ANDERSON, S.C. - After helping lead the Trojans to four wins on the week, the Anderson University junior duo of Bri Cason and Katelynn Howser have been named the South Atlantic Conference Softball Player of the Week and SAC Pitcher of the Week, respectively, as announced by the conference office Tuesday morning.
Today marks just the second time this season that a team has swept the weekly honors and the first time Carson-Newman accomplished the feat on Feb. 18.
Cason earned the accolade for the first time in her three-year career after hitting .700 on the week, while recording a .900 slugging percentage. The stellar third baseman belted seven hits in 10 at-bats, including a pair of doubles and drove in two runs. Cason also drew a pair of walks to help lead AU into a tie for first place in the standings with its 11th straight win.
Cason has started 99 consecutive games at the hot corner, and 148 of 151 contests over her career. She was a perfect 3-for-3 in the opening 8-0 win past Carson-Newman, with three singles and an RBI, while going 1-for-2 with an RBI and a walk in the Trojans 13-2 win over the Eagles. Cason added two doubles and a pair of singles, while scoring once and driving in a run in Anderson's Senior Day sweep of Queens to stretch her hitting streak to six games.
Howser also notched the honor for the first time after going 3-0 with two complete-game wins and a six-inning win in relief on the week to help AU, the hottest team in the league, win its 14th game in its last 16 outings. The right-hander tossed 17.0 innings and scattered six hits without allowing a run. She won her sixth consecutive decision with an 8-0 win past Queens in Saturday's opener and recorded 10 strikeouts while issuing just two walks on the week and held opponents to a .103 batting average and has allowed just 13 hits over her last five appearances in the circle.
Howser leads the team and ranks sixth in the conference with her 1.70 ERA on the season, while her 14 victories also rank sixth in the SAC. She has recorded 93 strikeouts, which is sixth and has issued just 49 walks, which ranks third, in 119 1/3 innings of work.
The Woodstock, Ga. native began the week with an 8-0 shutout win over Carson-Newman, allowing just two hits and facing the minimum number of hitters. She struck out two and did not walk a batter, while earning the win in the nightcap with six full innings of two-hit relief in the Trojans' 13-2 rout of the Eagles. She struck out five and walked one without surrendering a run. Howser limited the Royals to two hits on Saturday, as the right-hander tossed her seventh complete game of the campaign. She struck out three and walked just one.
Anderson plays host to Brevard on Wednesday, with first-pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. at Smethers Field.
