By Alex Boggis, UT Martin Assistant Sports Information Director
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin softball junior tandem of Kaitlyn Kelley and Alexis Groet were rewarded for their impressive performances last week by sweeping the weekly player of the week honors handed out by the Ohio Valley Conference. Kelley was named the OVC Player of the Week while Groet was tabbed OVC Pitcher of the Week.
The tandem helped the team post a 5-0 record last week with a doubleheader win over Bellarmine before sweeping the Blues City Classic with wins over Indiana State, IUPUI and Memphis. Offensively the team averaged 9.4 runs per game over the week while the pitching staff combined for a 2.55 ERA in in 33 innings of work.
Kelley, a native of Lexington, Tenn., played a big part in the team’s high scoring output this week after posting a .444 batting average with six runs scored, five singles, a double, two home runs and 12 RBIs. She also tallied two sacrifice flies and a sacrifice hit to capitalize on situational opportunities. For the week she boasted a .429 on-base percentage while slugging .833 and posting an OPS of 1.262. With her five-game stretch she extended her active hitting streak to 13 games while moving into second in the league’s RBI race with 18 on the season while sitting fourth in total hits with 24.
The slugging infielder earned her second career OVC weekly honor after beginning the week with an impressive doubleheader against Bellarmine where she finished the day by going 5-for-7 with a double, a home run and five RBIs on Tuesday. Then in the Blues City Classic she tallied three hits – including a home run – while driving in seven RBIs in the three-game set.
Hailing from Oskaloosa, Iowa, Groet earned the starting nod in three of the team’s five contests while boasting a 3-0 record with a 0.95 ERA with wins over Bellarmine, IUPUI and Memphis. She held opponents to a .200 batting average over 14.2 innings of work and allowed just two earned runs. For the week she posted a 1.05 WHIP with 11 strikeouts. She currently sits at 5-2 on the season with a 1.49 ERA in 37.2 innings of work.
Groet earned her third OVC Pitcher of the Week honor of her career after starting the week with a complete game victory against Bellarmine where she allowed just three hits and two earned runs while striking out five. In the Blues City Classic she tossed three scoreless innings against IUPUI while striking out three and allowing no walks before earning another win against Memphis with 4.2 innings of work with zero earned runs and three strikeouts.
The tandem will look to help the Skyhawks build upon their current seven-game winning streak this weekend when returning to action with a pair of games in the MTSU Invitational on Friday, March 11.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information