(Photo Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics)
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame freshman outfielder Karley Wester made program history Monday, becoming the first Irish softball player to earn an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) award by being named the conference player of the week. Wester is the eighth Notre Dame softball conference player or pitcher of the week recipient in the past two seasons, as the Irish claimed a total of seven major weekly citations from the BIG EAST Conference in 2013.
Wester helped spark the Notre Dame offense to a .448 team batting average, 26 total runs and 39 total hits in three games this past weekend at the Jacksonville University Tournament, which included two wins over No. 23 Louisville. In just her second career collegiate tournament, the Notre Dame left fielder batted .556 with a team-high five hits, seven RBI, two stolen bases and three runs, to go along with a.583 on-base percentage.
The Huntington Beach, Calif., native also made six put outs in left field during the weekend, including a pair of diving grabs to rob opponents of extra base hits.
Wester, who batted .667 (4-for-6) during the tournament with runners in scoring position, ripped a crucial single up the middle in game one against Louisville with the bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth inning. The timely hit tied the game at 3-3 as part of Notre Dame’s four-run inning and comeback win. She also reached base twice by way of walks, and added a stolen base.
The lefty hitter went a perfect 2-for-2 against host Jacksonville in the second game Saturday, adding two more RBI, a stolen base and a run scored against the Dolphins. A 2-for-5 day with two additional runs batted in keyed Notre Dame’s second straight upset of nationally ranked Louisville on Sunday.
Through seven games this season, Wester ranks among the top three Notre Dame players in eight major offensive categories, and is tied for the team lead in triples (1), walks (5) and stolen bases (3). Her six runs scored and eight runs batted in are second on the Irish roster behind junior All-American Emilee Koerner.
