DePaul’s Polucha, Villanova’s Kennedy Collect #BIGEASTsb Weekly Awards
NEW YORK – Blue Demon Kate Polucha and Wildcat Sara Kennedy have collected the BIG EAST Softball weekly honors for Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, picking up their first accolades of the season. DePaul swept Georgetown on the road to stay tied with St. John’s atop the league standings with only one loss. Villanova won its series versus Providence by taking two out of three at home.
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Kate Polucha, DePaul, So., OF (Laguna Niguel, Calif.)
Polucha helped keep DePaul’s momentum going with a 3-0 weekend. She topped the league in slugging percentage at 1.444 and was tied for third with a batting average of .556. Polucha went 5-for-9, collecting seven RBI and scoring four runs. In the opening game of the series, the sophomore hit a double and a grand slam to lead the Blue Demons’ offense, while adding another long ball in the finale.
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Sara Kennedy, Villanova, Fr., P (Newtown, Conn.)
Kennedy went 2-0 in her two starts against Providence, including a complete game shutout in the middle game. The newcomer held a 0.00 ERA, not allowing a run in 11 innings of work. She gave up just four hits and one walk in the two outings and tallied four strikeouts. Kennedy led the league over the weekend in ERA and opposing batting average (.108).
BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll
Emma Lee, Providence, Sr., OF (Orange, Calif.)
Lee went 3-for-3 in the Friars’ win against Villanova over the weekend, collecting a .556 batting average and 1.000 slugging percentage overall in the series. She had a hit in all three games, registering two doubles in the first game and a triple in the second game. Lee broke the program all-time hits record with her 215
th career hit in the series opener.
Peyton Cody, St. John’s, Fr., C/UT (Mission Viejo, Calif.)
Cody led the league in hits (6) and RBI (8), while maintaining a .545 batting average and 1.000 slugging percentage in a sweep of Creighton on the road. The rookie went 6-for-11 to lead the Red Storm offense. She had an extra base hit in all three games, hitting a double in the first two and connecting on the game-winning solo home run in the finale.
Madison Morris, St. John’s, Sr., P (Hampton, Va.)
Morris went 2-0 and notched 22 strikeouts in 15 innings in their series at Creighton, which was the most in the BIG EAST during the past weekend. She did not allow any runs in a two inning relief effort in the second game, and collected 11 strikeouts in the opener. In an offensive affair, she gave up seven earned runs and 16 hits in her two starts for a 3.27 ERA.
Reganne Camp, Seton Hall, Jr., P (Bloomington, Ill.)
Camp held a league second-lowest 1.05 ERA over 13.1 innings in the circle as Seton Hall took two from Butler at home. She went 1-1 and did not allow an earned run in her lone start. The junior recorded 18 strikeouts, which was third-best in the conference over the weekend. She had six strikeouts in her first outing and 12 strikeouts in 5.2 innings of relief in the finale.
Ryan Henry, Villanova, Fr., C (Ramsey, N.J.)
Henry went 5-for-7 with a league-best .714 batting average and .750 on base percentage as the Wildcats went 2-1 against Providence. She had a hit in each game and tallied five hits combined with a double in the second contest.