SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Chattanooga’s Emma Sturdivant and Mariah Ramirez have been named the Southern Conference softball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for games played March 4-10, the conference office announced Monday. It is the first weekly award for Sturdivant and Ramirez, though Ramirez was honored as the February pitcher of the month. Sturdivant is the third player of the week from Chattanooga (17-5) this season, while Ramirez is the second Mocs’ pitcher to receive the nod in 2019.
Sturdivant finished the weekend 6-for-13 (.462) at the plate with six hits, three runs scored and three RBIs as Chattanooga picked up wins over Western Michigan, Central Connecticut State and Holy Cross in the USF Invitational in Clearwater, Florida. She had three doubles, a triple, and a homerun and slugged at a 1.077% clip in the span. In Saturday’s 1-0 win over Holy Cross, the senior first basemen hit a solo homerun, the eventual game-winner in the top of the sixth inning to put the Mocs on the board. The next day against Seton Hall, the native of Orange, California, hit an RBI triple to tie the game. She totaled a team-high 14 bases on the weekend and recorded 40 putouts at first base with a perfect 1.000% fielding percentage.
Ramirez, a freshman, went 2-0 on the week and amassed a 0.81 ERA. She tossed 17.1 innings over three games. In her first appearance of the week, she went the distance in a 2-1 win over Western Michigan, allowing just five hits and one earned run. Two days later, she tossed her first career complete game in a shutout of Holy Cross, giving up just three hits and striking out a career-high eight batters.
Chattanooga returns to action on Thursday, March 14 against Eastern Illinois as part of the USF Invitational. From Thursday to Sunday, the Mocs will also face Wichita State, LIU Brooklyn, Seton Hall, North Dakota State and Buffalo.
Others nominated for player of the week: Nikki Grupp (ETSU), Delaney Cumbie (UNCG), Whitney Hinton (Samford) and Hunter Gibbons (Western Carolina).
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Taylor Boling (ETSU), Mackense Greico (Furman), Kylie Bouplon (UNCG), Taylor DeCelles (Samford), and Shaina Reed (Western Carolina).
2019 SoCon Softball Players of the Week
Feb. 11 – Aly Walker, OF/DP, Jr., Chattanooga
Feb. 18 – Amanda Beltran, C., Sr., Chattanooga
Feb. 25 – Nikki Grupp, 3B, Jr., ETSU
March 4 – Marissa Guimbarda, DP/1B, So., Furman
March 11 – Emma Sturdivant, 1B, Sr., Chattanooga
2019 SoCon Softball Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 11 – Celie Hudson, Jr., Chattanooga
Feb. 18 – Kelly Schmidt, Jr., ETSU
Feb. 25 – Stephanie Bryden, Sr., UNCG
March 4 – Emily DeMonte, Sr., Furman
March 11 – Mariah Ramirez, Fr., Chattanooga
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