BATON ROUGE, La. – In a vote by the sports information directors and media relations professionals around the state of Louisiana, Bianka Bell and Kelsee Selman of LSU were named the Louisiana Sports Writers Association Player and Pitcher of the Week it was announced today by the organization.
This is the third consecutive award this season for Bell, who was also named the Southeastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday as well, while this is the first for Selman this season and first in her career at LSU.
Bell led all LSU players with 10 hits as the Tigers earned a series win over top-ranked Florida for the first time in Gainesville since 2006, driving in eight on 14 at-bats with a 1.000 slugging percentage and .714 on-base percentage. The junior and Florida native was nearly unflappable at the plate, as she reached base safely with hits in each of her first six at-bats over games one and two, extending a streak that stretched back to last weekend to 10 up to that point. Bell earned the first four-hit game of her career amid three multi-hit outings, driving in five RBIs on Sunday in the finale which was also a career high among two multi-RBI contests. On Sunday with LSU and Florida tied at 3-3, she hit the go-ahead home run on a three run shot to put LSU up, and drove two more in on a two-RBI double later that game.
Selman clinched the series win over No. 1 Florida on Sunday, earning a complete-game effort in her only start of the week with a season-high 11 strikeouts to hand the Gators their second-consecutive loss. The Lufkin, Texas, native retired the side in three of the seven innings, as Florida was held to a .167 batting average for the contest. All three of Florida’s runs in the game came on a three-run home run, as just one batter for the rest of the game made it to at least second base.
LSWA Softball Player of the Week
February: Bianka Bell, LSU
March 9: Bianka Bell, LSU
March 16: Bianka Bell, LSU
LSWA Softball Pitcher of the Week
February: Allie Walljasper, LSU
March 9: Baylee Corbello, LSU
March 16: Kelsee Selman, LSU