Softball America Stars of the Week: Pickens, Netz, Breslin, Groff
The Softball America staff will pick four student-athletes as our college softball players of the week following the latest slate of games. Our award system isn’t necessarily stat-based but rather players who left a lasting impact as we watched games from the previous week. Who changed the tune of their teams? Who made the headlines? Who might be the breakout star during the season?
Karlyn Pickens, RHP, Tennessee
Pickens started her week by beating Arkansas and throwing the fastest pitch in softball history. And yet, someone she outdid herself in Norman. The Tennessee ace picked up two wins, leading the Lady Vols to a series win over No. 2 Oklahoma. She threw 12.1 innings against the Sooners, allowing three runs on 10 hits and striking out 12.
See where Pickens landed in our latest Pitcher Rankings
Devyn Netz, RHP/UTL, Arizona
It’s not often you become the first to do something at Arizona, but Netz became the first to do anything in softball history. The two-way star became the first player to hit a home run and throw a perfect game on Thursday against BYU. Netz picked up two wins and hit two home runs, driving in five runs in the series win over the Cougars.
Read more: Arizona’s Devyn Netz is Back and Better Than Ever
Kaitlyn Breslin, OF, UConn
Breslin also made history this past weekend. The UConn outfielder went 4-for-4, hitting four home runs in the Huskies’ 22-18 win over Creighton. She is the seventh player in Division I history to hit four home runs in one game and most recent since Arkansas’s Danielle Gibson in 2019. She batted .750 with five home runs and 11 RBIs across the weekend.
Maddia Groff, LHP, Omaha
It’s hard to compete with taking the series from the four-time defending champs and history makers, but 10 perfect innings are pretty good, too, right? Maddia Groff tossed the front end of a shared five-inning perfect game in a 20-0 win over North Dakota. The next day, she struck out 13 batters, throwing a full perfect game against North Dakota.
Read more from Softball America:
Catcher Rankings
First Base Rankings
Third Base Rankings
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