Softball | 3/14/2016 4:57:00 PM
Moon Township, Pa. – Freshman
Kaitlin Ellzy of the
Robert Morris University softball team earned a pair of honors from the Northeast Conference as announced by the league Monday afternoon.
Ellzy was tabbed both NEC Pitcher of the Week and NEC Rookie of the Week as she garnered weekly recognition for the first time in her career.
With this announcement, Robert Morris has now had a student-athlete honored in the league's Pitcher of the Week category in each of the past nine seasons, the longest active streak in the conference.
Ellzy had a breakout weekend in the circle for the Colonials as she was spectacular in a trio of starts at Florida Atlantic's Parents' Weekend Tournament. She defeated two foes ranked among the nation's top 30, two teams that won games in the NCAA Tournament last year and two Big Ten programs this past week.
She began her week by allowing just three hits, all singles, and one unearned run against Florida Atlantic, a team that reached a NCAA regional final in 2015 and began the week one spot outside the national top 25. It was the first time FAU had been held to three hits or fewer in 2016 as it suffered just its third loss of the season. Ellzy then topped herself the following day as she allowed one hit, a single, and one unearned run against No. 17 Minnesota. The Golden Gophers came in averaging over six runs per game, but Ellzy became the first player to allow one hit or fewer in a complete-game effort against Minnesota in nearly two years. On RMU's final day of play in Florida, Ellzy worked extra in a win over Big Ten foe Rutgers as she went all eight innings in a thrilling victory over the Scarlet Knights and allowed just one earned run in the victory.
Ellzy posted a 0.59 ERA in the tournament and did not allow an extra-base hit all weekend as opponents only hit .149 off of her at the event.
Ellzy is the first freshman to be named NEC Pitcher of the Week in over three years. She also becomes the fourth active Colonial to have won a weekly award and the third to do so in the rookie category.
RMU resumes action this weekend, March 18-20, at the Blue/Gold Challenge in Greensboro, N.C.
