With little attention being paid to pitcher Ashley Jackson, partly due to SF State’s all-time home run leader Jordanna Freemer and super freshman Kendra Wood, this freshman has very quietly put together a great season. And that’s just how she likes it.

“I honestly can’t do it by myself, I have my teammates out there working really hard for me,” Jackson said, deflecting attention back to teammates after being named the California Collegiate Athletic Association Pitcher of the Week this past week.

“They’re the main reason I am able to get this honor,” she said.

The modest Jackson went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA last weekend using an array of pitches working with her ability to change speeds to help the Gators take the series 3-1 over the visiting Sonoma State Seawolves.

“She was really changing up her pitches and painting the corners really well,” coach Cristina Byrne said.

Jackson pitched two complete games over the weekend, giving up only two earned runs while striking out 13 and walking five in the series to earn the CCAA honor.

Even Byrne couldn’t have predicted this much success from her No. 1 starter.

“As a freshman, to be in the No. 1 pitching spot and to be that cool, calm, collected all the time is pretty amazing. I think it really helps her success,” Byrne said.

Currently Jackson is 12-6 with a 2.39 ERA in 129 innings of work.

Jackson rates seventh in innings pitched in the conference, 10th in ERA, third in strikeouts (97), and has gone the distance an astonishing 17 times in 21 starts on the season.

Jackson is not only the workhorse of the team, but her calm presence and her insistence on taking responsibility for her mistakes has the coach excited about her future.

“She brings a positive vibe to the team,” Byrne said. “Any time she makes a mistake she will quickly thank her teammates for picking her up. That’s something that’s beyond her years.”

In the first game of the doubleheader the Gators got their bats going in the 5-2 victory with Freemer leading the way, going 2 for 4 with a solo home run and an RBI-single.

In the nightcap, though, the bats went south as they were shut out for only the second time in the last 12 games, 4-0.

The next day the purple and gold came out swinging, scoring in three consecutive innings led by a three-run second. Jackson pitched a gem with SF State taking the game 6-1.

The Gators remained hot at the plate producing runs in every inning except the third, capped by a five-run second that put the game away early. Kendra Wood picked up the victory in the 9-4 win.

Freshman pitchers Jackson and Wood combined to shut down the Seawolves offense on April 5 to the tune of 14 innings pitched, allowing only eight hits and three earned runs while striking out 11 in the two victories.

Jackson and the Gators go up against stiff competition this weekend in Cal State Stanislaus, who leads the conference with a 16-8 record. This will be the first meeting for the two teams this season.

Byrne hopes to improve on their poor road record (1-7 in conference) and string together some wins against one of the top-flight teams of the conference.

“We match up really well with them this year, and I think we have a great shot at going there and picking up a couple wins,” Byrne said.