SPARTANBURG, S.C. ? Elon catcher Jaimie Rao has been named the Southern Conference softball Player of the Week while College of Charleston’s Shannon Howard and Chattanooga’s Brooke Loudermilk have been named the league’s co-Pitchers of the Week for April 21.
Rao helped Elon to a 5-0 record this week, including a three-game sweep of SoCon rival Appalachian State, by batting .643 (9-for-14) with six RBI. The junior from Sugar Hill, Ga., collected a pair of hits in both games of the non-conference doubleheader victory over North Carolina A&T on Tuesday. In Sunday’s series finale versus ASU, Rao was 3-for-4 with four RBI, a triple and a run scored, and she currently holds a six-game hitting streak.
Howard was 3-0 in the circle last week while allowing just one run in 17.0 innings pitched. The junior hurler pitched complete games against Charleston Southern (April 15) and UNC Greensboro (April 19), and she surrendered only one hit in 3.0 innings of relief while picking up the win in game three versus the Spartans on Sunday. The Carmichael, Calif., product struck out nine batters and walked three on the week.
Loudermilk was near-perfect for Chattanooga last week, giving up two hits in 9.1 innings pitched while striking out six and walking one. In game one of Saturday’s doubleheader at Furman, Loudermilk came within one strike of a perfect game before the Lady Paladins’ Stephanie Cushing doubled with a 1-2 count and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. The Locust Grove, Ga., native induced a groundout by the next batter to seal the shutout. Loudermilk added her fifth save of the season on Sunday when she tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless, one-hit innings to close out a 5-2 win over Furman in the series finale.
Other top hitters included College of Charleston’s Shannon Howard, Chattanooga’s Katie Blevins, Georgia Southern’s Amanda Hall, UNC Greensboro’s Lyndsay Mouse and Western Carolina’s Amber Hawkins. Among the top pitchers this week were Elon’s Melanie Helterbran, UNC Greensboro’s Hannah Angel and Western Carolina’s Lauren Ross.
2008 Softball Players of the Week
Feb. 18 Katie Boyd, Appalachian State
Feb. 25 Katie Blevins, Chattanooga
March 3 Kristie Shifflett, College of Charleston
March 10 Robyne Siliga, Georgia Southern
March 17 Meredith Mielke, Furman
March 24 Melanie Helterbran, Elon
March 31 Katie Nutaitis, College of Charleston
April 7 Robyne Siliga, Georgia Southern
April 14 Katie Boyd, Appalachian State
April 21 Jaimie Rao, Elon
2008 Softball Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 18 Pam DelPizzo, Elon
Feb. 25 Lana Mackey, Furman
March 3 Melissa Laliberte, Georgia Southern
March 10 Melissa Laliberte, Georgia Southern
March 17 Lana Mackey, Furman
March 24 Brooke Loudermilk, Chattanooga
March 31 Brooke Loudermilk, Chattanooga
April 7 Melissa Laliberte, Georgia Southern
April 14 Kaitlin Holloway, Chattanooga
April 21 Shannon Howard, College of Charleston
Brooke Loudermilk, Chattanooga