Image
Ht
5'
9"
Class
Senior
Hometown
Walnut,
California
Last School
Nogales High School
Roster Years
2008-2011
Career Summary
Jessica Purcell-Fitu was a power-hitter for the Cougar, earning multiple accolades in her four seasons. She was named an Easton All-American in 2009 and 2011. In 2009, she had her best season, earning Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Third-Team honors and National Fastpitch All-Region. Purcell-Fitu helped her team to three conference championships and four trips to the NCAA regional. She was a member of the 2010 BYU team that advanced to super regionals for the first time in school history. In the BYU record books, she is in the top 10 in 11 career batting statistics, including the top spot for RBI with 235. See the season summaries tab for a more detailed look into her time at BYU.
Personal
- Parents are Papaloa and Angie Ili
- Born in West Covina, CA
- Married Matt Fitu in June 2009 in the San Diego Temple
- Has three brothers and two sisters
- Sister Jenavieve plays softball for Southern Utah
- Grandmother is Leau
- Cousin of former teammate Angeline Quiocho
- Majoring in exercise science, pre-med
Before BYU
- Prepped at Nogales High
- Four-year softball letterwinner
- Named All-League First Team three times
- Stole over 25 bases every season for her high school team
- Named San Antonio League MVP in 2007
- Named All-CIF First Team twice
- Lettered in basketball
- Named to president's honor roll all four years of high school
BYU Hall of Fame
Freshman Year
2008
- Was an integral part of the NCAA Regional-qualifying team as a freshman
- Contributed both offensively batting .297 with 12 home runs and 36 RBI, but also contributed defensively starting 60 of 62 games
- Played as both catcher and shortstop
- Belted a home run in first collegiate at-bat on Feb. 7 against Southern Utah
- Went 4-for-5 with 2 RBI on Feb. 9 against Rhode Island
- Recorded a season-high six RBI with back-to-back roundtrippers against Utah Valley on April 1
- Belted another two homers against Utah Valley on April 16
- Led the team in most times hit by pitch with 16
Sophmore Year
2009
- Easton Second-Team All-America
- Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Third-Team All-America
- National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region First Team
- Ranked third in the nation with 1.51 RBI per game, 14th in home runs per game, 15th in slugging percentage, 8th in home runs
- Named Tournament MVP at the Bayer Cropscience Classic in Fresno, Calif
- Hit first home run of the season with a grand slam against Southern Utah on Feb. 6, her first career grand slam
- Has 21 multiple RBI games and 20 multiple hit games
- Led the conference in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, RBIs, hits, total bases, hit by pitch at-bats and total plate appearances
- Had an 11-game hitting streak
- Had a back-to-back seven RBI games
- Totaled three grand slams on the season, breaking the single-season record
Junior Year
2010
- Started and played in 57 games
- NFCA/Louisville Slugger Pacific All-Region Second Team
- Mountain West All-Conference First Team
- Finished second in the MWC in triples (3), third in RBI (52), fifth in total bases (105), sixth in hits (64), eighth in slugging percentage (.603) and ninth in batting average (.368)
- Was sixth in the conference with a .997 fielding percentage
- Second on the team with 22 multiple-hit games and third with 14 multiple-RBI games
- Went 2-for-4 with 1 run and a 2-RBI double against East Carolina in the NCAA Regional championship
- Hit a solo home run in the NCAA Regional against Texas
- Hit a 3-run shot over the fence, going 2-for-4 with 4 RBI and 1 run at Utah State (5/10)
- Smacked a double and 2 singles for 4 RBI and 1 run at UNLV (5/8)
- In a doubleheader at SUU (5/4), hit 3-for-3 with 2 runs and 2 RBI with a home run in game one and 2-for-3 with 3 runs, 1 RBI and a double in game two
- Hit a triple against New Mexico (5/1), going 2-for-4 with 3 runs
- Went 2-for-4 with 4 RBI and 1 run versus Cal State Bakersfield (4/2)
- Hit a home run against No. 9 Stanford (3/26), finishing with 2 RBI, 1 hit and 1 run
- Had a home run, going 2-for-2 with 4 RBI and 2 runs against Monmouth (3/5)
- Launched a home run with 3 RBI and 2 runs against San Diego (2/19)
Senior Year
2011
- Started and played in all 58 games of the season
- Easton All-America Third Team
- All-Mountain West Conference First Team
- Hit a home run, going 2-for-3 with 4 RBI and 2 runs vs. Utah in the regular season finale
- Knocked in 4 RBIs with a home run and a run at Colorado State
- On Senior Night against UNLV, recorded a career-high-tying 7 RBI, hitting her second grand slam of the season to finish with 2 hits, 2 runs and 1 walk
- Moved into first all-time on the BYU and MWC career RBI lists with a sac fly against Seattle
- Named Hawaii Spring Fling Tournament MVP and MWC Player of the Week
- Had a home run, 2 RBI and a run vs. No. 16 Hawaii
- Went 3-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI vs. Cal Poly
- Was given the MWC Player of the Week after having 12 hits, 12 RBI, 4 runs and 2 homers--including a grand slam--in 5 games at the Desert Classic
- Hit a career-best 5-for-5 against Cal State Northridge and added 6 RBI, scoring 1 run and hitting a grand slam
- Had 3 hits, including a home run and double, adding 2 runs and 2 RBI against Boise State
- Went 3-for-3 vs. SIUE with a double, 2 RBI and 1 run
- Hit 3-for-4 vs. Ole Miss
- Hit 3-for-4 against Portland State, hitting two home runs for 3 RBI
Graduate Year
Redshirt Year
Medical Redshirt Year
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Softball | Jun, 07
Affleck, Fitu Named Easton All-Americans
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ImageSoftball | May, 19
Three Cougars Named NFCA All-Region