• OVC Softball Report - April 8 (PDF)
THIS WEEKS SCHEDULE
Wednesday, April 10
UT Martin at Austin Peay, 4:00 p.m.
Eastern Kentucky at
Morehead State, (2) – 12:00 p.m.
Saint Louis at
Southeast Missouri, 4:00 p.m.
Kennesaw State at
Tennessee Tech, 5:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 13
*Southeast Missouri at Morehead State, (2) – 11:00 a.m.
*UT Martin at Tennessee Tech, (2) - 12:00 p.m.
*SIUE at Tennessee State, (2) - 1:00 p.m.
*Lindenwood at Western Illinois, 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 14
*Southeast Missouri at Morehead State, 11:00 a.m.
*UT Martin at Tennessee Tech, 12:00 p.m.
*Lindenwood at Western Illinois, (2) – 12:00 p.m.
*Eastern Illinois at Southern Indiana, (2) - 1:00 p.m.
*SIUE at Tennessee State, 1:00 p.m.
OVC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYER
Paige Rocha, SS • Jr. • 5-3 • Platte City, Mo. • SIUE
Rocha batted .600 (6-for-10) on the week with four runs, a double, a triple, five RBI and one stolen base. The junior drove in five runs from the leadoff spot in the Cougars game one win over Western Illinois on Saturday. She had three hits in back-to-back games before having her NCAA-leading 29-game hitting streak halted in game two. The shortstop leads the OVC with a .500 batting average in conference play with 26 hits in 15 league contests.
Others Nominated: Aryn Henke, Eastern Illinois; Lexi Fair, Southern Indiana; Onnika Spencer, Tennessee State; Carmen Betts, Tennessee Tech; Kaci Fuller, UT Martin.
PITCHER
Josie Newman, P • Jr. • 5-6 • Indiana, Ind. • Southern Indiana
Newman started the week with a career performance at UT Martin. The pitcher set a personal best at the Division I level with 17 strikeouts, matching a mark she accomplished versus Drury University as a freshman before USI made the jump from DII. She held the Skyhawks hitless for the first four innings on her way to a three-hit shutout victory. The junior closed out the week by taking a no-hitter into the bottom of the sixth inning before allowing one knock to UTM. Newman went on to earn her 14th win of the season, striking out 14 batters in the complete-game effort. The two performances by Newman kept the right-hander at the top of the OVC in strikeouts, wins, complete games, and innings pitched. While USI does not officially qualify for NCAA statistical rankings, the weekend brought Newman’s season-strikeout total to 166, which would rank second in the nation.
Others Nominated: Amanda Weyh, Lindenwood; Jessie Begley, Morehead State; Kelsey Ray, SIUE; Paytience Holman, Southeast Missouri; Emily Price, Western Illinois; Payton Wagner, Tennessee Tech.