SPARTANBURG, S.C. – UNC Greensboro’s Makenna Matthijs and Mercer’s Ashlyn Donner have been named the Southern Conference softball player and pitcher of the week, respectively, for games played April 12-18, the conference office announced Monday.
 
Matthijs hit .471 with eight hits, five RBIs and five runs scored as UNCG dropped a midweek contest to Charlotte before sweeping Chattanooga in a weekend conference series. The senior began the week by going 3-for-4 against the 49ers. All three of her hits went for extra bases as the native of Greenville, North Carolina, tallied a pair of doubles and hit a home run to drive in half of the runs in the 11-4 loss. The senior centerfielder went 1-for-4 at the plate with a run scored in in the series-opening 6-3 win at Chattanooga on Saturday. In the series finale on Sunday afternoon, Matthijs, a preseason second-team all-conference selection, went 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles, adding three RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base in the 10-5 Spartans’ win.
 
Donner, a sophomore, made appearances in two of Western Carolina’s three games on the week, going 1-0 with a 0.58 ERA. The New Ulm, Minnesota, native, pitched five innings in the first game against the league-leading Catamounts, tossing five innings and allowing two runs, just one of which was earned, and striking out three in a 6-4 loss. In Sunday’s series finale, Donner pitched a complete game and earned the win in a 6-0 shutout, helping the Bears halt Western Carolina's 11-game win streak. She allowed five hits, but didn’t allow a run to cross the plate, and stuck out two in her first solo shutout in a Mercer uniform. Donner is 5-1 in her last six starts, going the distance in all five wins.    
 
UNCG (21-14, 6-3 SoCon) hosts East Carolina on Wednesday, April 21, before welcoming Samford (15-20, 4-5) for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 24. The series concludes with a single game on Sunday, April 25. Mercer (19-17, 4-5) plays at ETSU (13-17, 1-11) this weekend, with a doubleheader slated for Saturday and the series finale scheduled for Sunday. 
 
Others nominated for player of the week: Natalie Morgan (Furman), Adele Braun (Mercer), Timberlyn Shurbutt (Samford) and Bailey Huneycutt (Western Carolina).
 
Others nominated for pitcher of the week: Bailey Tanner (Furman), Morgan Scott (UNCG) and Jayme Eilers (Western Carolina).
 
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
April 19 – Makenna Matthijs, CF, Sr., UNCG
 
 
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
April 19 – Ashlyn Donner, So., Mercer