Off the back of a record-breaking week for SAU Pitcher Victoria Taylor, the senior from Greenwood added one more accolade to her proverbial mantle: GAC Pitcher of the Week.
Between the Lady Muleriders’ doubleheader midweek against Arkansas-Monticello and their weekend series against Harding, Taylor was dominant inside the circle, picking up a relief win against the Cotton Blossoms and a complete-game shutout victory against the Lady Bisons.
In 12 innings pitched, Taylor only allowed one walk and seven hits while striking out 15 batters. Only one hit against Taylor went for extra bases, and opposing hitters hit only .163 off of her.
Against the Cotton Blossoms, she threw four innings in relief, only allowing four hits and two unearned runs while striking out seven, picking up her eighth win of the season in the process.
Against Harding, the senior started off the series in emphatic fashion, only allowing three hits and a walk while striking out eight batters in a complete-game shutout. The shutout win was her 76th win of her illustrious career, the most in GAC history, passing HSU’s Michelle Sorenson. The shutout was also the 23rd shutout of her career, also passing Sorenson for most in the conference’s history.
To top off her weekend, she pitched the final inning of the weekend, facing and promptly retiring the three Lady Bisons hitters put in front of her.
On the season, Taylor is 9-1 with a 2.07 ERA. She has struck out 71 batters in 61 innings pitched and has held opponents to a .207 batting average this season.
This is the 11th time Taylor has received the conference’s pitcher of the week honor, most in the conference’s softballing history. The 11th honor puts her in a tie for fifth-most among all athletes in the history of the conference. This also marks the 53rd weekly conference honor a Lady Mulerider has won under head coach Jason Anderson.
The Lady Muleriders are 18-6 on the season and 14-4 in conference play. They play Oklahoma Baptist in a three-game conference series this weekend in Shawnee.