BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – One day after taking home league honors, senior outfielder A.J. Andrews was bestowed with another on Tuesday as it was announced that she was selected as the National Fastpitch Coaches Association’s Division I National Player of the Week.
This is the first time Andrews has been recognized nationally by the association, becoming just the sixth player in program history to earn the recognition and the second player from the Southeastern Conference to earn it this year. The last player to earn the award was Rachele Fico in April of 2013, as only 11 times in LSU history has a Tiger has been selected by the NFCA or USA Softball for either of its national weekly awards.
“I’m really excited and so humbled and blessed to have earned this award,” Andrews said. “It’s an honor that I’ve been working towards my whole career to achieve and it’s amazing to have so many people that believe in me and allow me to play the game that I love. As a senior in my final year, I have been able to accomplish so much thanks to my coaches and the teammates, and I can’t thank them enough for their support.”
Andrews claims the award after having arguably her best stretch as a collegian hitting a team-high .909 by going 10-for-11 at the plate with 13 RBIs, seven walks and seven stolen bases in wins over Ball State, Florida Atlantic, Northwestern State and Stephen F. Austin in the 2015 Purple & Gold Challenge. The Oldsmar, Florida, native had three triples and a double among her double-digit hits, slugging 1.545 with a .895 on-base percentage.
She did not strike out once in her 11 total at-bats, earning at least two walks in two games, with two games of two stolen bases and at least one in the last three. She tied her career high in hits twice with three against FAU and SFA, while in the final three games of the weekend she matched and then exceeded her career high in RBI’s with three, four and six against the Ladyjacks, becoming just the second person this season to drive in that many in a contest.
For the season Andrews leads the team in batting average (.531), walks (23) and stolen bases (11), as her seven triples this season not only lead the team but also the SEC along with her .658 on-base percentage, while her average at the plate is also fourth best individually in the conference.
The Tigers are off to their best start in program history, and on one of the best streaks in LSU sports history, heading into a midweek game against Northwestern State tonight and the beginning of SEC play against Arkansas this weekend.
“Coach Torina has told us all season to pass the bat and play for the person in front of you and behind you, and I think that has really helped us this year because when you play for the team the game seems so much easier,” Andrews said. “It’s great to know that you have 20 other people on the team who you trust to do whatever it takes for the team to succeed, and I think winning an award like this is a testament to that as well as the start to the season we’ve had.”
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