STARKVILLE, Miss. – Senior pitcher Molly Rathbun of Eastern Connecticut State has been named the Louisville Slugger Division III National Player of the Week for games played April 9-15.
The Hebron, Conn., native threw the program's first perfect game in 27 years against ninth-ranked Tufts, fanning seven and retiring all 21 batters in order in the 4-0 road win. The Jumbos previously had a .352 team batting average entering the day. The win avenged Rathbun's only loss of the season, as she won her 15th game in a row. In the game, she also homered in the first and hit a two-run double in the fifth.
On Saturday, she pitched a one-hitter after carrying a perfect game into the seventh inning of a 6-0 road win over UMass Boston.
In Eastern's 8-0 week, Rathbun was 4-0 with a 0.24 ERA, fanning 50 and walking two with a 0.24 ERA. Only one of the last 50 batters to face Rathbun has had a hit. Offensively during the week, Rathbun batted .524 with 12 RBIs.
The three-time All-American currently leads the nation in ERA at 0.38, as well as leading Eastern Connecticut in nearly all offensive categories, including average (.463) and RBIs (25). The Warriors are 27-1 and ranked third nationally in the latest Division III Top 25 poll.
