(Photo Courtesy of Mississippi State Athletics)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After setting the Mississippi State freshman record with 12 strikeouts in a game and helping the team to a 5-0 performance at the FAU Strike Out Cancer Tournament, pitcher Alexis Silkwood was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week according to an announcement by league officials Monday. The weekly honor is the first of Silkwood’s career.
She is the first Bulldog to receive SEC Freshman of the Week honors since Erin Nesbit (April 26) and Kylie Vry (Feb. 15) were selected in 2010. Silkwood is the 10th freshman in Mississippi State history to earn the accolade.
Silkwood improved to 2-0 while at the Florida tournament and earned her first-career save in 13.2 innings pitched. She struck out an MSU freshman record 12 batters at FAU in the second game of the doubleheader, fanning at least two in five of the game’s seven frames.
During the event, Silkwood held opponents to a .089 batting average with a .083 mark with runners on base (one-for-12) and did not surrender a two-out hit during the Florida tournament.
In the FAU win, the East Alton, Ill., native allowed just three base runners with a leadoff single in the fifth inning, an error in the seventh and a hit by pitch in the seventh. Friday against LIU-Brooklyn, Silkwood entered with two runners on in the bottom of the sixth and MSU clinging to a 3-1 lead. She recorded a strikeout to end the threat and after a leadoff hit by pitch in the seventh, retired the next three batters to earn the save. Saturday versus the Blackbirds, she did not allow a base runner until a one-out single in the fifth frame. She struck out six and has not surrendered a walk all year.
In her last 17.0 innings pitched, Silkwood has not allowed a run and has not surrendered more than three hits in any appearance this season. She enters this week’s action ranked third in the SEC in opponent batting average (.082) while tying for third in fewest hits allowed (five), tied for fourth in fewest earned runs allowed (one), fifth in earned-run average (0.38) and tied for 13th in strikeouts (23).
Joining Silkwood as SEC weekly honors are Florida’s Lauren Haeger (Player of the Week) and Tennessee’s Ellen Renfroe (Pitcher of the Week).
The Bulldogs (10-0) return to action Wednesday with a 3 p.m. CT contest against Central Arkansas. MSU is off to its third-best start in program history and a victory would tie the 2008 squad for the second-best opening to a campaign. Wednesday’s contest will also feature $2 hot dogs and popcorn from the concession stands at the MSU Softball Stadium.
