ECAC Softball Players of the Week (For the Week Ending April 29, 2012)

Division I

Hitter of the Week

Kacee Cox – St. John’s University
Senior, Catcher/Third Baseman, Simi Valley, Calif.

Cox batted .733 with 11 hits during a 5-0 week for the Red Storm, hitting six home runs and scoring six runs while driving in 11.  The senior hit at least one home run in every game, which included an extra-inning walk-off in the nightcap of a double header against Connecticut.  Cox helped St. John’s clinch a spot in the BIG EAST Championship for the first time since 2009.

Pitcher of the Week 

Sarah Jackson – Iona College
Senior, Pitcher, Citrus Heights, Calif. 

Jackson posted a 0.22 ERA over five appearances, fanning 39 batters.  After earning the tough luck loss in a 1-0 game against Rutgers in which she allowed just five hits and struck out nine, the junior rebounded with a five-hit, eight strikeout performance in a 3-1 MAAC win over Saint Peter’s.

Division III New England

Hitter of the Week

Brittany Grimm – Brandeis University
Junior, Shortstop, Perkiomenville, Pa.

Grimm batted .636 with five doubles, two home runs and a 1.136 slugging percentage, while recording a team-high six RBI and scoring seven runs during a 4-2 week for the Judges.  The junior hit safely in all six games, driving in runs in four of the six games.  Grimm moved into the Judges’ career top five all-time in hits (180, 3rd) and doubles (38, T-4th).

Pitcher of the Week

Molly Rathbun – Eastern Connecticut State University
Senior, Pitcher, Hebron, Conn.

Rathbun won all five games for Eastern Connecticut, posting a 0.28 ERA over 25.1 innings to help her team clinch its third straight Little East regular-season title.  The senior threw her ninth career no-hitter against Wesleyan on Saturday, striking out 11 en route to a 2-0 victory.

Hitter of the Week

Juleah Vedder – State University of New York Institute of Technology
Senior, First Baseman/Pitcher, Dogeville, N.Y.

Vedder registered a scalding .833 batting average along with a .857 on-base percentage to help lead the Wildcats to a sweep over Cazenovia. The junior launched two home runs and collected six RBI while scoring six runs.  Vedder currently leads the NEAC North in hits (48) and RBI (39) and is tied for third in batting average (.444).

Pitcher of the Week

Jean Farrell – The College at Brockport
Senior, Pitcher, Rochester, N.Y.

Farrell was 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA last week, striking out 28 batters and walking three.  The senior tied a single-game school record and set a career-high with 16 strikeouts in a 7-inning, two-hit, complete game 1-0 win over Rochester on Wednesday.  After an eight strikeout performance against Fredonia in a 12-7 win, the senior pitched her second complete game of the week with a three-hit shutout win over Buffalo State, 8-0, on Saturday.

Division III Metro

Hitter of the Week

Nicolina Veneziano – Rowan University
Senior, Catcher, Bloomfield, N.J.

Veneziano batted .500 and drove in 11 runs while launching three home runs during a 3-1 week in NJAC play for the No. 17 ranked Profs.  The senior hit safely in all four games, opening the week with a 4-for-9 performance in a double header split against TCNJ.  Against the Lions, Veneziano recorded a double, two home runs, driving in six runs while scoring three.

Pitcher of the Week

LeAnne Miller – Rowan University
Junior, Pitcher, Vineland, N.J.

Miller went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in a pair of starts for the No. 17 ranked Profs.  In her first game of the week, the junior pitched a three-hit, complete game shutout in a 6-0 win over TCNJ on Tuesday.  She wrapped up the week with a five-inning perfect game, fanning five in an 11-0 NJAC road win at NJCU.

Division III South

Hitter of the Week

Jackie Wear – Delaware Valley College
Sophomore, Shortstop, New Triploi, Pa.

Wear batted .571 with two doubles, three home runs, seven runs scored and six RBI during a 2-2 week for the Aggies, tying a school record in the process.  During a double-header sweep against Wilkes, the sophomore went a combined 3-for-5 with two home runs, bringing her season total to eight, tying the program’s single-season record.

Pitcher of the Week

Alexandra Stine – Marywood University
Sophomore, Pitcher, Archibald, Pa.

Stine went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, pitching two complete games, allowing only eight hits and holding opponents to a .177 batting average.  In a game against cross-town rival Wilkes, the sophomore went seven innings, scattering five hits and striking out five in a 1-0 win.