A pair of Virginia Cavaliers, senior outfielder Sarah Tacke and freshman pitcher , were selected Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week for the period ending March 14, announced today. The Cavaliers posted a 4-2 record during the week, including doubleheader sweeps of Norfolk State and conference-foe Maryland, Virginia's first series win against the Terrapins since 2006.
Tacke kept the player of the week theme of the young season alive, as she is the fifth senior in as many weeks to claim the award. The Merced, Calif., native batted .562 (9-for-16) in six games with four multi-hit performances. Despite dropping a pair of games to Longwood (Mar. 9), she recorded three hits in three at-bats, and was a combined 4-for-6 with two doubles, three runs batted-in, and one run scored in a sweep of Norfolk State (Mar. 10). Tacke went 2-for-4 with a season-high three RBI in Virginia's 5-3 ACC-opening win against Maryland (Mar. 14), and currently ranks second in the ACC with a .471 batting average, .784 slugging percentage, and .576 on-base percentage.
Mitchell started four games over the week, including both ends of the doubleheader against Maryland, and posted a 3-1 mark. Her first victory of the week came in a 3-2 win in the Cavalier's second game against Norfolk State (Mar. 10), in which the White Plains, Md., native allowed just two earned runs on one hit, while striking out a season-high 16 batters in a complete game win. Working two games in the same day, Mitchell went 2-0 against the Terps, allowing four earned runs over 14.0 innings pitched, while fanning 15 batters. This season, Mitchell is fifth in the ACC with 96 punch outs.