SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Samford’s Caitlin Bice and Western Carolina’s Jordan Garrett have been named the Southern Conference Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, the league announced Monday. The selections are made by the Southern Conference office.
Bice went 5-for-10 (.500), including four home runs, with five runs and nine RBIs as the Bulldogs went 4-1 last week. The junior outfielder recorded at least one hit, one run and one RBI in each of her last four games last week. In two games on Saturday, she was a combined 3-for-5 with two home runs, three runs and five RBIs to key the Bulldogs to a pair of dramatic, walk-off wins over Murray State and Nicholls State.
Bice’s best single-game performance came against Murray State on Saturday when she went 2-for-4 with two homers, two runs and four RBIs. The native of Chelsea, Ala. currently leads the SoCon with 13 RBIs and four home runs this season. It is first career weekly honor for Bice.
Garrett tossed 11.0 innings in two appearances (both starts) last week, allowing seven hits and just one run (zero earned) for the Catamounts. The senior hurler earned her 36th career victory on Saturday against Radford to become the all-time winningest pitcher in Western Carolina history. It was her first win of the season, coming in a complete-game performance against the Highlanders.
In the win, Garrett allowed four hits and only one run (zero earned) with 10 strikeouts against three walks for the 4-1 victory. Earlier in the week, she tossed 4.0 scoreless innings against North Carolina and allowed three hits with two strikeouts against five walks. The native of Henderson, N.C. claims the weekly honor for the second time in her career and first time since her freshman campaign in 2012
Also nominated for Player of the Week: Kelsey Smith (ETSU), Natalie Clemmons (Furman), Taylor Miller (Mercer), Dominique Madruga (UNCG), Sam Taylor (Chattanooga), Victoria Mariscal (Western Carolina)
Also nominated for Pitcher of the Week: Taylor Carter (ETSU), Alicia Bazonski (UNCG), Mollie Hanson (Samford), Taylor Deason (Chattanooga)
2015 Softball Players of the Week
Feb. 9 – Natalie Shiver, Mercer
Feb. 16 – Caitlin Bice, Samford
2015 Softball Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 9 – Mollie Hanson, Samford
Feb. 16 – Jordan Garrett, Western Carolina