2012 Softball Players of the Week

  • Felice Lowery, Roanoke, Senior, Outfielder/Catcher
    April 23, 2012
    Lowery, a senior from Madison Heights, Va., picks up her second straight weekly honor as she was near perfect in the four games played this week. She hit 11-for13 for an .846 average with at least two hits in each contest. She was 4-for-6 with a homer, two runs batted in and a run scored in a double-header sweep of Emory & Henry to open the week. She followed that with a 7-for-7 twinbill against Lynchburg, helping the Maroons to a sweep of the Hornets with two doubles, a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Lowery is currently second in the ODAC with a .471 batting average, and is third with a .760 slugging percentage.
  • Kelly Beard, Randolph-Macon, Junior, Pitcher
    April 23, 2012
    Beard, a junior from Williamsport, Md., led the Jackets to an 8-1 win over Southern Virginia Thursday afternoon. The junior tossed a complete game, allowing just one earned run while striking out five to improve to 7-3 on the season. She scattered 11 hits in the effort, but did not surrender a free pass.
  • Felice Lowery, Roanoke, Senior, Outfielder/Catcher
    April 16, 2012
    Lowery, a senior from Madison Heights, Va., batted .667 last week (14-for-21) with six doubles, a triple, three homers, eight runs scored and 13 runs batted in during the Maroons' 5-1 week. Not only did she have one hit in each game, but she also had one extra-base knock in all six contests. In a sweep of Eastern Mennonite to open the week, Lowery went 3-for-7 with three doubles, two RBI and a run scored. She added two more doubles, another RBI and a run scored in a split with Bridgewater. She capped her week on Roanoke's Senior Day by going 8-for-8 in a sweep of Sweet Briar. In game one, she belted three homers and hit a triple on her way to five RBI and four runs scored. Lowery batted in five more runs in the night cap while collecting four more hits, including a double. For the season, Lowery is hitting .418 with five homers and 26 RBI. She also boasts a .692 slugging percentage.
  • Heather Lewis, Randolph-Macon, Junior, Pitcher
    April 16, 2012
    Lewis, a junior from Glen Allen, Va., led the Jackets to a 7-1 record in ODAC play last week as she tossed a trio of complete games, including a pair of shutouts. She has now won seven straight starts, improving her overall record to 13-3 on the year. Lewis opened the week with a five-hit shutout of Randolph College in which she struck out four and walked one. She backed that with another seven inning effort against Lynchburg, allowing no earned runs in helping her team defeat the Hornets for the first time in any of the current Yellow Jackets' careers. On Sunday, Lewis brought her weekly innings total to 21 in surrendering just one run on eight hits in a 2-1 win over Guilford. That victory helped the squad tie the all-time single season wins record at R-MC with 24 (24-set in 2008).
  • Melanie Lamb, Bridgewater, Junior, Third Base
    April 09, 2012
    Lamb, a junior from Ruckersville, Va., was solid at the plate last week, helping to lead the 15th-ranked Bridgewater Eagles softball team to a 3-1 week on the diamond. Lamb went 6-of-11 at the plate with three runs scored and eight RBI to lead the Eagles at the dish. Lamb exploded in Bridgewater's 6-2 victory at Lynchburg with a 2-for-3 effort with a double and four RBI. She was 3-for-6 in that series. She followed that with four more RBI, another double and three more hits in five at-bats in a sweep of Sweet Briar.
  • Molly Smith, Eastern Mennonite, Junior, Pitcher
    April 09, 2012
    Smith, a sophomore from Elkton, Va., threw a pair of complete-game shutouts in three appearances for the Royals during their 3-1 week. She opened the week with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief work in game one against Randolph. She gave up one hit and fanned a batter during that outing. In game two, she went a full seven innings, working around five hits and an uncustomary six walks without giving up a run. She also struck out one in the 2-0 victory. Smith finished her week a five-inning run-shortened performance in which she game up just four hits and fanned three in a 9-0 win over Sweet Briar. Smith was also solid at the dish as she batted 7-for-13 (.538) with two doubles, two homers, nine RBI and five runs scored.
  • Melanie Tenney, Lynchburg, Sophomore, Outfielder
    April 02, 2012
    Tenney, a sophomore from Yorktown, Va., hit safely in all eight games for the Hornets as Lynchburg went 6-2 last week. She batted .522 (12-for-23) and also recorded four walks, which helped her to nine runs scored. She had three multi-hit games, including a 3-for-3 effort in which she scored three times, belted a pair of doubles, drove in a run and walked. She collected five RBI on the week and also stole a base. Tenney is currently batting .391 with a .459 on-base percentage.
