PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s final 2016 weekly softball honors, for the week ending May 8.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Maddie Withee • OF • Jr. • Tulsa • Arlington, Texas
Withee has been named Player of the Week for the second time this season after she hit .727 for the week (8-for-11), including a 7-for-10 performance in the weekend sweep of UConn. The junior posted a .818 slugging percentage and a .727 on-base percentage. Withee tallied three multi-hit games against the Huskies. She went 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and a run on Friday, 3-for-4 with a run on Saturday, and 2-for-3 on Sunday. The product of Arlington, Texas, was 1-for-1 against No. 7/7 Oklahoma on Wednesday.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Shelby Turnier • P • Sr. • UCF • Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Turnier has been selected as Pitcher of the Week for the fifth time this season, after she earned two wins in the circle for the Knights and reached a pair of career milestones over the weekend. With her second strikeout on Sunday, the Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., native became the third Knight in school history to reach 800 career strikeouts. Her 78
th career win on Sunday tied her with Mackenzie Audas as the UCF Softball career victories record holder. Turnier allowed just three hits over three games and did not allow a run in any of her appearances against East Carolina. With the series win over East Carolina, UCF has reached its third-straight season the Knights have won all of its American Athletic Conference series.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Samantha McCloskey • C • Sr. • UCF • Detroit, Mich.
Hit .600 over the weekend, as she recorded her 30
th career double and 23
rd career homer, tying for the third-most home runs in program history. McCloskey recorded just five official at-bats on the weekend, as she drew four walks and took sole possession of sixth place on the UCF career walks list with 79. Defensively, she had 16 putouts and an assist with a 1.000 fielding percentage on the week.
Lexi Gifford • SS • Sr. • UConn • Natick, Mass.
Hit .444 on the week, and went 3-for-3 with a stolen base against Tulsa on Saturday. Gifford did not commit an error in 15 defensive chances this weekend.
Lydia Ritchie • P • Jr. • East Carolina • Pikeville, Tenn.
Went 1-1 on the week, with a 3.71 earned run average in two appearances at No. 25 UCF. Ritchie tossed her 12
th complete game of the season, as she allowed just one run in East Carolina’s 2-1 series-opening win. The win marked her 13
th of the season and the Pirates’ first victory over a ranked opponent since 2014. The junior tallied three strikeouts in her 11.1.
Maya Thomas • OF • Fr. • Houston • Sugar Land, Texas
Batted .625 with two multi-hit games in the weekend sweep against Memphis. Thomas recorded her 11th stolen base of the season in game three of the series.
Caitlin Sill • P • Sr. • Tulsa • Tuttle, Okla.
Went 1-1 with a 1.00 ERA for the week, including a 9.0-inning four-hit shutout of UConn on Sunday. Sill tallied six strikeouts for the week and scattered 12 hits. On Wednesday, she started against No. 7/7 Oklahoma, allowing two runs in five innings.
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