Illinois and Minnesota Earn Big Ten Weekly Softball Awards
Fighting Illini’s Sickels, and Golden Gophers’ Kinch and Partain are the latest weekly conference award recipients
Player of the Week
MaKenna Partain, Minnesota
Grad. – IF – Banks, Ore. – Banks – Graduate Program: Human Resource & Development
• Posted a .421 batting average, .737 slugging percentage and .522 on-base percentage with four extra-base hits, three RBI and eight runs scored in helping Minnesota go 6-0 last weekend against Rutgers and Michigan State in Leesburg, Fla.
• Had two hits and two runs in both of the final two games of the RU series, as well as the middle game of the MSU series
• Has received three Academic All-Big citations (2018, 2019, 2020)
• Earns her third career Player of the Week honor
• Last Minnesota Player of the Week: Natalie DenHartog (March 2, 2020)
Pitcher of the Week
Sydney Sickels, Illinois
Jr. – RHP – Indianola, Iowa – Indianola – Major: Kinesiology
• Went 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA, three complete games, one shutout and 31 strikeouts without a walk in 21.0 innings last weekend, helping Illinois go 5-1 against Michigan State and Penn State in Leesburg, Fla.
• Threw back-to-back one-hit, 10-strikeout complete games vs. PSU on March 13, taking no-hitters into the seventh inning of both games (a perfect game in game one) before both ended with leadoff singles
• Named an Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2020
• Collects her second career Pitcher of the Week plaudit
• Last Illinois Pitcher of the Week: Sydney Sickels (Feb. 10, 2020)
Freshman of the Week
Sara Kinch, Minnesota
C – Temecula, Calif. – Great Oak – Major: Undeclared
• Batted .400 with a .933 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage last weekend, collecting two home runs, four extra-base hits, three RBI and four runs scored as Minnesota swept three-game series against Rutgers and Michigan State in Leesburg, Fla.
• Had two hits, including a home run, in both the opening game against RU on March 11 and the second game with MSU on March 13 — the HR vs. Rutgers was also her first collegiate hit
• Her RBI double in the sixth inning plated the deciding run in the Gophers’ 3-2 win over MSU on Sunday
• Receives her first career Freshman of the Week award
• Last Minnesota Freshman of the Week: Natalie DenHartog (April 29, 2019)
2021 Big Ten Players of the Week
March 2
PL: Tristen Edwards, Sr., NEB
P: Meghan Beaubien, Sr., MICH
P: Danielle Williams, Jr., NU
F: Ashley Miller, MSU
March 9
No Selections
March 16
PL: MaKenna Partain, Grad., MINN
P: Sydney Sickels, Jr., ILL
F: Sara Kinch, MINN
#B1GSoftball
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