D1Softball’s Weekly Awards: Karlyn Pickens, Taryn Kern, Jackie Lis
Top StoriesPitcher of the Week: Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
Pickens leads off the weekly honors after earning two of Tennessee’s three wins in sweeping aside LSU in Baton Rouge. The first of our fabulous freshmen this week, she totaled 12 strikeouts across 8.2 innings. The rookie clinched the series with Saturday’s one-hit shutout, her second one-hitter in a row in conference play, and secured the sweep with a relief win in the finale. More on what sets the Tennessee right-hander apart from even the best of the best through two conference starts.
Player of the Week: Taryn Kern, Indiana
It was a bad week on the basketball court for the Hoosiers, but a heck of a week at the plate for Indiana’s freshman slugger. Kern went 8-for-12 with six walks, four hit-by-pitch and 10 runs scored on the weekend against Belmont, Northwestern State and Memphis. She hit four home runs among six extra-base hits. The freshman leads the Big Ten in five categories: slugging percentage (.910), OBP (.574), OPS (1.484), RBI (36) and HBP (9). With Kern and Pickens graduating to overall Pitcher and Player of the Week honors, respectively, we’ll spread the wealth with freshman honors below.
Freshman of the Week: Jackie Lis, Southern Illinois
The Salukis are off to their best start in 30 years with a 22-3 (5-0 MVC) record, thanks in part to an impressive freshman class. Rookie shortstop Jackie Lis led SIU to a 5-0 record last week, going 7-for-14 with five home runs and 10 RBIs across five games against Missouri State and Valparaiso. Lis capped her weekend with three home runs in a 12-0 win against Valpo, the first player in SIU history to hit three home runs in a game. Although only this week’s five home runs counted toward award consideration, the freshman from Newburgh, Indiana, has hit seven home runs in her last six games.
