Rothwell Named MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week

CLEVELAND, Ohio - - After another brilliant week in the circle for the Ball State softball team, sophomore closer Alyssa Rothwell has been named the Mid-American Conference West Division Pitcher of the Week.

"Alyssa continues to do a tremendous job in the closer role," head coach Megan Ciolli Bartlett said. "Coach Johnson has done a great job getting her both mentally and physically prepared to throw in big-time situations, and she continues to show she is up to the challenge. We are excited to see what she has in store for not only the rest of this season, but for the second half of her Cardinal career as well."

Rothwell, who earns MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week honors for the first time in her career, put together a perfect 0.00 ERA in four appearances last week, holding opposing batters to a .083 average over 7.2 innings of work.

Ball State's single season (8) and career (11) saves record holder, Rothwell's biggest impact came in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Central Michigan when she earned the victory in the opener and tied the MAC single season saves record in the nightcap.

Rothwell pitched the final 3.2 innings to pick up the win in the opener, entering the game with bases loaded and one out in the top of the fourth. She was able to limit CMU to just one run in working out of the jam, while holding the Chippewas to just a pair of walks and striking out three over her entire appearance to improve to 5-2 on the year.

In the nightcap, Rothwell entered the game with runners on the corners and two outs in the sixth. She responded by getting a foul fly to end the inning, before retiring three of the four batters she faced in the seventh to tie the MAC single season save record with her eight of the year.

Rothwell also threw a scoreless inning at Butler (April 18) and 1.2 scoreless innings in the series opener versus Central Michigan (April 20).

Rothwell enters the week with a league-low 1.81 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .197 average on the year. In league play, Rothwell is even better, owning a 1.48 ERA and holding opponents to a .155 average. In Ball State's 11 MAC wins, Rothwell has three victories and four saves.

Rothwell and the Ball State softball team return to the road this weekend for a three-game league series at Eastern Michigan. The Cardinals and Eagles will square off in a 3 p.m. game Friday and a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday.

For the most up-to-date news on Ball State softball, follow the team on Twitter: @BallStateSB, @CoachCBartlett & @BallStateSports / Instagram: ballstatesb / Facebook: BallStateSB.

Rothwell Named MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week

Players Mentioned

Alyssa Rothwell

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