Softball Player of the Week: Mallory Parker, North Georgia
Parker was nearly perfect as North Georgia opened the season with three games at the Gulf Shores Invitational. The junior outfielder hit .700 over the weekend with a 1.200 slugging percentage, two doubles, a home run and seven RBIs. She went 3-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs in the opener against Spring Hill, then drove in another in a loss to West Alabama. She finished with another 3-for-3 outing, including a home run, with two RBIs in a win over Florida Tech. Parker leads the PBC in batting average and is second in RBIs.
Softball Pitcher of the Week: Tybee Denton, North Georgia
Denton went 2-0 in two starts over the weekend at the Gulf Shores Invitational with a 1.24 ERA in 11.2 innings of work. The junior righty from Homer, Ga., pitched 4.2 no-hit innings and got the win over Spring Hill, allowing one walk and striking out five. She and Delaney Heaberlin combined for a no-hitter in that game. Denton then pitched 6.2 innings against Florida Tech in an 8-2 win, allowing two earned runs while striking out two. For the week, she held batters to an .082 batting average. She is one of two PBC pitchers to get two wins on opening weekend, leads the PBC in opponent batting average and is ranked fifth in ERA.
Softball Freshman of the Week: Gracie Hughes, Young Harris
Hughes lit up the scoreboard in her first collegiate games, hitting .500 with two home runs, two doubles and seven RBIs in three games. The designated player/pitcher went 2-for-4 in the opener at Shorter, blasting a three-run home run in a 7-5 win. She was 3-for-4 in game two with a two doubles and a solo home run and had another RBI in game three as YHC completed the sweep. She finished with a 1.167 slugging percentage and scored three runs. Hughes is tied for second in the PBC in RBIs, is fourth in slugging, tied for second in home runs and tied for the league lead in doubles.