LOCK HAVEN, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced its last set of Softball Athletes of the Week. In the East, Shippensburg's Brie Wilmot earned Athlete of the Week honors, while Shepherd's Madelayne Ruffner was recognized as Pitcher of the Week. In the West, IUP's Madison Pukula (Athlete) and Clarion's Emma Hipps (Pitcher) were recognized.
Eastern Division Athlete of the Week
Brie Wilmot
Shippensburg
First Base
Junior
Lansdale, Pa. / North Penn
Wilmot reached base in half of her plate appearances this week, as SU went 2-2 (splits against regionally-ranked Lock Haven and Kutztown). Wilmot was 7-for-15 with three homers, six RBIs, a HBP, and four runs scored. She struck out just once. Her signature game was a 2-homer, 4-RBI performance in a Game 1 win over Kutztown.
Eastern Division Pitcher of the Week
Madelayne Ruffner
Shepherd
Pitcher
Junior
Charles Town, W.Va. / Washington
Ruffner posted a 2-0 mark for the Rams as she helped Shepherd earn a berth in the PSAC Tournament. She fanned 17 and walked three in 14.1 innings. Ruffner had a 1.46 ERA for the week.
Western Division Athlete of the Week
Madison Pikula
IUP
Second Base
Senior
Port Vue, Pa. / South Allegheny
Pikula batted .563 this week with nine hits, including three doubles and a triple. She scored four runs and drove in three. She set the career record for stolen bases, with 59 over four years. She had multiple hits in every game this week, including a week-high of three against Pitt-Johnstown in the first game on Friday.
Western Division Pitcher of the Week
Emma Hipps
Clarion
Pitcher
Senior
Clearfield, Pa. / Clearfield
With her team's season on the line, Hipps delivered a trio of clutch pitching performances over the weekend for the Golden Eagles, going 3-0 with a 1.56 ERA in 18.0 innings pitched. The senior righthander started her weekend with a complete game victory over Edinboro on Saturday, throwing seven innings of one-run ball and keeping her team in it as they trailed 1-0 through five and a half innings. The Golden Eagle bats broke through with three runs in the bottom of the sixth and Hipps shut the door on the Fighting Scots in the seventh for the win.
As impressive an outing as that was, her Sunday performance was even better, as Hipps contributed to both wins in getting Clarion as PSAC Tournament berth with a sweep over Slippery Rock. Hipps gutted out a nine-inning, 111-pitch complete game in the first half of the doubleheader, surrendering four runs (three earned) as the Golden Eagles walked it off in the ninth with a hit from Amber Gilliam. The senior was called upon in the seventh inning of a game the Golden Eagles trailed by a 10-5 score at one point, but had cut to 10-9. She induced an inning-ending double play in the top of the seventh to keep it a one score game, and provided a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth to give her team the opportunity to walk it off again.