University of Massachusets Athletics
Plourde Named A-10 Pitcher Of Week
March 16, 2011 | Softball
March 16, 2011
AMHERST, Mass. - After an impressive week in the circle for the UMass softball team in which she went 4-0 with 57 strikeouts and just two runs allowed in 26 1/3 innings, Sara Plourde was named Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday. It is the Bristol native and 2010 A-10 Pitcher of the Year's first such honor in 2011. She was also named UMass Co-Athlete of the Week on Monday and was an honorable mention for the NFCA National Player of the Week.
It is Plourde's seventh career A-10 Pitcher of the Week honor after earning the title six times in 2010 on her way to a 40-8 record and a NCAA-leading 556 strikeouts.
Plourde was dominant last week at the USF Under Armour Showcase, going 4-0 with 57 strikeouts in 26 1/3 innings and allowing just two runs. She racked up three-straight one-hit shutouts against Toledo, USF, and Colorado State, allowing just one walk in each game and striking out 11, 15, and 10, respectively. The 2010 A-10 Pitcher of the Year struck out a season-high 18 batters in a shutout victory over Green Bay, running her scoreless inning streak to 24 innings for the weekend. Plourde finished the week with a 0.53 ERA and opponents hit just .136 against her.
Her 18-strikeout performance against Green Bay tied her own previous performance and two by Danielle Henderson for the second-highest single game total in a seven inning game in UMass history. The school record is the 20 Plourde struck out at Boston College last season, one shy of the NCAA record.
Plourde is now 6-8 overall on the season with three shutouts, a 1.69 ERA and 160 strikeouts in 91 innings pitched.
On Monday, Plourde was named UMass Co-Athlete of the Week with men's diver Jason Cook, who placed fifth in two events at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships.
The Minutewomen (6-11) begin conference play this weekend when they travel to Charlotte for games at 3 p.m. on Friday and noon on Saturday.
