When the 2018 softball season got underway, Chico State head coach Angel Shamblin was hoping newcomer Bailey Akins would add some pop to the middle of the Wildcats' lineup. The junior third baseman has not disappointed, and perhaps even exceeded expectations as she ranks among the top home run hitters in the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA). Her latest big fly—crushed in last weekend's four-game series sweep of Sonoma State—etched Akins' name in the Chico State record books and highlighted a productive weekend, making her the latest Wildcat of the Week.
Akins batted .333 (4-for-12) against the Seawolves, with a double, home run and five runs batted in to help the No. 3 Wildcats clinch the CCAA regular season title. The Red Bluff product scored three runs while posting a .667 slugging percentage as Chico State (39-3 on the season) ran its current winning streak to 14 straight.
In Friday's second game of the series-opening doubleheader, Akins' two-run bomb capped a nine-run Wildcat third inning on the way to an 11-7 victory. The home run was her 12th of the year, setting a new Chico State single season record Akins had shared with Hailey Stockman (11 in 2012) and Desiree' Gonzalez (11 in 2014).
Akins collected three RBI Saturday as the 'Cats completed the series sweep of Sonoma with 6-2 and 2-0 wins.
Akins, batting .303 on the year, ranks second in the CCAA in home runs, third in slugging percentage (.697) and sixth in RBI (31).
Akins and the Wildcats will be in Arcata this Friday and Saturday for a four-game series against CCAA rival Humboldt State.
