AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: March 2 - March 8, 2026
 

HITTER OF THE WEEK – Piper Morton, Jr., C, East Texas Baptist
Piper Morton and the East Texas Baptist Tigers faced tough competition this week at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Georgia. Over six games, ETBU faced three ranked opponents, and Morton helped the Tigers to a 4-2 overall record.

In a 4-0 win against #13 Emory, Morton went 1-for-3 at the plate with a run and an RBI. On Day 2 of the classic, she went 4-for-6 against Pomona-Pitzer and DePauw, recording four RBI, two runs, and a .667 batting average. Morton finished the week with a .438 batting average, totaling three runs and six RBI, and recorded at least one hit in five of the six games.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Avery Holland, Jr., P, East Texas Baptist
Junior pitcher Avery Holland went 3-0 in the NFCA Leadoff Classic, throwing three complete games against top-ranked opponents. In the 4-0 win over #13 Emory, Holland struck out six batters, including two looking, across 24 batters faced, and held the Lions to a .087 batting average.

Holland continued her dominant play in a 13-2 win over DePauw, facing 20 batters and allowing a .263 batting average, and then struck out five in a 4-0 shutout over Denison. She finished the week with 19.0 innings pitched, 17 strikeouts, 69 batters faced, and held opponents to a .149 batting average overall.

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OTHER OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCES

HITTERS
Ella Salinas of Hardin-Simmons helped the Cowgirls to a 4-0 week, recording six hits and eight RBI. She went 6-for-13 at the plate for a .462 batting average.

PITCHERS
Akaysia Grogan of Hardin-Simmons held opponents to a .222 batting average while facing 47 batters in two wins. In a 19-0 victory over Arlington Baptist, she pitched 3.0 innings with two strikeouts. She then tossed 7.0 innings in an 8-2 win over Schreiner, recording four strikeouts.