  • Heather Jenkins, Bridgewater, Junior, Pitcher
    April 02, 2012
    Jenkins, a junior from Locust Grove, Va., saw her scoreless innings streak snapped this week at 33.1 innings, but the junior hurler went 2-0 to help lead the Eagles to a 3-1 week on the diamond. Jenkins tossed a complete-game four-hitter on Monday evening against Greensboro to help lead the Eagles to an 8-0 victory in six. On Saturday, Jenkins retired the first batter before allowing a run to visiting Randolph in the first. She cruised the rest of the way to pace the Eagles in a 4-1 win. On the week, Jenkins allowed 11 hits and struck out 11 batters to run her wins total to 11 against just one loss. The 11 wins are second in the ODAC. She leads the league with a 0.56 earned run average and seven shutouts.
  • Stephanie Clark, Roanoke, Sophomore, Shortstop
    March 27, 2012
    Clark, a sophomore from Nathalle, Va., went 4-for-9 in a two game sweep of Guilford College last week. The shortstop notched a pair of hits in each game as she scored twice and drove in five runs while also smacking a trio of doubles. She picked up two RBI and scored once in the first game. She followed that up with a pair of doubles towards three runs batted in and another scored. She was strong in the field as well, firing across 11 assists including eight in the second game of the twinbill. For the season, Clark is batting .373 with four homers and a .745 slugging percentage, the latter two ranking fourth and sixth in the ODAC.
  • Kelly Higbie, Roanoke, Freshman, Pitcher
    March 27, 2012
    Higbie, a freshman from Midlothian, Va., added two wins to her stat line this week as she increased her league-leading victory total to 13. Higbie, who has fired every inning of Roanoke's 16 games this season, picked both wins in a double-header against Guilford last week. In game one, she gave up five hits and pair of unearned runs on the way to an 11-2 win. She followed that up with a second seven-inning effort in which she scattered nine hits while surrendering just one run (earned) in a 9-1 Maroons' triumph.
  • Lisa Lee, Eastern Mennonite, Senior, 3rd Base/Pitcher
    March 19, 2012
    Lee, a senior from Buckingham, Va., was effecting in the leadoff spot for EMU this week, leading the Royals to a 5-1 record. She batted 10-for-21, including seven extra base hits for a .476 batting average and a 1.000 slugging percentage. Lee hit four doubles, two triples and a homerun during the week, and scored eight times. She triggered an eight-run first inning in a game at Mary Washington, scoring twice and knocking in three with a bases loaded triple during the frame. Sunday in a 5-2 win over York, Lee was 3-for-4 with two doubles and another triple. She drove in six runs on the week. Lee in fifth in the ODAC in doubles, triples, total bases, fifth in runs, and fourth in homeruns.
  • Kristina Karagiorgis, Virginia Wesleyan, Freshman, Pitcher
    March 19, 2012
    Karagiorgis, a freshman from Ashburn, Va., helped the Marlins to a 3-1 week that included a split with #18 Salisbury and a sweep of ODAC-foe Guilford. Karagiorgis hurled a pair of complete game shutouts. She opened the week by surrendering just three hits and a pair of walks in a seven-inning whitewashing of Salisbury. She came back with a four-hitter against Guilford while offering just one free pass in six innings. She struck out four batters in each outing. At the dish, Karagiorgis helped her cause with five hits, two runs scored and three runs batted in.
  • Leona Rainey, Roanoke, Junior, Designated Player
    March 12, 2012
    Rainey, a junior from Sandston, Va., was nearly perfection at the dish in Maroons 6-0 week as she provided offense in every way possible. She went 16-for-21 (.727) with four three-hit games and two in the remaining two contests. She knocked two doubles, a pair of triples, and cleared the fences twice while scoring 16 runs and driving in 11 others. She was also a terror with her legs as she stole 12 bases including three in a game three times. For the season, Rainey is hitting .471 (24-for-51) with 25 runs scored, 21 RBI and 19 stolen bases.
