NEW ORLEANS | For the second time this spring, junior Olivia Lackie was named the Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday after helping South Alabama post a 4-1 record over the weekend at the Jane B. Moore Memorial.

The honor is the seventh time of her career and the 31st time the program has had a pitcher earn the award. The seven selections are second-most (Devin Brown – 11) in program history.

Lackie had another outstanding weekend in the circle as she led the club in the circle with a 2-0 record and posted a 0.54 earned run average. She allowed just three hits in her 13 innings of work, while holding opponents to a .073 batting average and striking out 16 batters. For her play, she was one of four Jags named to the all-tournament team.

Lackie began the tournament by tossing her second-straight shutout in a 9-0, six-inning win over Tennessee Tech on Friday. The junior struck out 11 – the 18th double-digit tally of her career – and allowed just two hits in her complete-game effort. The shutout was the 22nd of her career and the sixth of the season for the Walker, La., native. 

On Saturday, Lackie tossed another gem as she held 19th-ranked Auburn to one hit in South's 2-1 upset road victory. The Tigers came into the game with a prolific offense having scored 158 runs (8.3 per game) in their first 19 games and had averaged 9.2 hits per contest, but Lackie held Auburn to a season-low in runs and didn't allow a hit until the seventh inning of the contest and retired the side in order in the second, third, fifth and sixth innings. With the tying run at third in the bottom of the seventh, Lackie fielded a chopper back to the circle and through onto first for the second out after looking the runner at third back, but Icees Tresvik made a late break for home attempting to tie the game up, but first baseman Gabby Stagner's throw to catcher Sasha Willems was on target for the final out of the game. The win ended Auburn's 15-game win streak, including 14 on their home field

Over her last four starts, Lackie has retired 23 straight batters – 18 via strikeout – when the junior has gotten ahead 0-2 in the count. 

South Alabama heads back out on the road this weekend for its final non-conference tournament of the spring as the Jags will travel to Madeira Beach, Fla., to compete in THE Spring Games held at R.O.C. Park (Fri.-Sun.).

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