SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Western Carolina’s Bailey Huneycutt and the Catamounts’ Savannah Rice have been named the Southern Conference softball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for games played April 5-11, the conference office announced Monday.
 
Huneycutt hit .571 with eight hits, five RBIs and five runs scored as Western Carolina won five games, three of which came in a sweep of ETSU over the weekend, and ran its win streak to 11 games. The junior began the week going 1-for-2 at the plate, drawing a pair of walks in a 4-3 win over USC Upstate on April 5. In game two of the doubleheader against the Spartans, Huneycutt hit a home run in the eighth inning to give Western Carolina a 6-5 win. She began the weekend series against ETSU by going 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Huneycutt smacked a home run in the bottom of the sixth, giving Western Carolina its eighth run of the game, which ended the game and gave the Catamounts the 8-0 win. The shortstop from Oakboro, North Carolina, also went 3-for-3 in the contest, scoring a pair of runs and adding a pair of RBIs. Huneycutt drew a walk and came around to score in the series finale, cutting the ETSU lead to 3-2 before the Catamounts scored three in the sixth en route to a 5-3 win.
 
Rice, a sophomore, made appearances in four of Western Carolina’s five games on the week, going 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA. Rice pitched 18 innings, including two complete games and earned one shutout, giving up just three runs and walking just three batters while striking out 12. The native of Marshall, North Carolina, started in the first game against USC Upstate and pitched two innings, giving up two hits and recording two strikeouts. She threw three innings in relief in the second game of the double header, tossing a pair of scoreless innings to earn the win. In the first game against the Bucs, Rice had a no-hitter through the first three innings before rain halted play. On Sunday, when the game resumed, Rice struck out the batter at the plate and ended up tossing a two-hit shutout in the 8-0 win and striking out four. Rice tossed a complete-game three-hitter in the final game of the series later that afternoon, allowing three runs, her only in her four appearances on the week, and striking out five.
 
Western Carolina (16-16, 7-1 SoCon), alone atop the conference standings despite being picked to finish last in the preseason poll, plays a doubleheader at Presbyterian on Wednesday, April 14, and plays a doubleheader at Mercer (18-15, 3-3) on Saturday, April 17, concluding the series with a single game on Sunday, April 18.
 
Others nominated for player of the week: Mackense Greico (Furman), Allie Jones (Mercer), Melanie Darges (UNCG) and Whitney Hinton (Samford).
 
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Sierra Tufts (Furman), Ashlyn Donner (Mercer) and Taylor DeCelles (Samford).  
 
2021 SoCon Softball Players of the Week
Feb. 15 – Bailey Huneycutt, SS, Jr., Western Carolina
Feb. 22 – Courtney Ball, 3B, Fr., Chattanooga
March 1 – Nikki Grupp, 3B, R-Sr., ETSU
March 8 – Jasmine Palmer, OF, R-Sr., UNCG
March 15 – Timberlyn Shurbutt, IF, Jr., Samford
March 22 – Maycin Brown, IF, So., UNCG
March 29 – Whitney Hinton, 2B, Sr., Samford
April 5 – Hayleigh Weissenbach, OF, R-Sr., Chattanooga
April 12 – Bailey Huneycutt, SS, Jr., Western Carolina
 
2021 SoCon Softball Pitchers of the Week
Feb. 15 – Jayme Eilers, So., Western Carolina
Feb. 22 – Abby Swaney, R-Fr., Samford
March 1 – Emily Barnett, Jr., Samford
March 8 – Morgan Scott, So., UNCG
March 15 – Kelly Schmidt, R-Sr., ETSU
March 22 – Kelly Schmidt, R-Sr., ETSU
March 29 – Emily Barnett, Jr., Samford
April 5 – Brooke Parrott, Jr., Chattanooga
April 12 – Savannah Rice, So., Western Carolina