Mercer University
Samford
Kirsten Stevens Repeats as SoCon Pitcher of the Month
5/7/2015 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer University sophomore Kirsten Stevens earned her second straight Southern Conference Pitcher of the Week honor, as the league announced its monthly award winners this afternoon.
Stevens finished the month with a 5-1 record and a league-best 1.41 ERA in seven April starts. The SoCon Pitcher of the Year struck out 38 batters and walked just 12, highlighted by a 12-strikeout, two-walk performance in a win over Furman to open the month.
The Crystal Lake, Ill. native allowed two earned runs or fewer in each appearance, including a pair of complete-game shutouts against league heavyweights Chattanooga and Samford. She held Samford to just three hits and a walk in a 2-0 win over the Bulldogs on April 18, before only allowing two base runners in an 8-0 win over Chattanooga on April 26.
Stevens picked up both of the Bears' two wins over the regular-season champion Mocs in that series as the Bears handed Chattanooga its first series loss of the season. She went at least five innings in each of her seven starts and struck out at least five batters four times and earned SoCon Pitcher of the Week accolades for her performance in the Samford series.
Mercer will take on Chattanooga in the third round of the SoCon Tournament tomorrow, May 8, after Stevens tossed her second complete-game shutout of the tournament to hand the Bears a 2-0 triumph over Samford this afternoon.
