AUM’s Powell picks up 3rd SSAC POTW
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (aumathletics.com) —— Senior pitcher Taylor Powell was selected the Southern States Athletic Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season, the league office announced Monday.
The honor has been given out five times so far this season, with Powell taking a majority of those decisions. She has led the team to a 24-1 (2-0 SSAC) record over the first half of the season, and finished the past week 3-0 with 17 strikeouts and a 1.37 ERA.
Powell began the week in a start against (RV) Bryan on Wednesday, March 16. She earned her 12th win of the year after a 4-3 victory, where she tossed seven innings on three hits and three runs with ten strikeouts. It was the fifth time all year she had acquired 10 or more strikeouts in an outing, and was her ninth complete game.
The Warhawks opened conference play against No. 7 Mobile on Sunday, March 20. She started the first game of the afternoon’s double header, and improved to 13-0 on the year with her seventh complete-game shutout of the year with the 1-0 victory. She surrendered only five hits and struck out six batters.
Powell was not finished just yet for the Warhawks, as her brief 1 1/3 inning of relief in the second game of the double header held off the Rams to give AUM the 4-3 victory, and also improve Powell’s record to 14-0. She gave up only one hit and added a strikeout in the short appearance, but inherited two base runners with two outs when she entered the game.
She currently ranks third in the NAIA in wins (14), fourth in opponent batting average (0.123), fourth in hits allowed per game (2.95) and seventh in earned run average (0.960). At the conference level, Powell ranks first in earned run average, opponent batting average, innings pitched (87 2/3), total strikeouts (105), hits allowed per game (2.95) and wins.
Powell and the Warhawks will return to action on Tuesday, March 22 when they continue SSAC play against No. 9 William Carey on the road. The first game of the doubleheader will start at 2 p.m.
