SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Furman’s Marissa Guimbarda and Emily DeMonte have been named the Southern Conference softball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for games played Feb. 25-March 3, the conference office announced Monday. It is the first weekly award for Guimbarda and the third for DeMonte, who was honored the first two weeks of the 2018 season.
Guimbarda hit .522, finishing 12-for-23 from the plate with six home runs and 12 RBIs as the Paladins went 3-3 on the week with wins over Penn, Incarnate Word and Middle Tennessee. Starting in all seven games, she had an on-base percentage of .542 and a slugging percentage of 1.304. In a midweek doubleheader at Georgia Southern, the sophomore combined for three hits, all homers, and four RBIs in six plate appearances. On Friday against Penn, Guimbarda was 3-for-4 at the plate with one home run, two RBIs, and one run scored. The following day, the native of Suwanee, Georgia, was 4-for-4 with a home run, four RBIs and a run scored in a 7-4 win over Incarnate Word. She capped off the week by going 2-for-3 at the plate with one home run, two RBIs and a run scored against Middle Tennessee. The infielder struck out just twice in 23 trips to the plate. The preseason second-team all-conference selection is hitting .378 and leads the league in home runs (seven) and slugging percentage (.867) and is also in the top 10 in batting average, on base percentage, RBIs, total bases and sac flies.
DeMonte went 3-1 in the circle with six appearances and four starts. The senior finished with a 2.24 earned run average and had 19 strikeouts to just two walks allowed in 34 1/3 innings of work. Against Georgia Southern, DeMonte pitched 7 2/3 innings before the Eagles prevailed 6-4 in extras. In Friday’s win over Penn, the preseason second-team all-conference selection earned her first win of the season, pitching all seven innings and holding the Quakers to a single run without issuing a walk. On Saturday, she held Incarnate Word to three earned runs over six innings en route to a win before capping the weekend off with a complete-game, two-hit shutout over Middle Tennessee. She threw just 66 pitches and faced only one batter over the minimum in the defeat of the Blue Raiders. The native of Sumter, South Carolina, also contributed offensively as she hit .316 with six hits and four RBIs. DeMonte leads the league in innings pitched (66 2/3, appearances (13) and games started (11).
Furman returns to action at USF on March 6 before facing Providence, Central Connecticut State, Wisconsin, UCF and No. 15 Indiana as part of the USF- Clearwater Parks and Recreation Showcase on March 8-10.
Others nominated for player of the week: Kelly Warren (ETSU), Abby Walsh (Mercer), Delaney Cumbie (UNCG), Halie Williamson (Chattanooga) and Madison Armstrong (Western Carolina).
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Taylor Boling (ETSU), Bailey Pattison (Mercer), Stephanie Bryden (UNCG), Allison Swinford (Chattanooga) and Kinsey Liscio (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
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
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