GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Clemson freshman utility player and pitcher Valarie Cagle has been selected as the Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Player of the Week, while Virginia Tech’s Keely Rochard has been named the Pitcher of the Week.
The ACC softball weekly awards are voted on by a 20-member panel from both the teams and the conference office.
Both players were also national award recipients, with Cagle receiving the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I Player of the Week honors and Rochard earning Wilson/NFCA Division I Pitcher of the Week laurels.
Cagle led Clemson to a sweep of Louisville on the road last week after an exceptional performance both at the plate and in the circle. The freshman from Yorktown, Virginia, hit .643 (9-for-14) with two home runs, six RBI and slugged 1.143. Cagle’s peak performance came in Sunday’s game, in which she went 3-for-3 with two home runs and a single, and accounted for all four of Clemson’s RBI, in addition to earning the win in the circle. She recorded a 2-RBI single in the top of the first, giving the Tigers an early lead, which they never surrendered for the remainder of the game. Cagle then homered in back-to-back at bats and went on to tie her career high of 14 strikeouts. In the series, the freshman Tiger pitched 18 innings, including two complete games with one being 11 innings, striking out 18 batters while only allowing one earned run and holding opposing batters to a .182 average.
A junior from Williamsburg, Virginia, Rochard was dominant for Virginia Tech in the series win over Pitt, throwing back-to-back 19-strikeout, complete game shutouts. Across her three starts, Rochard pitched 18 innings and struck out 46 of the 63 batters she faced while holding them to a .051 batting average.
ACC Softball Player of the Week
Feb. 16 – Emma Kauf, Fr., C, Georgia Tech
Feb. 23 – Taylor Roby, Jr., DP, Louisville
March 2 – Abby Sweet, Sr., OF, Notre Dame | Morgan Batesole, Sr., INF, Pitt
March 9 – Sam Russ, Jr., OF, NC State
March 16 – Abby Sweet, Sr., OF, Notre Dame
March 24 – Valerie Cagle, Fr., UTL/RHP, Clemson
ACC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Feb. 16 – Peyton St. George, Sr., Duke | Blake Neleman, Fr., Georgia Tech
Feb. 23 – Brittany Pickett, Sr., North Carolina
March 2 – Peyton St. George, Sr., Duke
March 9 – Brittany Pickett, Sr., North Carolina
March 16 – Peyton St. George, Sr., Duke
March 24 – Keely Rochard, Jr., Virginia Tech