LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its Softball Athletes of the Week. In the East, West Chester's Madison Melvin was named Athlete of the Week while Kutztown's Haley Gravish was selected as Pitcher of the Week. In the West, Slippery Rock's Alexsa Hurd (Athlete) and both Gannon's Maggie Lenda and Seton Hill's Logan Hartman (Co-Pitchers of the Week) earned the honors.
Eastern Division Athlete of the Week
Madison Melvin
West Chester
Centerfield
Graduate Student
Tabernacle, N.J. / Seneca
Melvin continued to leave her mark in West Chester and PSAC history a week ago as the fifth-year centerfielder registered five multi-hit games to tie the West Chester and PSAC record for career hits with 320 hits to her name, matching Bri Garber’s historic total. Melvin started her week with a 4-for-7 effort in a doubleheader at Millersville, which saw her also score five runs and drive in another, while also going 5-for-5 on stolen bases. On Friday at ESU, Melvin went 5-for-7 in the twinbill, including her second consecutive 3-for-4 effort to move within five hits of the record heading into Saturday. At Bloomsburg, Melvin needed just four hits to tie and five to break the record, and she went 4-for-7 with a pair of two hits games while also driving in three runs and scoring a pair to help lead West Chester to an important split vs the Huskies. For the week, Melvin was 13-for-21 (.619) at the plate with four RBI, seven runs scored, and six stolen bases on seven attempts, while also working four walks.
Eastern Division Pitcher of the Week
Haley Gravish
Kutztown
Pitcher
Junior
Hamburg, Pa. / Hamburg
Gravish was lights out in the circle last week for Kutztown, earning a win over nationally ranked East Stroudsburg along with two road wins over Mansfield and Bloomsburg. Against the Warriors, the Hamburg native tossed a complete game shutout, allowing only four hits while striking out seven. Then, over the weekend, Gravish went all six innings in run-rule victories over Mansfield and Bloomsburg, allowing a combined five hits across the two games to go along with 10 strikeouts. Gravish earned a shutout against Mansfield on Saturday, which was her fourth of the season (T-4th most in the PSAC).
Western Division Athlete of the Week
Alexsa Hurd
Slippery Rock
Infielder
Junior
Suffield, Ohio / Field
Hurd put together a .517 batting average while slugging 1.034 through nine games, tallying five home runs and 13 RBI. In total, Hurd went 15-for-29 at the plate and wound up with a .576 on-base percentage in the 6-3 week. Hurd went 4-for-6 in a doubleheader with Mercyhurst where she hit her first homer of the week. She had a 1-for-2 game vs. Clarion before a massive 4-for-7 day vs. Edinboro with one home run in each doubleheader for four total RBI. In a four-game fray with UPJ, Hurd went 6-for-16 with two home runs in the final game. Hurd's two home runs in an 18-10 win were part of a school-record-breaking six-home run day. In that final game, she went 4-for-6 with six RBI from her two homers.
Western Division Co-Pitcher of the Week
Maggie Lenda
Gannon
Pitcher
Junior
East Aurora, N.Y. / Iroquois
Lenda posted a 4-0 record for the week as Gannon played four times in five days. In 27 innings, she notched four complete games, struck out 17, and carried a 1.04 ERA. She outdueled Western Division contenders Seton Hill and California in 3-2 victories to increase her record to 12-2, including wins in her last 11 decisions.
Western Division Co-Pitcher of the Week
Logan Hartman
Seton Hill
Pitcher
Senior
Perryopolis, Pa. / Frazier
Hartman was a perfect 3-0 on the week in three starts. She had three complete games and two shutouts. Logan finished the week with a 0.77 ERA, allowing 2 earned runs in 18 innings with 13 strikeouts. She had a complete game shutout as the Griffins defeated Gannon in a battle of the two top teams in the Western Division, with Hartman striking out nine Golden Knights.