Big Ten Tournament MVP title lands Minnesota’s Sara Groenewegen as the final USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week for 2016

May 18, 2016

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Big Ten Tournament MVP title lands Minnesota's Sara Groenewegen as the final USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week for 2016

OKLAHOMA CITY — After leading her team to a second Big Ten Tournament Championship in three years, Minnesota's junior ace Sara Groenewegen (White Rock, B.C., Canada.) has earned the final USA Softball Collegiate National Player of the Week honors for the 2016 season. Groenewegen pitched every inning for the Gophers in the Big Ten Tournament, including a 10-inning thriller over top-seeded Michigan that helped land her Tournament MVP honors.

"It is an honor to be recognized as USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week," said Groenewegen. "This past week was an exciting one for Gopher softball. Our grit and resilience that we played with won us the Big Ten Tournament and I could not be more proud of my team. We are excited to be playing another weekend in Seattle and can't wait to take our momentum to the postseason. The postseason is the most exciting time of the year and we are happy to see all our hard work paying off."

Groenewegen pitched every frame for Minnesota throughout the Big Ten Tournament Championship, collecting three victories en route to MVP accolades. With Minnesota riding an 11-game winning streak heading into the Big Ten Tournament, Groenewegen pitched a complete game one-hit, 2-0 shutout over Illinois to land her team in the semifinals. Facing a high powered offense and battling Mother Nature in their semifinal match against Northwestern, Groenewegen put Minnesota on the board with a three-run home run to lead off the first inning to put her team on top early. Groenewegen also took care of business in the circle for the Gophers, issuing nine strikeouts to pick up the 8-4 win.

The win over Northwestern thrust Minnesota into the Championship Game against No. 2 Michigan. In a three hour and forty minute marathon of a game, Groenewegen pitched her team to victory, striking out 11 batters as the Gophers claimed the Big Ten Tournament title. For the Tournament, Groenewegen threw nearly 400 pitches, amassing 29 strikeouts and a 1.75 ERA in 24 innings pitched.

"Sara Groenewegen laid it all out on the line," said Minnesota Head Coach Jessica Allister. "That's one of the gutsiest performances that I've ever seen."

This is the second USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honor for Groenewegen, her first coming in Week 13 of the 2015 season. The Gophers now set their sight on the NCAA Tournament as they travel to Seattle, Wash. for their NCAA Regional. Facing North Dakota State in their first game of the Seattle Regional, Weber State and No. 14 Washington also await the Gophers.

2016 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 11-14): Lexie Elkins – Louisiana-Lafayette - Senior - Catcher – Victoria, Texas

Week 2 (Feb. 15-21): Jailyn Ford – James Madison - Senior - Pitcher – Hot Springs, Va.

Week 3 (Feb. 22-28): Sierra Hyland – Cal Poly - Junior - Pitcher – Visalia, Calif.

Co-Week 4 (Feb. 29-March 6): Molly Hutchison – NC State - Junior – C/OF – San Diego, Calif.

Co-Week 4 (Feb. 29-March 6): Sierra Romero – Michigan - Senior - Infield – Murrieta, Calif.

Week 5 (March 7-13): Bianka Bell – LSU - Senior - Infield – Tampa, Fla.

Week 6 (March 14-20): Hannah Day – Troy - Senior - Outfield – Crestview, Fla.

Week 7 (March 21-27): Holly Speers – Kent State - Sophomore - Infield – Surrey, B.C.

Week 8 (March 28-April 3): Jessie Hufstetler – San José State - Senior - Infield – Atascadero, Calif.

Week 9 (April 4-10): Paige Parker – Oklahoma - Sophomore - Pitcher – Independence, Mo.

Week 10 (April 11-17): Delanie Gourley – Florida - Junior - Pitcher – Lakeside, Calif.

Week 11 (April 18-24): Astin Donovan – South Florida - Sophomore - Outfield – Guilford, Conn.

Week 12 (April 25 – May 1): Holiday Cahill – Towson - Junior - Infield – Cypress, Calif.

Week 13 (May 2-8): Sydney Smith – LSU - Freshman - Pitcher – Maple Grove, Minn.

Week 14 (May 9-15): Sara Groenewegen – Minnesota - Junior - Pitcher – White Rock, B.C., Canada

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