NEW ORLEANS – After helping the University of South Alabama softball team pick up a win over 14th-ranked Georgia over the weekend, Jaguar infielder Belle Wolfenden has been named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week as announced by the league office Tuesday.
The honor is the first of Wolfenden's career and the 43rd time in program history that South has had a player earn a weekly honor from the Sun Belt. It is also the 20th time the program has had a player selected as the SBC's player of the week. Wolfenden's is the first Jaguar to earn a weekly conference accolade since the 2019 season.
Wolfenden – a junior college transfer from Gulf Coast [Fla.] State College – didn't wait long to make an impact in the South Alabama lineup over the weekend, as she batted .556, while also reaching base safely in eight of her 12 plate appearances at the Red & Black Showcase. She also walked three times, had a double and a home run, while driving in a team-best five runs at the tournament.
After recording a hit in the opener against the Bulldogs, the 5-foot-4 junior reached all five of her plate appearances as the Jaguars defeated the Bulldogs, 9-8 in game two of a doubleheader on Friday. She was 2-for-2 at the plate with both of her hits going for extra bases – a double and a home run – while she also walked three times, scored a pair of runs and drove in four. Her three-run home run in the top of the seventh provided just enough insurance for the Jags to hold on for the one-run victory. An inning prior, Wolfenden made an outstanding defensive stop in the hole at second as she was able to gun down the Bulldog runner at first to persevere the 5-4 sixth-inning Jag lead and end the inning after UGA had hit a two-run home run earlier in the frame.
The win over the Bulldogs marked the first win over a ranked team since defeating then seventh-ranked Florida State, 3-1 in Mobile on Feb. 21. 2018. It was also the first win over a ranked team on their home field since the Jags defeated 18th-ranked Louisiana, 8-4 on April 12, 2014 in Lafayette. The win also snapped a streak of 12-straight losses against an SEC opponent, 10 of which had come on the road. South's last win over an opponent from the league on their home field prior to game two's victory came in Starkville, Miss., during the 2016 season when South picked up a 2-1 win over the Bulldogs.
On Saturday, Wolfenden posted her second multi-hit outing of the weekend and drove in her team-leading fifth RBI against Virginia on Saturday, as she tied the game up (3-3) with an RBI single to center in the fifth inning.
South Alabama will host the first of two straight home tournaments this weekend as the Jags are scheduled to open up the Jaguar Classic presented by Marriott Mobile on Friday with a pair of games against Lipscomb and Illinois-Chicago. First pitch versus the Bison is set for 3:45 p.m. at Jaguar Field, while USA will face UIC at 6 p.m.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear. All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub.
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