FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 5, 2015
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Minnesota's Groenewegen fans 47 en route to USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors
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OKLAHOMA CITY — A threat both at the plate and from the circle, Minnesota's Sara Groenewegen (White Rock, B.C., Canada) has earned her first USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball announced today. The reigning Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, Groenewegen lived up to that title, fanning 47 batters over the course of three games to help the Gophers to a perfect 5-0 week in conference play. For her efforts, Groenewegen also earned her fifth Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors of the season. Â
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"I am honored to receive this recognition and I want to thank my teammates for their impressive play," said Groenewegen. "All week, we played with a championship mentality because the Big Ten regular-season championship was within reach. Even though that didn't turn out in our favor, I think competing with that type of mentality has helped prepare us for the postseason. We're excited for the Big Ten Tournament this coming weekend."Â
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Starting the week off with a doubleheader at Big Ten rival Wisconsin, Groenewegen retired 13 batters via strikeout while contributing one RBI as the Gophers took game one by a score of 7-2. In the second game of the rivalry, Groenewegen was perfect at the plate, going 4-for-4 with three RBI and two home runs as the designated hitter in a 12-1 (five inning) Gopher win.
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In her final contests of the regular season, Groenewegen continued to shine, pitching two more complete games wins, including an extra inning outing, against Purdue. In their first game of the series, the sophomore pitcher was lights out as she tied her career high with 15 strikeouts in a 1-0 shutout win. She also was 2-for-3 at the plate with a double. Groenewegen then followed up the next day, going the distance in extra innings by fanning 19 batters, a school and personal record, while also scoring one run as the Gophers took the 3-2 (eight inning) win.  Â
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"Sara is tremendous competitor and teammate," said Minnesota Head Coach Jessica Allister. "This is a great honor for both her and our program as a whole."
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For the week, Groenewegen tossed three complete-game wins and recorded 47 strikeouts in 22 innings of work, finishing with a 0.95 ERA. She also contributed at the plate, reaching base safely in all five games while finishing with a .500 (7-for-14) batting average, a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .611 on-base percentage. She also collected four RBI while knocking out two home runs.
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This is the first USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors for Groenewegen and is the first USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week honors for an athlete from Minnesota. The Gophers now set their sights on the Big Ten Conference Tournament, which will be held in Columbus, Ohio this weekend.
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2015 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 5-8): Taylor Schoblocher - North Texas - Junior - Utility – Forney, Texas
Week 2 (Feb. 9-15): Lauren Haeger - Florida - Senior - Pitcher/1B – Peoria, Ariz.
Week 3 (Feb. 16-22): Jenna Lilley - Oregon - Freshman - Infield - North Canton, Ohio
Week 4 (Feb. 23 - March 1): Sierra Lawrence - Michigan - Junior - Outfield - Snellville, Ga.
Week 5 (March 2-8): Emily Carosone - Auburn - Junior - Outfield - Orlando, Fla.
Week 6 (March 9-15): Bianka Bell - LSU - Junior - Infield - Tampa, Fla.
Week 7 (March 16-22): Megan Good - James Madison - Freshman - Pitcher/Infielder - Mount Sidney, Va.
Week 8 (March 23-29): Geri Ann Glasco - Oregon - Junior - DP/Pitcher - Watkinsville, Ga.
Week 9 (March 30 - April 5): Shelby Turnier - UCF - Junior - Pitcher - Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.
Week 10 (April 6-12): Paige Parker - OU - Freshman - Pitcher - Independence, Mo.
Week 11 (April 13-19): Lexie Elkins - Louisiana-Lafayette - Junior - Catcher - Victoria, Texas
Week 12 (April 20-26): Savannah Horvath - CSUN - Freshman - Infield - Las Vegas, Nev.
Week 13 (April 27 - May 3): Sara Groenewegen - Minnesota - Sophomore - Pitcher/DP - White Rock, B.C., Canada
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About ASA/USA SoftballÂ
Founded in 1933, the Amateur Softball Association (ASA)/USA Softball is the National Governing Body Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, ASA/USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 74 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 165,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2.5 million. ASA/USA is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women’s National Team is one of only two women’s sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture three consecutive gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won nine World Championship titles as well as claimed eight World Cup of Softball titles. For more information about ASA/USA Softball, please visit http://www.asausasoftball.com/.
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About the NCAA Women’s College World Series
The ASA Hall of Fame Stadium serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 25th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and complete for a National Championship title. Last year, nearly 70,000 fans attended the WCWS. Experience It Live May 28 to June 3 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2015 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and make a date with champions!
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Codi Warren
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Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications
Amateur Softball Association of America/USA Softball
Office 405.425.3431 | Cell 405. 420. 2817
