Sun Athletes of the Week: Mat Ellis and Aja Sherman

Thursday, April 5, 2001 | 11:25 a.m.

Male Athlete of the Week: MAT ELLIS

School: Mojave

Class: Sophomore

Sport: Baseball

Last week: The Rattlers' No. 3 hitter went 5-for-8 with a pair of doubles, five RBIs and three runs in two games, all while playing catcher for the first time in his high school career. On Thursday, Ellis contributed three hits, including a double, and three RBIs to lead Mojave to a 7-1 upset of then-No. 2 Bishop Gorman. "He's been pretty for us all year, and he had a really big week," Rattlers coach Steve Barnson said. "He's really stepped up. He's a team kind of kid, as much of a leader as a sophomore can be. And he's getting better and more confident every game."

Female Athlete of the Week: AJA SHERMAN

School: Durango

Class: Senior

Sport: Softball

Last week: The Trailblazers' pitcher held a pair of ranked opponents to seven combined hits and without an earned run, lifting her club to victories over Cimarron-Memorial and Centennial. She tossed a four-hitter with six strikeouts in a 2-1 win over the Spartans on Thursday, then followed that up with a three-hitter with 13 strikeouts in a 3-2 victory over the Bulldogs on Friday. Sherman also finished the week 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs. "She's been working on making each pitch move exactly where we've called for it," Durango coach Sandy Morgan said. "She handled Centennial's big hitters well. All her pitches were really effective."