Pac-12 announces softball players of the week
SAN FRANCISCO - The Pac-12 Conference office announced the softball weekly honors for play from Apr. 20-26. OREGON’s Jenna Lilley was voted Player of the Week, while UO’s Cheridan Hawkins was named Pitcher of the Week and UTAH’s Katie Donovan was named Freshman of the Week.
Lilley (North Canton, Ohio) helped the Ducks sweep a non-conference series with No. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette. The freshman hit a .750 clip in the three games with a double, a home run, six runs batted in and three runs scored while going errorless in the field. In the series opener on Friday, Lilley with 3-for-3 with a run scored and four RBI as Oregon run-ruled the Ragin’ Cajuns, 8-0, in five innings. She went 1-for-2 with a run and two more RBI as the Ducks run-ruled UL once again, 10-2, in the first game of a doubleheader on Saturday. In the second game, Lilley went 2-for-3 with another run scored in the 2-1, eight-inning UO win. The third base player is now hitting a team-high .442 in her freshman campaign.
Hawkins (Anderson, Calif.) tossed the sixth no-hitter of her career and third this season when she shut down No. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette, one of the top hitting teams in the nation, in an 8-0 win in Friday’s series opener. Hawkins allowed just two walks and struck out 11 batters of 15 total outs in her five innings of work. The junior lefty started the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader, striking out seven while allowing four hits, two earned runs and a walk. She finished by pitching the final four outs of the second game of the doubleheader, striking out three and allowing one hit to pick up the eight-inning, 2-1 victory.
Donovan (Salem, Ore.) helped Utah to a fifth-consecutive Pac-12 series win this weekend, going 2-0 in two appearances on the mound with a 0.64 earned run average and throwing six strikeouts while allowing just seven hits and one earned run. The true freshman recorded her team-leading 11th complete game in Saturday’s win over Arizona State, then followed with a four-inning relief victory on Sunday. In Saturday’s 8-1 win, Donovan gave up a hit and a run in the first inning before cruising through six more innings and giving up just three more hits, tallying four strikeouts. She then pitched four shutout innings in Utah’s 4-0 victory over the No. 23 Sun Devils on Sunday, allowing just three hits after entering in the bottom of the fourth.
Lilley earns her fourth-career weekly honor and third Player of the Week honor, while Hawkins picks up her 11th Pitcher of the Week accolade, tied for the fifth-most in Pac-12 history. The Ducks now have 61 honors all-time. Donovan earns her second-career weekly accolade, marking the eighth all-time for Utah. Utah has had three different players earn four Freshman of the Week honors this season, with six total weekly accolades in 2015 alone.
Oregon returns to Pac-12 play with a three-game series at home against California beginning Friday, May 1, with all three contests scheduled to be televised on Pac-12 Networks. Utah has its bye week and will return to the field on Tuesday, May 5 for a non-conference game against Utah State at home. For more information, including a full schedule, visit www.pac-12.com.
Also Nominated
Player: Hallie Wilson, ARIZ; Danielle Henderson, CAL; Bessie Noll, STAN; Delaney Spaulding, UCLA; Casey Stangel, WASH.
Pitcher: Kylie Sorenson, STAN; Ally Carda, UCLA; Katie Donovan, UTAH.
Freshman: Lauren Wegner, STAN; Kylee Perez, UCLA.