NEW ORLEANS – After helping lead, the University of South Alabama softball team to a Sun Belt Conference road sweep at No. 18 Texas State over the weekend, freshman pitcher Olivia Lackie has named the league's pitcher of the week for the fourth time this spring on Tuesday as by the conference office.
The conference sweep versus Texas State was the third of the spring for the Jags and the second league road sweep of the season – the first time South has done either since the 2017 season. It was also the first time since 2013 that South Alabama has taken a series from a ranked opponent and the first time the Jaguars have ever swept an opponent ranked inside the Top 25.
With the selection, Lackie becomes just the second pitcher in program history to earn Sun Belt Conference weekly accolades four or more times in a season, and the first since Devin Brown's five in 2016.
The honor also marks the 46th time in program history that South has had a player earn a weekly honor from the Sun Belt and the 27th time the program has had a player selected as the conference pitcher of the week. The Jaguars have had five players receive a weekly honor from the Sun Belt this season – the most since the 2016 campaign.
For the week, Lackie recorded a win and a save – both in the series against the Bobcats – while striking out 19 and allowing just two earned runs in her 15 innings of work. Against Texas State, Lackie was even better as she tossed 10 scoreless innings and held the Bobcats – who entered the weekend as one of the top offenses in the conference – to just five hits (.172 average), while striking out 10 in the series.
The freshman bounced back from a loss at then-SBC co-leader Troy on Wednesday by registering a complete-game, two-hit, 1-0 shutout in game two of the series on Saturday – marking her fifth shutout and ninth complete game of the season. In a scoreless game with a Bobcat runner in scoring position and just one out in the fourth, the Walker, La., native posted back-to-back strikeouts looking to end the inning and leave the runner stranded. With a runner on and two out in the bottom of the six with the game still scoreless, Lackie was able to get Hailey McKay swinging to end the frame. With two on and two out, Lackie finished off the game with her seventh strikeout, as Kylie George went down swinging to end the game.
On Sunday, Lackie came out of the bullpen and tossed three scoreless innings to preserve a three-run victory to clinch the series sweep. The righty struck out two batters in each of her first two innings of work, and with the tying run aboard in the seventh, was able to get MacKay to fly out to right to end the game.
For the year, Lackie continues to rank as one of the top pitchers in the Sun Belt and in the nation as she is 12-6 with three saves and a 1.85 earned run average. In her 117 innings of work in the circle, she has struck out 156 batters and is holding opponents to a .177 batting average. Entering play this week, she leads the Sun Belt in innings pitched and saves, while ranking second in strikeouts, third in both opposing batting average and strikeouts looking (38), and fourth in wins and ERA.
In her 117 innings of work, she has struck out the side 13 times and recorded at least 2 or more strikeouts in 54 innings (46.2%), and has recorded double-digit strikeouts five times this spring, with three of those going for 12 or more. Of her 351 put outs, 156 have come by strikeout, while 191 have come from balls put in play (44.4%).
Lackie and South Alabama (21-12, 9-4 SBC) will hosts UTA this weekend for a three-game SBC series with game one of a doubleheader scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m. at Jaguar Field.
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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