PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly softball honors, for the week ending April 17.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Valerie Sadowl • 2B • Sr. • UConn • Horsham, Pa.
Sadowl has been selected as Player of the Week after she hit .429 over three games played, with a double, homerun, and six RBIs. She also drew three walks as she produced a .600 on base percentage to go with a slugging percentage of 1.000. On Saturday the senior led UConn at the plate, recording two of the team’s three total hits to go with four RBIs. In the fifth inning, she hit her first homer since 2014 – a three-run shot – to lift the Huskies to an 8-5 comeback win over the Pirates. Sadowl added two RBIs on Sunday, as the Huskies clinched the series with a 15-7 run-rule win over ECU. Defensively, the Horsham, Pa., native had four putouts and three assists without an error.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Erica Nunn • P • Sr. • USF • Apex, N.C.
Nunn has been named Pitcher of the Week for the second consecutive week and fourth time this season after she threw 11 total innings for No. 25/22 USF, including a complete-game shutout, in a conference series against Memphis. Nunn earned two wins against the Tigers, as she struck out 17 batters and walked just two. The senior allowed five hits and no runs between the two games. The product of Apex, N.C., has now pitched 25 consecutive scoreless innings in conference play. Her 11 strikeouts on Saturday marked the third time this season that she has struck out double-digit batters, all coming in conference play.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Manami Calixto • P • Jr. • UCF • Curitiba, Brazil
Collected her eighth and ninth wins of the season over the weekend at Houston. Calixto posted her first complete-game shutout in game two of the series against the Cougars. She struck out four batters and gave up just two walks in nine innings pitched.
Samantha McCloskey • C • Sr. • UCF • Detroit, Mich.
Led the Knights with a .500 batting average on 5-for-10 hitting over the weekend, including a pair of multi-hit games. McCloskey notched two doubles and an RBI in two wins over Houston.
Ciara Ervin • OF • Jr. • East Carolina • Tracy, Calif.
Hit .500 in a three-game series at UConn, and scored four runs to go along with a double, triple and 10 total bases. Ervin slugged .714 over the weekend with a .500 on base percentage, and has extended her reached-base streak to 13 games.
Savannah Heebner • P • Fr. • Houston • Sedalia, Colo.
Led the Cougars to wins over No. 20/19 Baylor on Tuesday and RV/NR UCF on Friday. The freshman went 4-for-10 at the plate with two doubles and an RBI, while pitching and serving as the offensive player. Heebner pitched her second complete-game shutout on Friday, striking out five and allowing just four hits in game one against UCF.
Hannah Harrell • LF • Jr. • Memphis • Ashland, Miss.
Went 6-for-12 at the plate over the week, including two multi-hit games. Harrell recorded four RBIs and four runs scored. The junior also tallied three steals to improve her season total to 22, which is a program single-season record.
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