Saint Xavier Sweeps Softball Weekly Honors For Third Time

CHICAGO --- For the third time this season, Saint Xavier University has swept Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference weekly softball honors, the league office announced on Tuesday.  Lily Strand (Evergreen Park, Ill.) claimed her fourth pitcher of the week award, while Jazmyn Casas (Chicago, Ill.) was named CCAC Player of the Week for the third time.

Casas was locked in at the plate in her six games, totaling 10 hits, nine runs, four home runs and 13 runs batted in.  She also batted .556 (10-for-18) and produced a 1.222 slugging percentage.

The sophomore infielder opened the week with a pair of home runs and five runs batted in in each end of a twinbill sweep of Viterbo University last Tuesday.  She went a perfect 5-for-5 on the day and reached base seven times before securing two more hits in a 9-6 loss to close out the three-game series on Wednesday.

Casas hit safely in all six games on the week, while just missing the same feat in runs scored and RBIs by one contest.

Strand accounted for three of the team's five wins, all of which were complete-game efforts.  In the three victories, the junior allowed no more than two runs in any one game with only two of the four runs in those contests being earned. 

Strand's top performance was her first one.  In a 7-1 decision over Viterbo last Tuesday, she struck out 13 batters over seven innings, while allowing just two hits and one unearned run.  Overall, she had 20 strikeouts in her 25 innings pitched. 

Saint Xavier maintained its lock on first place in the league with its 5-1 week.  The Cougars are 34-10 overall and 23-1 in the conference.

Other Player Nominees: Peyton Norman (Indiana South Bend), Cynthia Alvillar (Judson), Kylie Cook (St. Francis), Emily Michalak (Calumet St. Joseph), Amanda Nance (Mount Mary), Alexis Watson (Viterbo).

Other Pitcher Nominees: Chelsea Herrick (Judson), Victoria Jenson (Calumet St. Joseph), Alexis Watson (Viterbo).