Lock Haven's Becca Bailey (left) and Shippensburg's Hope Cornell (right).
PSAC Softball Athletes of the Week - 6
Lock Haven, Pa. - Shippensburg’s Hope Cornell is the PSAC East Player of the Week while West Chester’s Missy Schwartz is the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week. There are a pair of first-time honorees in the PSAC Central this week as Bloomsburg’s Mandy Leach is the Player of the Week and Lock Haven pitcher Becca Bailey is the Pitcher of the Week. California swept this week’s awards in the West as Jillian Russell is the Player of the Week and Lauren Shaheen is the Pitcher of the Week after helping the Vulcans to seven conference wins last week.
PSAC East Player of the Week
Hope Cornell, Shippensburg
Junior, OF/2B
Dagsboro, Del./Sussex Tech
Cornell hit just .294 (5-for-17) in a 4-2 week for Shippensburg last week but of her five hits, three were home runs and she also drove in six and scored eight runs. Cornell also walked six times and came around to score on eight of the 11 times she reached base in the six games. She slugged at an .824 clip and reached base at a .458 clip. She reached base in all four plate appearance in Friday night’s opener against Slippery Rock, hitting a home run, collecting three RBI and scoring two runs. Cornell had a solo home run in the second game to go along with a single and two runs in the second game. She drew two walks and scored once in the opener against Clarion on Saturday and then went 2-for-2 with a home run and two runs scored in the second game. In the process, Cornell tied the Shippensburg career record for home runs with 21.
PSAC East Pitcher of the Week
Missy Schwartz, West Chester
Freshman, P
Norwood, Pa./Interboro
Schwartz earns the PSAC East Pitcher of the Week award for the second straight week after going 2-0 with a 1.12 ERA on the week to help West Chester to a 5-1 week while maintaining its one-game lead in the East standings on second place Kutztown. She allowed 10 hits and three runs in 18.2 innings of work. The highlight of her week came when she hurled a two-hit complete game shutout against Kutztown, helping the Golden Rams split the twinbill. She faced just two batters over the minimum in the win. She also threw 6.1 innings of one-hit ball in relief against Millersville earlier in the week, earning the win as West Chester came back from a 6-0 deficit to defeat the Marauders.
PSAC Central Player of the Week
Mandy Leach, Bloomsburg
Sophomore, 1B
Milford, Pa./Delaware Valley
Leach hit .545 (6-for-11) last week with a home run, four RBI and two runs scored to help the Huskies to a 3-0 week. She slugged .818 for the week and reached base at a .583 clip. Leach collected multiple hits in all three games, going 2-for-4 with an RBI against Mansfield and in the first game against East Stroudsburg and 2-for-3 with two run and a homer in the second game against the Warriors. In the first game against the Warriors, Leach drove in the game’s only run with an eighth-inning game-winning single to give the Huskies a 1-0 win. He solo home run in the bottom of the sixth in the second game was the difference in an 8-7 Bloomsburg win in which the Huskies rallied from a 7-2 deficit.
PSAC Central Pitcher of the Week
Becca Bailey, Lock Haven
Junior, P
Watson, La./Copiah-Lincoln CC
Bailey compiled a 4-0 record with a 0.29 ERA in 24 innings of work to help lead the Lock Haven to a 4-0 week and extend their home winning streak to 83 games. Bailey allowed just one earned run on 19 hits, struck out 30 and walked just five. She started out the week with a complete game shutout against Clarion, allowing just three hits while striking out 10 in a 4-0 win. Bailey then came out of the bullpen in the second game against the Golden Eagles, hurling the final three innings of an 8-2 LHU win, allowing three hits and no runs while striking out three. She then pitched another complete game in the first game against Kutztown, allowing six hits and two unearned runs while striking out 11 as Lock Haven won on a game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh. She came right back in the nightcap against the Golden Bears and tossed seven more innings, allowing just one run and striking out six for another complete game in a 3-1 win.
PSAC West Player of the Week
Jillian Russell, California
Sophomore, SS
London, Ontario/St. Thomas Aquinas
Russell hit .444 (12-for-27) with five home runs, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored to help California to a 7-1 week last week. She also had three doubles and compiled a 1.111 slugging percentage and had a .483 on-base percentage for the week. Russell hit a pair of solo home runs to help the Vulcans to a 4-0 win over Slippery Rock in the second game of a doubleheader, helping Cal earn the twinbill split with The Rock. She had a single and an RBI in a doubleheader sweep of Mercyhurst the following day. Russell then combined for a double, two home runs, four RBI and four runs while going 4-for-8 in a twinbill sweep of Gannon on Friday. She wrapped up the week by going a combined 5-for-8 with a pair of doubles, a home run, six RBI and four runs in a doubleheader sweep of Edinboro on Saturday.
PSAC West Pitcher of the Week
Lauren Shaheen, California
Senior, P
Greensburg, Pa./Hempfield
Shaheen went 6-0 with a 0.58 ERA in 36 innings last week as her performance helped California to a 7-1 record last week, all in PSAC West play. The senior picked up wins in all six of her appearances, including four starts and in every start pitched a complete game, including one shutout. Shaheen gave up just three earned runs (seven total) and struck out 37 and walked just four while yielding 22 hits and holding opponents to a .171 batting average. She opened the week with a complete game, three-hit shutout against Slippery Rock, striking out seven. The following day, Shaheen picked up wins in both ends of the a doubleheader sweep of Mercyhurst. In the first game, she hurled a complete game and allowed just one unearned run with seven strikeouts. She then tossed three scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in the nightcap. On Friday, Shaheen hurled a complete game to pick up the win against Gannon, allowing just one earned run on three hits while fanning nine. She then picked up wins in both ends of a doubleheader again to finish the week against Edinboro, allowing just one unearned run with eight strikeouts in a complete game in the opener and then tossing five innings of relief in the second game to pick up the win.