IRVING, Texas – UTEP’s Ashley Eldridge and Marshall’s Morgan Zerkle were named Conference USA Co-Players of the Week, while Florida Atlantic’s Amanda Wilson earned C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors. Eldridge tallied 10 RBI on the week with three homers to help lead UTEP to its first 3-0 conference play start since 2010, and Zerkle terrorized preseason favorite FIU on the road behind a .727 batting average, eight hits, five RBI and a pair of stolen bags. In the circle, Wilson tossed a four-hit complete-game shutout against Bethune-Cookman before an 11-inning showing against Hofstra that saw the Owl pitcher strike out 12 batters.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
ASHLEY ELDRIDGE, UTEP | SR., LAS VEGAS, NEVADA
Eldridge hit .533 (8-for-15) with three home runs, six runs scored and 10 RBI (1.267 Slugging %) from March 3-8 (five games). Eldridge’s eight RBI were the most by a single player in any C-USA series this weekend, while her two jacks were tied for most. The senior helped UTEP complete a sweep of league foe Middle Tennessee on March 7 and 8. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native hit a three-run home run during a 7-4 game two win over the Blue Raiders, while connecting on another three-run long ball in the first inning during a 12-2 run-rule triumph in the series finale. Eldridge chipped in with a pair of RBI on a triple during a 7-0 game one victory. The senior outfielder hit her first home run of 2015 at New Mexico, a two-run shot. It is the first C-USA weekly honor in Eldridge’s career.
CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
MORGAN ZERKLE, MARSHALL | SO., MILTON, WEST VIRGINIA
Zerkle opened the C-USA season with a bang, hitting at a rate of .727 for the weekend. In 11 at-bats, the sophomore recorded eight hits, five RBI and four runs. She hit 4-for-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored in the second game at FIU, a 13-3 win. In the first game of the series, the West Virginia native hit 3-for-4 with two runs and her first career out of the park home run, a deep shot to center. Zerkle’s trademark speed was also on display, with two stolen bases against FIU. She also walked once in the series finale. To top the weekend off, she had an on-base percentage of .750 and slugging percentage of 1.273. It is Zerkle’s second C-USA weekly award on the season.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
AMANDA WILSON, FLORIDA ATLANTIC | SO., MINOOKA, ILLINOIS
Wilson continued her impressive season by throwing a four-hit shutout against Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, where she struck out six batters. On Sunday, the Illinois native tossed all 11 innings against Hofstra, which saw the Owl ace strike out 12. On the week, she threw 18 innings and allowed a mere three earned runs, while recording a 1.17 ERA to go along with her 18 strikeouts. It is the second C-USA weekly award on the year for Wilson and the third in her career.
2015 C-USA SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
F9 Taylor Schoblocher, North Texas
F16 Morgan Zerkle, Marshall
F23 Megan Low, UTSA | Krysta Tutsch, LA Tech
M2 Sara Beth Williamson, UAB
M9 Ashley Eldridge, UTEP | Morgan Zerkle, Marshall
PITCHERS OF THE WEEK
F9 Miranda Kramer, WKU | Jordan Dixon, Marshall
F16 Amanda Wilson, Florida Atlantic
F23 Madison Thompson, North Texas
M3 Cara Goodwin, UAB
M9 Amanda Wilson, Florida Atlantic