  • Heather Jenkins, Bridgewater, Junior, Pitcher
    March 12, 2012
    Jenkins, a junior from Locust Grove, Va., helped Bridgewater to a 7-1 week in Florida as she won four games, including victories over tenth-ranked Coast Guard and seventh-ranked Cortland State. Jenkins opened the week with a four-hit shutout of Thomas More before earning the win in relief in a 9-7 victory over Catholic. On Wednesday, Jenkins threw a 78-pitch gem in the Eagles’ shutout win over Coast Guard, with the junior hurler allowing just one hit. On Thursday, Jenkins was solid as she pitched a complete game in Bridgewater’s 7-3 win over Cortland State. Jenkins wrapped up the week with a 3-2 loss in extra innings to Trine in which she gave up just five hits and two earned runs in 7.2 innings of work. On the week, Jenkins struck out 21 batters and allowed just four earned runs in 30.2 innings. Her 0.98 ERA is tied for second-best in the ODAC.
  • Laura Bauer, Randolph-Macon, Senior, 1st Base/Catcher
    March 05, 2012
    Bauer, a senior from New Kent, Va., finished the weekend 8-for-14 from the plate, belting two homeruns and driving in four RBI. Bauer added two runs and helped lead R-MC to a record of 3-1 over the weekend. She posted a hit in each of the Yellow Jackets four games, including a 3-for-4 showing in game one against Franklin & Marshall. She currently ranks in the top five in the ODAC in batting (.531), runs batted in (15), and homeruns (2).
  • Heather Lewis, Randolph-Macon, Junior, Pitcher
    March 05, 2012
    Lewis, a junior from Glen Allen, Va., picks up her second weekly honor after winning three games over the past week and improving to 5-0 on the young season. She tossed a pair of complete game victories, defeating Averett, 3-2, and shutting down Franklin & Marshall, 7-3. Her third win was actually her middle performance of the week as Lewis pitched 1.1 innings in the first game against F&M. She made sure she would receive the win as Lewis smacked a two-out RBI single in the bottom of the eighth for the game-winning hit. For the week, Lewis spent 15.1 innings in the circle. She surrendered six runs, four earned, on 16 hits while walking her first batters of the year. She also fanned seven, which includes a half-dozen strike outs in the complete game win over the Diplomats in game two.
  • Ashley Boteler, Guilford, Sophomore, Outfielder/Pitcher
    February 27, 2012
    Boteler, a sophomore from Manassas, Va., was a standout both at the plate and in the circle for the Quakers. Boteler hit a team-high .463 with two homers and 10 RBI in the Quakers’ 4-0 week. She sported a 1.071 slugging percentage and scored five runs while extending her hitting streak to six on the young season. She went 2-for-3 with two homers and six RBI, both career highs, in the Quakers’ 9-5 win over Peace. She also had two hits in the nightcap, an 11-0 five inning victory. Boteler picked up the pitching win in game one with three strikeouts over 5.1 innings. She was 3-for-5 with three RBI in Guilford’s 10-5 win over Averett. She had two hits and an RBI in the nightcap, a 9-2 Quakers’ win. Boteler tossed a complete-game seven-hitter and matched her career high with six strikeouts in that contest.
  • Heather Lewis, Randolph-Macon, Junior, Pitcher
    February 27, 2012
    Lewis, a junior from Glen Allen, Va., won a pair of games and only gave up one run in 12 innings of work last week, her first two starts of the season. In a five-inning win over Frostburg State, Lewis gave up just two hits and fanned a pair to earn the win. Against Dickinson, she went the distance and gave up just one run while scattering 11 hits in seven innings in the circle. She struck out five and did not walk a batter for the second straight contest.
  • Lauren Stevenson, Randolph, Junior, Outfielder
    February 20, 2012
    Stevenson, a junior from Virginia Beach, Va., helped Randolph start the season with two wins, both one run victories over Meredith College. The WildCat left fielder had two hits in each game, also posting a pair of stolen bases in each contest. She also scored three runs and earned a walk as she reached base in five of her first seven plate appearances of the season. Stevenson now has hits in 31 of her last 34 games, including 17 multi-hit games during that span, dating back to last season.
  • Kaitlyn Morris, Lynchburg, Freshman, Pitcher
    February 20, 2012
    Morris, a freshman from Elkton, Va., led the Hornets to two wins in the first collegiate games of her career. She threw two complete games, allowing 15 hits and three walks over 14 innings with three strikeouts. She held Greensboro to just one run in a 4-1 result for her first collegiate victory. She followed that up with a 4-3 win in which she allowed two earned runs (one unearned).