OVC honors sizzling Redhawks

The Southeast Missouri State softball team has swept Ohio Valley Conference honors for the second straight week.

Jennifer Vasquez and Giana Zimmerman were named OVC player and pitcher of the week, respectively, the league announced Monday.

Vasquez, a junior left fielder, hit .462 with a .923 slugging percentage in four games last week. Four of her six hits went for extra bases and she drove in seven runs.

In Saturday's opener of a doubleheader at Tennessee State, Vasquez tied Southeast's single-game record with two triples. She also tied a career-high with four RBIs.

Vasquez is batting .260 on the season, while ranking second on the squad in RBIs with 23 and walks with 20. Her two triples lead the Redhawks.

Zimmerman, a freshman, earned her second consecutive pitcher of the week award as she went 3-0 and recorded her first collegiate save last week. She struck out 27 batters in 22 innings while posting a 2.23 ERA.

Zimmerman is 17-8 with a 2.60 ERA and has won 10 straight decisions. She has completed 20 of her 24 starts and her 168 strikeouts rank second in program single-season history.

Southeast (27-19, 16-8) ended the regular season with a 15-game winning streak, third-longest in school history. The all-time record is 32 straight by the 1996 team, while the 1998 squad posted 16 straight victories.

The Redhawks finished second in the nine-team OVC, meaning they earn a bye for the first round of the OVC tournament that begins Thursday in Jacksonville, Ala.

-- Southeast Missourian