WASHINGTON – The Atlantic 10 Conference recognized Loyola Chicago junior Nat Lesnicki as its Under Armour Softball Player of the Week. Dayton senior Izzy Kemp was named Pitcher of the Week, while Rhode Island freshman Olivia Kuhnel earned Rookie of the Week. The league announced the awards on Tuesday for games played from March 9 to March 15.
Lesnicki made the most of her limited opportunities against Dayton and Indiana last week, recording a hit in all six of her at-bats. The infielder from Plainfield, Illinois went 3-for-3 at the plate in both games, adding two RBIs and a double in each matchup. Lesnicki scored three runs against the Flyers, helping Loyola Chicago earn a 9-0 win in five innings of play.
Kemp saw action in all three games at Fordham over the weekend, recording a total of 27 strikeouts while posting an ERA of 1.02 across 13.2 innings of work. The right-handed pitcher from Westfield, Ind. opened the series with an eight-inning gem, striking out a career-high 18 batters over 8.0 innings to push Dayton to a 2-1 victory. She concluded the weekend with a five-inning outing on Sunday, allowing just one earned run and three total hits while collecting eight strikeouts.
Kuhnel made her collegiate debut over the weekend, putting together two scoreless relief appearances against St. Bonaventure. The Aliso Viejo, Calif. Native picked up her first career win 2.2 scoreless innings of work in an 8-7, 8-inning win on March 15, helping the Rams rally from a 7-4 deficit for its first league win of the season. The day prior, she overcame three walks to pitch 1.1 shutout innings of relief.
| DATE |
PLAYER OF THE WEEK |
PITCHER OF THE WEEK |
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK |
| Feb. 10 |
Tess Altevers Harris (GM) |
Izzy Kemp (UD) |
Payton Auerbach (GM) |
| Feb. 17 |
Katelin Goodwin (UD) |
Izzy Kemp (UD) |
Allie Branstetter (SLU) |
| Feb. 24 |
Julia Shearer (SJU) |
CeCe Smith (GW) |
Alyssa Rangel (GM) |
| March 3 |
Ashley Corpuz (GW) |
Emma Fales (GW) |
Sadira Forucci (SJU) |
| March 10 |
Cece Smith (GW) |
Abbey Lane (GM) |
Katie Geydoshek (LUC) |
| March 17 |
Nat Lesnicki (LUC) |
Izzy Kemp (UD) |
Olivia Kuhnel (URI) |