and that she doesn't have a lot of power," says Mariani. "But she has quick hands that you need in softball." Mariani says Hackett's future as a major-college softball player is bright. "She has the ability to come out of Portland State as the best second baseman we've had," says Mariani, who is in her 24th year as the Vikings' coach. "She has the quickness, game sense and the total skills offensively and defensively. "She obviously has a great background in softball from the years she spent down there (in Medford) with a great girls softball program under (Larry) Binney." Hackett says she's feeling more confident as a hitter. "I've finally been able to relax and I'm seeing the ball a lot better," she says. "And since I'm relaxed now, I'm tracking it better. "At the start of the year, I was pretty nervous. I didn't know anybody on the team, and there was an adjustment to make to playing at a higher level." Hackett has the option of slap-hitting or swinging away, depending on the alignment of the defense, says Mariani. "She reads defenses pretty well, and she usually makes the right decisions," says Mariani. "But there have been times when I wished she had swung instead of trying to slap the ball. With her confidence on the rise, I think we will see her take the full swing more. I hope so." Hackett ranks third in runs scored (17) for the Vikings. She's stolen five bases in nine tries. PSU assistant coach Mary Haluska likes how Hackett has made a quick adjustment to the top level of collegiate softball. "She's quick and a smart base runner," says Haluska. "Plus, she's a left-handed hitter. We like to give the left-handers the option to slap-bunt or hit." Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA