(Photo Courtesy of College of Charleston Athletics)
RICHMOND, Va. – Sophomore pitcher Valerie Cassell has been named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Pitcher of the Week, becoming the first College of Charleston softball player to earn weekly honors, as announced Tuesday by the league offices.
Cassell, an Edison, N.J., native, opened the week by tossing her first career no-hitter against South Carolina State on Tuesday, Feb. 25 to spring the Cougars on a seven-game winning streak. Cassell had a perfect game bid until a fielding error in the final inning, but still faced the minimum hitters by inducing a 1-6-3 game-ending double-play.
Cassell also pitched effectively against Southern Illinois-Edwardsville and Princeton to aid the Cougars in a sweep of the UCF Holiday Inn Tournament in Orlando, Fla. She finished the week 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA to go along with 15 strikeouts and just two earned runs allowed in 12.1 innings pitched.
Cassell and the rest of the Cougars (12-7) carry their seven-game winning streak into next weekend’s Tennessee Tournament in Knoxville, Tenn. The Cougars will face the likes of Holy Cross, Campbell, Western Kentucky and No. 3 Tennessee.
