HILLSBORO, Ore. - The Northwest Conference is proud to announce its Student-Athletes of the Week in Softball for the week of March 4th through March 11th.
Softball - Position - Student-Athlete of the Week
Sam Gildersleeve I RF I Lewis & Clark | SR | Vacaville, Calif. I Vacaville
Gildersleeve hit .545 with six runs, four RBI and hit her program-record setting 27th career home run to help Lewis & Clark open Northwest Conference play with a four-game sweep of Willamette University. The senior right fielder finished the weekend 6-11 with two homers, a walk, a hit by pitch and a perfect 3-3 in stolen bases. She hit safely and scored at least one run in all four games. On Saturday, Gildersleeve went 4-5 with four runs, two RBI and hit her record-setting 27th home run. On Sunday, she hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 3-3 tie in a 5-3 Lewis & Clark victory. Gildersleeve now owns the program record for career home runs (28) and sits tied for ninth in L&C history with 66 runs batted in.
Softball - Pitcher - Student-Athlete of the Week
Maggie O’Leary I P I Lewis & Clark | SO | Kennewick, Wash. | Kamiakin
O'Leary went 2-0 on the weekend and allowed just four hits and two runs (1.16 ERA) to help Lewis & Clark get off to their best start to Northwest Conference play since 2013. The sophomore started game one on both days in the Pioneers four-game sweep of Willamette. She limited the Bearcats to four hits and six walks across 12 innings and struck out 13 batters. She struck out eight batters in the Pioneers home opener on their newly renovated softball complex and added five strikeouts on Sunday. She improved to a team-best 4-2 with a 1.64 ERA in 33.0 innings pitched.