SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNCG’s Makenna Matthijs and Furman’s Emily Demonte have been named Southern Conference softball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for games played Feb. 12-18, the conference office announced Monday. This is the first weekly award for Matthijs and second consecutive award for Demonte after earning the first weekly award of the season on Feb. 12.
Matthijs finished the weekend with six hits, five RBIs and a .429 batting average as the Spartans rounded out play at the Eastern Michigan Madeira Beach Spring Invitational with a 4-1 record. The freshman started the tournament with a 2-for-3 effort at the plate against Massachusetts as the Spartans earned the 5-2 win. In a 3-2 win over UMKC, Matthijs drove in the game-winning run with a double to right field in the bottom of the seventh winning, scoring Jasmine Palmer from third. In UNCG’s fourth game of the tournament, the Greenville, North Carolina, native went 2-for-4 from the dish against Virginia, scoring one run in the 3-2 victory. Matthijs capped the weekend with her second game-winning hit of the tournament and third of the season, crushing a grand slam in the top of the seventh inning against Lipscomb to break the 2-2 tie and give the Spartans their seventh win of the season. The home run was the first of Matthijs’ career and capped a six-run seventh inning for UNCG.
Demonte, who is 4-0 with a 0.28 ERA this season, picks up her second weekly award of the season after going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances this past weekend. In a win over Colgate on Feb. 16, Demonte tossed a four-hit, complete-game shutout to help Furman to a 7-0 victory over Colgate. The junior fanned three in the win and also got things done offensively, drawing two walks, swiping a base and scoring a run. Against Fairfield, the Sumter, South Carolina, native surrendered just three unearned runs on five hits in a complete-game effort to help Furman pick up the 8-3 win and clinch the best-of-three series. In her two appearances, Demonte allowed just nine hits in 14 innings while walking five and striking out six.
Others nominated for player of the week: Julia Fritz (ETSU), Candace Johnson (Furman), Meghan Rud (Mercer), Shelby Maze (Samford), Amanda Beltran (Chattanooga) and Madison Armstrong (Western Carolina)
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Kelly Schmidt (ETSU), Lauren O’Dell (Mercer), Alicia Bazonski (UNCG) and Annalyn Yantis (Samford).
2018 SoCon Softball Players of the Week
Feb. 12 – Marisa Sholtes, 1B, RJr., UNCG
Feb. 19 – Makenna Matthijs, OF, Fr., UNCG
2018 SoCon Softball Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 12 – Emily Demonte, Jr., Furman
Feb. 19 – Emily Demonte, Jr., Furman