SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Samford’s Hannah Trombley and UNCG’s Stephanie Bryden have been named the Southern Conference softball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for games played March 25-31, the conference office announced Monday. It is the first weekly award of the season for Trombley while Bryden collects her third of the year.
Trombley hit .667 in three games last week, going 6-of-9 from the plate with six RBIs as Samford went 2-1 against SoCon foe Furman. In the opening game of the series on March 30, the designated player went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a triple and two RBIs as Samford won 7-2. Later that afternoon, Trombley, a senior, again went 2-for-3 as she added a home run and another pair of RBIs in the Bulldogs’ 9-4 win. The native of Dallas, Georgia, went 2-for-3 for the third straight game in the series finale and collected her fifth and six RBIs on the weekend. Trombley is hitting .467 and slugging .867 in league play, fourth and third amongst conference players, respectively.
Bryden threw two complete games and notched two wins as UNCG swept Chattanooga on the road. The senior had a 1.50 ERA, a 0.642 WHIP and 17 strikeouts on the week. In the series opener on Saturday, Bryden threw a three-hit shutout, all singles, and tallied six strikeouts without allowing a walk. In the series finale, she capped off the sweep, allowing just three runs, five hits and one walk as she fanned 11 batters. In conference play, the native of Orlando, Florida, leads all players in innings pitched (26), strikeouts (37) and wins (three).
Samford (15-23, 4-2 SoCon) hosts Belmont in nonconference action on April 3 before hosting Western Carolina for a three-game series April 6-7, while UNCG hosts NC State on April 3 and heads to Greenville, South Carolina, for a weekend series with Furman.
Others nominated for player of the week: Marissa Guimbarda (Furman), Shaila Warren (Mercer), Katie Stettler (UNCG) and Bailey Huneycutt (Western Carolina).
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Lynn Gardner (Mercer), 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
March 18 – Emily Coltharp, SS, Fr., Chattanooga
March 25 – Kasidy Dunn, INF, Fr., ETSU
April 1 – Hannah Trombley, DP, Sr., Samford
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
March 18 – Stephanie Bryden, Sr., UNCG
March 25 – Emily DeMonte, Sr., Furman
April 1 – Stephanie Bryden, Sr., UNCG
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