Fresno State pitcher/first baseman Jamie Southern has been named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 21-27, it was announced by the association on Wednesday. Southern, a senior from Clovis, Calif., was named the Most Outstanding Player at the NFCA Leadoff Classic after leading the Bulldogs to a 3-1 tournament record and a third place finish in the prestigious event.
In the circle, Southern went 2-1, scattering 13 hits, striking out 26 batters and not giving up an earned run. Against then-No. 10 LSU, Southern tossed a five-hit shutout, striking out 10 batters.
At the plate, Southern went 6-for-12 (.500) with four home runs and seven RBIs. She collected 18 total bases for a 1.500 slugging percentage in the tournament. She registered her fourth career multi-home run game with two long balls against LSU.
On Monday, Southern became the first player in Western Athletic Conference history to be named both conference pitcher and player of the week. She needs just seven victories to become the 40th pitcher to win 100 career games and only 21 strikeouts to become the 19th player to register 1,100 career strikeouts.
For the season, Southern is 3-1 with a team-leading 0.52 ERA. She has posted two shutouts and has struck out 40 batters. At the plate, she is hitting at a .450 clip and leads the 24th-ranked Bulldogs with four home runs and eight RBIs.
