Softball

Notre Dame’s Sweet, Virginia Tech’s Rochard Receive Weekly ACC Softball Honors

GREENSBORO, N.C. (theACC.com) – Notre Dame senior outfielder Abby Sweet 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 for the second consecutive week. The award is Sweet’s third weekly honor this season (March 2, March 16).
 
The ACC softball weekly awards are voted on by a 20-member panel from both the teams and the conference office.
 
Sweet, the ACC’s leader in batting average (.538 for the season), continued her dominance at the plate in the midweek game vs. Valparaiso and the series sweep of NC State, batting .600 on the week. The senior from Newhall, California, totaled six hits, three runs, two doubles and four RBI on the week, adding a stolen base. Sweet was hit-by-pitch six times in the doubleheader versus NC State on Saturday. Four of the HBP came in one game, as Sweet was hit by a pitch every time she came to the plate. Entering this weekend, no Division I player had been hit by a pitch more than three times in a single game this season. For the week, she earned a .750 on-base pct. and a .800 slugging pct.
 
A junior from Williamsburg, Virginia, Rochard had a strong showing in the circle for Virginia Tech in a midweek non-conference game against Virginia and a series win over Louisville. The Hokie pitcher posted a 4-1 record with a 0.52 ERA and had 46 strikeouts while holding batters to a .100 average. Rochard had four complete-game shutouts, and in 27.0 innings pitched yielded just nine hits, two runs and four walks. Her week was highlighted by the first game against Louisville when she struck out 16 and allowed only three hits and one walk in her shutout.
 
 
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
March 30 – Abby Sweet, Sr., OF, Notre Dame
 
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
March 30 – Keely Rochard, Jr., Virginia Tech