PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s weekly softball honors for the week ending Sunday, Feb. 9.
Player of the Week
Justene Molina * Jr. * INF * UCF
Molina shined in her debut for UCF, helping guide the Knights to a 5-1 weekend at the Black and Gold Tournament at the UCF Softball Stadium. The Boise State transfer batted .600 with nine hits, 10 RBI, four runs scored and a 1.580 OPS against Indiana (twice), Duke (twice), Clemson and St. John’s. Molina fashioned back-to-back two-hit, three-RBI games in wins over Indiana (Feb. 7) and Clemson (Feb. 8), and added a two-run triple to her ledger in a victory against Duke (Feb. 8). To cap the tournament against St. John’s (Feb. 9), she ripped three hits, including a solo home run, and scored twice to vault the Knights over the Red Storm 6-2. After the first weekend of play, Molina ranked among the conference’s top five in batting average, slugging percentage (.933), on-base percentage (.647), hits, RBI and total bases (14).
Pitcher of the Week
Alea White * Sr. * RHP * UCF
White rolled in the circle to open her senior campaign at UCF at the Black and Gold Tournament. In four appearances (three starts) during the event, White compiled a 3-0 record and 1.47 ERA, holding opponents to a .191 batting average against while striking out 24 in 19 full innings. She spun a four-hit shutout with two walks and eight strikeouts in a win over Indiana (Feb. 6) in her season debut, and went the distance in surrendering five hits, two runs and two walks with six punch-outs during a 5-2 triumph over Duke (Feb. 8) in her next start. After striking out the side in the top of the seventh in relief the following day against the Blue Devils (Feb. 9), White allowed four hits in five innings and struck out seven to earn the win later in the day against St. John’s (Feb. 9). White led all American pitchers in innings pitched, wins and starts (3) after the first weekend of games, ranking second in strikeouts.
Weekly Honor Roll
Marybeth Olson * Jr. * RHP * UConn
Logged a 2-0 mark and 0.95 ERA in four appearances (one start) for 3-2 UConn at the FGCU Softball Tournament, walking two and striking out a conference-high 27 for the week in 14.2 innings pitched; struck out 11 batters and allowed three hits in six shutout innings against Georgetown (Feb. 7), punched out six Delaware (Feb. 8) hitters in three relief frames and finished with eight strikeouts in four innings out of the bullpen against FGCU (Feb. 9)
Bailey Urban * Fr. * OF * Wichita State
Batted .533 with four extra-base hits, eight RBI, eight runs scored and a 1.600 OPS for 3-3 Wichita State at the Texas Classic; roped three hits and scored four runs against Lamar (Feb. 7), drove in four runs and scored twice later in the day against Texas A&M Corpus-Christi (Feb. 7) and logged a pair of hits and three RBI to close the tournament against Colorado State (Feb. 9)
Chenise Delce * So. * RHP * Tulsa
Belted a conference-high three home runs and slugged 1.286 with eight total hits and five RBI for 4-0 Tulsa, adding a 2-0 record and 1.80 ERA in the circle over two pitching starts at the Mercer Invitational; homered in three straight games against Tennessee Tech (Feb. 7), Eastern Kentucky (Feb. 7) and Mercer (Feb. 8) before logging three hits, an RBI and a run scored against Dayton (Feb. 9)
Sara Ann Davidson * Sr. * INF * Memphis
Closed the opening tournament of 2020 with a .455 batting average, three extra-base hits, four RBI, a .571 on-base percentage, a .909 slugging percentage and five runs scored for 3-2 Memphis at the Hawaii Paradise Classic; scored two runs in wins against Iowa State (Feb. 6) and Hawaii (Feb. 7) and added a 3-for-3 performance with two doubles and two RBI against Northern Colorado (Feb. 8)
Sarah Queen * Sr. * INF * Houston
Batted .471 with four extra-base hits, four stolen bases, six RBI, a .500 on-base percentage and an .824 slugging percentage for 4-1 Houston during the Houston Invitational; went 2-for-2 with a home run, three RBI and two stolen bases in a win over Valparaiso (Feb. 7), logged three hits, an RBI and a steal against UMass Lowell (Feb. 8) and drove in a pair of runs in a victory against Fordham (Feb. 8)