Courtesy of the Big East
BIG EAST Player of the Week
Mary Connolly, DePaul, Sr., P/1B
Connolly was dominant both at the plate and in the circle last week as the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Year led DePaul to a three-game sweep of Villanova to clinch a spot in the BIG EAST Championship. Connolly batted .455 with a 1.182 slugging percentage, knocking in seven RBI thanks to four extra-base hits. In the circle, Connolly was credited with all three wins against the Wildcats, totaling a 1.84 earned run average with eight strikeouts over 19 innings of work. Opponents were limited to just .192 batting, the best mark by a BIG EAST pitcher who saw at least 10 innings of action last week, while her three wins were also a league high.
BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Francesca Carrullo, St. John’s, Sr., P
Carrullo helped the Red Storm bounce back from their first BIG EAST loss of the season by throwing a five-inning no-hitter at Creighton on Saturday afternoon. The senior matched her career high with eight strikeouts while walking only two. St. John’s improved to 14-1 in BIG EAST play, clinching one of the top-two seeds in the Conference Championship, set for May 8-9 in Rosemont, Ill. Carrullo trimmed her BIG EAST ERA to just 0.93 and improved to 7-0 in league action.
BIG EAST Honor Roll
Danielle DeStaso, Seton Hall, Sr., P/DP
DeStaso batted .462 with three RBI, three homers and a double in a crucial 5-1 week for the Pirates. The Hall took 2-of-3 from Butler to move into third place with one weekend remaining on the league schedule.
Brittany Garcia, St. John’s, So., OF
Garcia led St. John’s with a .667 batting average in three-game sweep of Villanova, adding three RBI, a triple and a double.
Anna O’Gorman, Creighton, So., INF
O’Gorman batted .455 with a pair of RBI in a challenging week for the Bluejays, which included a three-game series with first-place and previously unbeaten St. John’s and a single game at Nebraska.
Brittney Veler, Providence, Fr., OF
Veler batted .462 with five RBI and five extra-base hits, including three home runs. Her 1.308 slugging percentage led the BIG EAST last week as Providence took 2-of-3 from Georgetown over the weekend.
Alexis Walkden, Seton Hall, Fr., 3B
Walkden shined in the 2-1 series win at Butler with a .455 batting average. The rookie set a program single-season record for home runs, belting four last week alone to have 20 on the year, the most by any BIG EAST player through the weekend.
