Cal pitcher/utility Valerie Arioto was named Pac-12 Softball Player of the Week and Arizona State pitcher Hillary Bach was named Pac-12 Softball Pitcher of the Week.

Four Pac-12 players were named candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in softball, the award committee announced Wednesday.

California leads Pac-12 teams in the national rankings, taking over the No. 1 spot in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll for the first time since Feb. 8, 2005.

California redshirt senior pitcher/first baseman Valerie Arioto was named Pac-12 Softball Player of the Week and Washington sophomore pitcher Kaitlin Inglesby was named Pac-12 Softball Pitcher of the Week.

The 2012 Pac-12 softball season begins this weekend as eight of the Conference’s nine teams head to Arizona State’s Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., while UCLA hosts the Stacy Winsberg Memorial Tournament.

Twelve Pac-12 players were named to the watch list for the 2012 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award, the ASA announced Wednesday.

In a polling of the Conference’s softball coaches, defending national champion Arizona State was selected as the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12 title in 2012.

Defending national champion Arizona State tops both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason polls. The Pac-12 leads all conferences with seven teams ranked in each poll.

Cal senior utility player Valerie Arioto and former Pac-12 players Kaitlin Cochran and Jenae Leles were named to the 2012 USA Softball Women’s National Team.