Freeman, Weathers, and Bertrand Win Softball Weekly Honors
MAAC Sports
Player of the Week
Rebecca Freeman, Marist
Jr., C, 5-7, Robbinsville, NJ/Robbinsville
Freeman hit .545 (6-for-11) with a 1.888 OPS (.615 on-base percentage, 1.273 slugging percentage) as Marist went 3-0 this past week. She finished with seven RBIs, four runs scored, and two walks. Four of her six hits went for extra bases, with two doubles and two home runs. At Army West Point on April 26, she went 2-for-4 with a run scored as Marist erased a five-run first-inning deficit for a 9-8 triumph. In the first game of a doubleheader at Iona on April 30, she doubled, walked, scored a run, and drove in a run in Marist’s 8-2 triumph. In the second game of the doubleheader, Freeman homered twice – including a grand slam – and drove in six runs as she finished 3-for-3 while adding two runs scored, a double, and a walk as Marist prevailed 11-0 in six innings. She handled all 18 of her fielding chances (14 putouts, four assists) without committing an error as Marist improved to 39-8 overall and 13-1 in the MAAC while extending its winning streak to 16.
Pitcher of the Week
Madi Weathers, Canisius
So., P, 5-4, Westminster, CA/Fountain Valley
Canisius sophomore pitcher Madi Weathers extended her personal winning streak to five after she went 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA and 16 strikeouts in three starts last week against Niagara, Monmouth and Rider. In the 7-1 win over Niagara April 26, she allowed one run and scattered nine hits to go with four strikeouts in a complete-game win, and she followed that effort by allowing one run, an unearned run, on five hits while fanning five in the team’s 5-1 victory over Monmouth April 30. In the team’s win over Rider May 1, Weathers gave up four runs on 11 hits but struck out a season best seven hitters in 5.0 innings of work, as Canisius beat the Broncs 11-6.
Rookie of the Week
Sierra Bertrand, Niagara
Fr., P/OF, 5-11, Stirling, Ontario/St. Theresa Secondary School
Bertrand had a stellar week in the circle for Niagara, pitching three complete games and finishing 2-1 with a 1.33 ERA and 22 total strikeouts while limiting opposing batters to a .163 average. The freshman struck out eight batters to earn the first shutout of her collegiate career in a 1-0 shutout of second-ranked Canisius on April 26, allowing just four hits against the Golden Griffins. After tallying another six strikeouts in a 5-4 loss to Rider, Bertrand pitched seven innings of one-run ball against the Monmouth Hawks on May 1, giving up six hits and taking another shutout bid into the sixth inning. In the win over Monmouth, Bertrand also went 1-for-3 from the plate with a double and a run scored. The Canadian freshman ranks third in the MAAC with 6.61 strikeouts per seven innings and fifth in the conference with 6.38 hits against per seven innings. She also leads Niagara with a 2.69 ERA, six wins, and 86 total strikeouts.