SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Mercer’s Kenlie Harvey and Chattanooga’s Celie Hudson have been named the Southern Conference softball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for games played April 15-21, the conference office announced Monday. It is the first weekly award of the season for Harvey and the second for Hudson.
Harvey went 3-for-5 (.600) at the plate as Mercer split a pair of games at Samford, who sits atop the conference at 10-4. The freshman had four RBIs and scored two runs in the rain-shortened series. In the first game, Harvey was 1-for-2 with a two-run home run. She also drew a walk and was hit by a pitch as the Bears won 5-4 in eight innings. Later that afternoon, she was 2-for-3 with another two-run blast in the second game of the day, a 7-4 Samford win. In conference games, the Thomasville, Georgia, native has an on-base percentage of .471, seventh-best in the league, and a .640 slugging percentage, eighth amongst conference players.
Hudson, a junior, went 2-0 with a save and a 0.00 ERA in 16 2/3 innings pitched as Chattanooga went 4-0 on the week, including 3-0 in SoCon play with a sweep of Western Carolina. She pitched two innings, striking out three, in an 8-1 midweek win at Belmont. In the series opener against the Catamounts, Hudson made a relief appearance, throwing 2/3 of an inning and picking up a save in the 6-5 win. Later that day, she earned the start and threw a complete-game three-hitter, striking out five and issuing just one walk. In the finale the next day, the native of Paris, Tennessee, threw another complete game, this time striking out four and allowing just two hits in a 6-0 shutout. For the week, the junior limited opposing batters to a .158 batting average and didn’t allow a single extra-base hit.
Mercer (21-24, 7-4 SoCon) hosts Alabama State on Wednesday before hosting UNCG in a three-game series this weekend, while Chattanooga (29-12, 7-5) travels to ETSU for a three-game tilt this weekend.
Others nominated for player of the week: Julia Fritz (ETSU), Tess Griswold (Furman), Timberlyn Shurbutt (Samford), Halie Williamson (Chattanooga) and Hunter Gibbons (Western Carolina)
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Taylor DeCelles (Samford) 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
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
April 8 – Megan Lane, INF, Sr., Mercer
April 15 – Whitney Hinton, 2B, Jr., Samford
April 22 – Kenlie Harvey, INF, Fr., Mercer
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
April 8 – Stephanie Bryden, Sr., UNCG
April 15 – Bailey Pattison, Fr., Mercer
April 22 - Celie Hudson, Jr., Chattanooga
-www.SoConSports.com-