MU’s Sami Fagan earns weekly SEC softball honor
Missouri junior Sami Fagan was chosen Monday as the SEC softball player of the week after batting .647 with three home runs and 12 RBIs last week.
Powered by Fagan, the Tigers swept a doubleheader with Western Illinois and also swept a three-game set with Arkansas.
She had five hits, including a double, with a walk and four RBIs Wednesday as Missouri roughed up the Leathernecks.
Fagan — who went 11 for 17 in five games, all wins — opened the series against the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Ark., with a home run and added two more bombs Saturday, her second multi-homer game of the season.
She also had a triple on Saturday and added a sacrifice fly in Sunday’s series finale.
Fagan currently leads Missouri with a .388 average, 53 RBIs and 24 extra-base hits.
“I’m thrilled for Sami,” Tigers coach Ehren Earleywine, who now boasts 400 career wins with the Tigers, said in a release from MU athletics. “She was consistently exceptional at the plate this week. She is one of the hardest-working student-athletes I’ve ever had the privilege to coach, and it’s great to see that incredible work ethic pay off this season. I know an award like this won’t satisfy her.”
It was Fagan’s first weekly SEC honor and the second for MU this season. Freshman pitcher Paige Lowary was the SEC pitcher of the week in late February.
“It’s great being able to represent our team and our program with awards like this,” Fagan said in a statement. “I’m just happy we’ve strung together some wins and I’m looking forward to getting back out there this week.”
No. 20 Missouri returns to the field Wednesday against Iowa.
Originally, it was scheduled as a doubleheader with the Hawkeyes, but the Tigers announced Monday that it would be one game instead. First pitch is at 5 p.m. and admission is $2.
MU, 31-10 overall and 11-7 in the SEC, is tied for fifth in the conference standings.
The Tigers play at Missouri State on Thursday then host No. 3 LSU for a three-game series Saturday through Monday.
To reach Tod Palmer, call 816-234-4389 or send email to tpalmer@kcstar.com. Follow him on Twitter at @todpalmer.
This story was originally published April 20, 2015 at 2:58 PM with the headline "MU’s Sami Fagan earns weekly SEC softball honor."