Gretchen Bowie named Louisville Slugger/NFCA DI National Player of the Week
(Release taken from St. John's Athletics)
QUEENS, N.Y. - Following a monster performance at the plate, Gretchen Bowie’s five home runs over a four-games span earned her Louisville Slugger/NFCA D1 Player of the Week, as announced by National Fastpitch Coaches Association on Tuesday.
The accolade marks the second time in program history that a St. John’s player has been tabbed as the Louisville Slugger/NFCA D1 player of the Week.
Bowie powered her way to this week’s honor after helping the Red Storm (24-25) to an undefeated 4-0 stretch. The Sparta, N.J., native recorded 10 hits in 15 at bats for the Johnnies to boast a .667 clip. Bowie’s stellar effort was highlight by five roundtrippers in four contests, including a pair of multi-homer efforts increasing her season total to 15.
The sophomore kicked off the week in style with a non-conference matchup against Fordham where she tallied three hits in five tries. Bowie recorded a pair of long balls to result in a team-most four RBIs. The standout effort from Bowie helped lift St. John’s to a 14-11 slugfest victory over Fordham.
The Sparta N.J., native continued to bring the power during the team’s BIG EAST series against Butler over the weekend. Kicking off with a Saturday doubleheader, Bowie opened up the afternoon with a two home runs, marking the third time this season that the junior has recorded a multi-home run game, and helping the Johnnies cement a spot in the conference tournament.
In the team's weekend sweep over the Bulldogs, Bowie recorded seven hits in 10 at bats to boast a team-best .700 batting average. In addition, the second-year Johnnie drove in a team-most eight RBIs while recording 17 total bases. Additionally, the sophomore posted an impressive 1.700 slugging percentage to also earn the league's player of the week honors.
The sophomore enters BIG EAST Tournament play this weekend on the heels of an eight-game hit streak. Bowie and the rest of the Red Storm begin play on Friday against No.2 seeded Creighton in the semifinal round of the BIG EAST Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET and can be watched live on FS2.