PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly softball honors for the week of April 16-22.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Mackenzie Wright · Sr. · INF · Wichita State
Wright helped lead the Shockers to a perfect 4-0 record last week, with a midweek victory over #19/24 Oklahoma State before sweeping UCF at home on senior weekend. She finished with a .714 batting average (10-for-14) with three RBI, a pair of doubles, a triple and a home run while drawing three walks and scoring six times. Wright had multiple hits in all four games, including a pair of three-hit performances in the final two games of the series with UCF.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Bailey Lange · Jr. · LHP · Wichita State
Lange pitched three complete games last week for the Shockers, tallying three wins - over #19/24 Oklahoma State and two victories over UCF in American action. She gave up eight earned runs in 20.0 total innings of work with 24 strikeouts, including her 150th of this season and 300th career strikeout. Lange helped herself at the plate as well, collecting five hits and driving in five RBI while notching three homers.
WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Sarah Queen · Soph. · INF · Houston
Queen finished the week with a .500 batting average (4-for-8) with a pair of multi-hit games against Tulsa. She notched a home run or extra-base hit in all three games of the American Conference series, while her two-run home run in series opener proved to be the game-winner in 2-0 win for the Cougars. Queen’s two homers last weekend were her seventh and eighth of the season, leading the team in that category.
Erin Poepping · Fr. · RHP · ECU
Poepping tallied a 2-1 record and 1.75 ERA in four appearances and 12.0 innings pitched in leading ECU to a series win over USF. She allowed just three earned runs and did not walk a batter in any of her four appearances, which included 1.2 innings of relief at North Carolina during midweek action. In the USF series alone, she was 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA allowing just two earned runs and striking out four batters in 10.1 innings pitched. Poepping tossed a complete game with three strikeouts in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Bulls that tied the series and then earned the win in relief in the series finale that clinched the series, tossing 3.1 scoreless frames with a strikeout.
Julia Hollingsworth · Jr. ·OF · Tulsa
Hollingsworth helped lead the Tulsa offense last week by hitting .538 (7-of-13) with a double and three runs scored. Hollingsworth had a .571 on-base percentage at the top of the Hurricane lineup and had a hit in all four games during the week. After going 1-for-3 against No. 2 Oklahoma, she recorded a pair of hits in game one of the series at Houston and wrapped up play against the Cougars by going 3-for-4 with a walk and three runs scored.
Ashleigh Inae · Fr. · INF · ECU
Inae hit .417 (5-for-12) with three runs scored, two RBI, a home run and a stolen base last week in leading ECU to a series win over USF. She posted a pair of multi-hit games in the USF series, including going 2-for-3 with a run scored, a stolen base and a two-run home run in the series finale with the Bulls while not committing an error in the field in four starts at shortstop.
Katie Koshes · So. · RHP · UConn
Koshes started two games against Memphis last weekend, picking up a complete-game shutout win on Saturday in the second game of the doubleheader. She allowed just one earned run on seven hits in 11 innings of work, recording a 9-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Koshes struck-out eight in a one-run, five-hit effort on Friday, before surrendering just two hits in Saturday's win.