BATON ROUGE – Two great hitting performances and a strong pitching week earned Louisiana softball player of the week honors in the state as named by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association.
DJ Sanders of UL-Lafayette belted four home runs, while Amber Serrett hit .750 in six wins for LSU. Pitcher Carley Hoover won three games on the week for LSU to earn the pitching honor.
Here are the capsules on the winners:
HITTER (TIE)
DJ SANDERS (So., SS, UL Lafayette)
Columbus, Miss., native DJ Sanders belted four home runs, posted a series-high seven RBI and slugged 2.125 in the first collegiate games she played in her home state during the Ragin’ Cajuns three-game sweep of Southern Miss in Hattiesburg. Sanders finished 5-for-8 (.625 avg.) at the plate in the series, four of the five hits being home runs. She scored multiple runs all three games, accounting for eight total, and posted three multiple-RBI games in reaching seven RBI in the series. Adding in three walks, she reached base eight times in 11 plate appearances. She homered twice in the series opener, tying her season-and career-high set earlier this season vs. UAB in Gulf Shores. The three RBI she posted in the opener marked the third straight game totaling the amount. In the series finale on Sunday that clinched the three-game sweep, she launched a two-run home run in the fourth inning to help the Cajuns erase a 1-0 deficit and later scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning – breaking a 2-2 tie – after drawing a one-out walk and crossing home plate on a bases loaded, fielder’s choice grounder by Kelli Martinez.
AMBER SERRETT – LSU
LSU freshman Amber Serrett led all LSU at the plate, hitting .750 in six wins for the Tigers with 12 hits, three for doubles, with eight RBIs, three stolen bases and a .938 slugging percentage and .778 on-base percentage as the team extended its winning streak to 15-striaght. Serrett was just one of two players this week to have a hit in every contest, leading the way with four multi-hit games. The Spring, Texas, native was perfect at the plate in three of the six games, going 2-for-2 against ULM, 3-for-3 against Memphis and 3-for-3 against Liberty. She ripped two of her three doubles against ULM, while stealing two of her three bases against Memphis while also driving in three. Serrett was only put out three times in the 16 at-bats, reaching base safely in six-straight appearances to start.
PITCHER
CARLEY HOOVER – LSU
LSU sophomore Carley Hoover helped LSU to a sweep of action in six games last week, appearing in three games and starting two, earning a 3-0 record with a spotless ERA allowing just two hits and includes her first career no-hitter in the finale of the LSU Invitational on Sunday afternoon against Tennessee Tech. Hoover struck out 26 batters in 13.2 innings, averaging two strikeouts per inning, as opponents had a .047 batting average against her while she was in the circle. She retired the side eight times, including having a perfect inning on Sunday where she needed just three pitches to retire the side. From the sixth inning of the Louisiana Tech game until the final out on Sunday, Hoover retired 21 of the final 24 batters she faced. The no-hitter was the 36th in LSU history.