OXFORD, Miss. Ole Miss senior Tara Willitt was named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday, as announced by the league’s office.
The Okmulgee, Okla. native picked up a pair of wins in Ole Miss’ three-game sweep of South Carolina over the weekend. Willitt pitched a career-long 9.0 innings in the win on Saturday. She allowed only one unearned run on five hits, while striking out nine Gamecocks. On Sunday, Willitt picked up her 10th career shutout in a 3-0 blanking of South Carolina. She pitched 5.0 innings and allowed only three hits, while striking out four.
On the weekend, Willitt allowed no earned runs in 14.0 innings, while striking out 14 batters. She gave up only eight hits and issued only one walk against the Gamecocks. Willitt is the second Rebel this season to earn player of the week honors from the league, joining teammate Lauren Grill, who received the award earlier this month. It is also the fourth time an Ole Miss player has been named pitcher of the week in the last four seasons.
The Rebel’s sweep of South Carolina was the school’s first since 2006, and moved Ole Miss into eighth place in the conference standings and the final spot in the SEC Tournament. Ole Miss must await the South Carolina and LSU series next weekend in Columbia to determine its SEC Tournament fate. If the Tigers win the series against the Gamecocks, the Rebels will clinch their third-straight SEC Tournament berth.
