SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNCG’s Jordan Gontram and Furman’s Lindsey Bert have been named Southern Conference softball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for games played April 30 to May 6, the conference office announced Monday. Bert now has 12 weekly selections in her career, including three consecutive, while this is the first of Gontram’s career.
Gontram led the Spartans in the Samford series in almost every offensive category, including 11 RBIs, three homers, a .727 on-base percentage and a 1.667 slugging percentage. Gontram went 6-for-9 at the plate, and all but two were RBI hits. In UNCG’s 9-2 victory on Saturday, the sophomore smacked a grand slam and three-run homer along with a single and three runs, tying for the second-most RBIs (seven) in a single game in program history. In the 5-3 win over the Bulldogs, the Wake Forest, North Carolina, native knocked in the game-winning run with a two-RBI single and went 2-for-3 with a walk. In the series finale, Gontram hit a two-run homer and also got on base with a hit by pitch. Gontram finished the weekend with a .667 batting average and currently ranks fourth in the league with 38 RBIs.
Bert posted a 2-0 record and a 1.50 ERA as Furman took two of three games at Mercer in its final regular-season series. The left-hander fanned 13 batters in a complete-game effort on Saturday to propel the Paladins to a 3-2 win before striking out 11 in a three-hit, complete-game effort in Sunday’s 2-1 win. The Tallahassee, Florida, native allowed just three runs on 10 hits over 14 innings of work in the series, while striking out 24 batters and issuing only one walk. The senior leads the nation with 317 strikeouts this season and is just the second pitcher in SoCon history to record 300 strikeouts in a single season.
Others nominated for player of the week: Vanessa Elliott (ETSU) and Caroline Taylor (Mercer).
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Madison Ogle (ETSU) and Stella Preston (Mercer).
2018 SoCon Softball Players of the Week
Feb. 12 – Marisa Sholtes, 1B, RJr., UNCG
Feb. 19 – Makenna Matthijs, OF, Fr., UNCG
Feb. 26 – Caroline Taylor, 1B, RSr., Mercer
March 5 – Shelby Maze, OF, Sr., Samford
March 12 – Candace Johnson, OF, RSr., Furman
March 19 – Makenna Matthijs, OF, Fr., UNCG
March 26 – Makenna Matthijs, OF, Fr., UNCG
April 2 – Shelby Maze, OF, Sr., Samford
April 9 – Lindsey Bert, DP, Sr., Furman
April 16 – Shelby Maze, OF, Sr., Samford
April 23 – Ashlyn Barnes, SS, Fr., Samford
April 30 – Marisa Sholtes, 1B, RJr., UNCG
May 7 – Jordan Gontram, OF, So., UNCG
2018 SoCon Softball Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 12 – Emily Demonte, Jr., Furman
Feb. 19 – Emily Demonte, Jr., Furman
Feb. 26 – Lindsey Bert, Sr., Furman
March 5 – Jill McElderry, Sr., Mercer
March 12 – Stephanie Bryden, Jr., UNCG
March 19 – Madison Ogle, Sr., ETSU
March 26 – Alicia Bazonski, Sr., UNCG
April 2 – Stephanie Bryden, Jr., UNCG
April 9 – Lindsey Bert, Sr., Furman
April 16 – Celie Hudson, So., Chattanooga
April 23 – Lindsey Bert, Sr., Furman
April 30 – Lindsey Bert, Sr., Furman
May 7 – Lindsey Bert, Sr., Furman