DALLAS – After leading WKU Softball to a 4-0 week including a sweep of Middle Tennessee, Kelsey Aikey and Kennedy Sullivan have swept Conference USA's Pitcher of the Week and Player of the Week awards, respectively. The duo helped the Hilltoppers reach the 20-win milestone in just 24 games this season – the quickest the feat has been achieved in program history.
Aikey earned her second Pitcher of the Week nod of the season after shutting down the Blue Raiders from the circle. The senior earned two wins and a save against MTSU while allowing just two earned runs in 14.1 innings of work. Aikey struck out 15 batters across her three appearances while registering a 0.98 ERA and limiting the Blue Raiders to a .180 hitting percentage. In the series opener, Aikey two-hit Middle Tennessee in a complete-game effort. Two days later, the Cedar Falls, Iowa, native inherited the game tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the sixth before navigating out of the jam with just four pitches en route to a save.
"I am proud of Aikey's performance in the circle this weekend," head coach Amy Tudor opened. "She was poised, focused and a leader all weekend. Her ability to keep the hitters off balance and to bring confidence to the circle was pivotal in all three victories."
With the wins, Aikey is now 10-2 on the season in addition to adding her third save of the year. She owns 15 career saves ranking her first in the WKU Softball record book and second in the Conference USA listings. With 115 strikeouts on the season to date, Aikey ranks 15th in all of NCAA Softball.
Aikey now owns six career Pitcher of the Week awards across her career on The Hill after earning two as both a sophomore, junior and senior. Less than a month ago, Aikey was also named one of 30 candidates for the 2020 Senior CLASS Award for NCAA Softball.
Sullivan turned in another well-rounded week for the Red and White. The sophomore drew a midweek start in the circle where she struck out nine and earned a complete-game win over Belmont. Sullivan recorded a two-hit performance in the win over the Bruins and then turned in a 3-for-3 day in WKU's series finale victory over Middle Tennessee. Across the week, Sullivan hit a scorching .583 with seven knocks in 12 plate appearances.
"I'm proud of the way Sullivan continues to perform at the plate, in the circle and in the outfield," added Tudor. "She had a fantastic week for us and continues to impact our team with all aspects of her game."
The Georgetown, Ky., native held down right field when she wasn't in the circle for the Hilltoppers. Sullivan drove in three runs across the 4-0 week, including one on a perfectly delivered sacrifice bunt against the Blue Raiders.
Sullivan now owns three 3-hit games on her sophomore season to go along with eight more 2-hit outings. She currently owns and eight-game hitting streak and nine-game reached base stretch. Across the season, Sullivan has racked up 35 hits, which lead Conference USA and rank 14th across the nation.
How to Follow the Hilltoppers: For complete information on WKU Softball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUSoftball, Instagram @WKU_Softball and Facebook /WKUSoftball.
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