February 13, 2007
Texas A&M softball pitcher Amanda Scarborough was named the first USA Softball National Player of the Week for the 2007 season, the Amateur Softball Association announced today.
With a 5-0 record, Scarborough helped lead the now No. 3 Aggies to an 11-spot jump in this week?â„¢s ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25 poll.
?This is a huge honor for me,? commented A&M junior captain Amanda Scarborough. ?It comes as a huge surprise because of the exceptional play of the rest of my teammates this weekend in Arizona. I give a lot of credit to my defense; they played solid and made big plays in pressure situations. Patti (Wunderlich) called a great game behind the plate and I was able to hit my spots and get outs when we needed them. Our success was a definite team effort.?
In the opening week of the season the junior right-hander was outstanding in the circle turning in a 3-0 record that included wins over three top-five teams including the defending national champions and top-ranked Arizona Wildcats. Against the Wildcats in the final game of the Kajikawa Classic she struck out five, allowed only five hits and scored the tying run after hitting a double to reach base. She was equally impressive against No. 3 UCLA allowing just one earned run while striking out four to lead the Aggies to a 5-4 win. Against No. 4 Northwestern, Scarborough walked the lead off batter to start the game but then proceeded to retire the next 11 consecutive batters on her way to a 4-3 victory.
In 21 innings of work, Scarborough allowed only three earned runs off 14 hits and collected 15 strikeouts. She also helped her cause at the plate going 5-for-17 with five runs scored and four RBI.
?Being named National Player of the Week is a great honor for Amanda and our program,? commented A&M head coach Jo Evans. ?Amanda has worked very hard in the off-season to be a great leader on the mound and in the clubhouse. She got great support from her teammates this past weekend and it is nice to see the hard work of Amanda and her teammates being recognized at the national level. Amanda has learned a lot by competing against the likes of Arizona and UCLA during her young career and she has made the adjustments necessary to go head to head with these teams and have success.?
This is the second time Scarborough has been honored as the USA Softball Player of the Week. Her first honor came on March 29, 2005 during her freshman season.
The Aggies return to action on Friday in the first round of the 2007 Aggie Classic held at the Aggie Softball Complex. A&M is slated to play Arkansas at 2:30 p.m. followed by a game against Rutgers at 4:45 p.m.