Bowie and Miller Nab Season’s Final #BIGEASTsb Weekly Honors
NEW YORK – Following the final week of the regular season, St. John’s Gretchen Bowie and Creighton’s Kiele Miller garnered BIG EAST Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week honors, respectively.
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Gretchen Bowie, St. John’s, Sr., UT
Needing one win to secure a spot in the BIG EAST Championship Presented by Jeep, Bowie powered the Johnnies to a perfect 4-0 week with five home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.733 slugging percentage. In a midweek tilt against Fordham, the senior recorded three hits and four RBI, rocketing two home runs. During conference play, the Red Storm locked up the No. 3 seed in the Championship with a trio of wins over Butler off the bat of Bowie. In Saturday’s opener, the senior added two more homers to her resume and tallied five RBI in a 6-5 come- from-behind win. In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, she batted 3-of-4 with two runs, three RBI, a home run and a walk as St. John’s picked up a 13-11 victory. Securing the series sweep, the senior collected a run and was walked twice in a 4-2 win over the Bulldogs. Over the course of the three game series, she was walked four times, batting .700 with seven hits, five runs, eight RBI, and three home runs.
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Kiele Miller, Creighton, Fr.
Miller did not allow a run during 10.1 innings of work and finished a perfect 3-0 as Creighton swept Villanova to clinch the No. 2 seed in next week’s championship. The freshman became the first Bluejay to earn a victory during all three games of a conference series since Tara Oltman in 2010. Miller held the Wildcats to a .094 batting average as she allowed only three hits. She also struck out eight and walked three while lowering her ERA during BIG EAST contests to a league-best 1.42. Miller opened the weekend by allowing only one hit during four innings of work in Creighton’s five-inning 14-0 victory. She also came in for the final out during the top of the seventh inning of the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader before the Bluejays walked off with a victory in the last of the seventh. On Sunday, Miller allowed only two hits during a six-inning complete-game effort while she recorded her 13th win of the season (seventh in BIG EAST play).
Weekly Honor Roll
Alyssa Lach, Butler, Sr., 3B
Lach went 6-for-10 against St. John’s, including a solo home run in the final at bat of her career. She went a perfect 3-for-3 in Game 2 against the Johnnies and finished the weekend with a. 900 slugging percentage. The senior had an RBI in each game and also scored five runs on the weekend.
Tash Coffiel, Creighton, Sr., 3B
Coffiel closed her home career by going 6-for-8 with four runs scored, four RBI and slugging 1.500 with a double, triple and home run as Creighton swept Villanova to secure the No. 2 seed in next week’s championship. She combined to bat 5-for-6 during Saturday’s doubleheader with three RBI and three runs scored, while hitting for the cycle in four consecutive at-bats across the two games.
Megan Leyva, DePaul, Sr., RF
Leyva had a dominating week to help lock up the BIG EAST regular-season title for the Blue Demons. Batting .700 in a trio of conference games, the senior recorded seven hits, seven runs, five RBI and three home runs with a 1.700 slugging percentage. She had a home run and multiple RBI in each game.
Missy Zoch, DePaul, So., P
Zoch posted a win and a save on the weekend, with a 0.88 ERA during conference play. Entering Sunday’s contest needing a win to lock up the BIG EAST regular-season title, the sophomore pitched a complete game allowing one earned run and striking out eight batters as the Blue Demons picked up a 5-2 win.
Anna Brooks Pacha, Georgetown, So., P
Striking out 15 batters in 15.0 innings of work, the sophomore started a pair of games against The Hall, going 1-1 on the week. In Sunday’s 11 inning marathon, the sophomore played a complete game, striking out eight batters and allowing only five hits as the Hoyas picked up a 3-2 win.