Freshman Hurler Hannah Rogers Picks Up SEC Softball Pitcher of the Week Honors
Monday, May 9, 2011 | Softball
Gator freshman pitcher Hannah Rogers (Lake Wales, Fla.) picked up her second league accolade this season, garnering SEC Pitcher of the Week honors Monday, a day after UF claimed its fourth consecutive SEC Eastern Division title with a series sweep over No. 3 Tennessee at home in Gainesville.
Rogers was instrumental in UF's success in the past week of play, picking up her third career save in UF's 1-0 victory over FSU, working the final 2.1 innings of the game, while also picking up all three wins in the Gators' sweep over the Lady Vols, having only started Sunday's contest. Rogers tossed a complete game in the series finale, and allowed just two runs in her four appearances over the past week, while walking just three batters between the four match-ups to finish the week's play with a 0.91 ERA and 13 strikeouts. Rogers has a UF freshman-record 30 wins this season and has fanned 175 in her 43 appearances. The righty has worked her way to fifth in the Gator record book for single-season wins and ranks in the top five in the country, first among freshman, in wins this season.
Rogers' impact has been most relevant through the thick of UF's challenging Southeastern Conference season and the Lake Wales product has proven her dominance and ability to rise to the challenge in her inaugural campaign. Through the 2011 regular-season league slate, Rogers tallied a SEC-leading 25 appearances, 18 wins and starts and a conference-leading 128.2 innings pitched. Rogers did not allow an earned run in her first six conference games and has allowed one or fewer in 17 of her 25 SEC appearances.
The recognition for Rogers marks Florida's fourth-consecutive week with a conference Player of the Week, its 11th regular-season individual honor overall, both in the league and nationally. Rogers was additionally named SEC Pitcher of the Week Feb. 28, 2011, following UF's 5-0 run at the Cathedral City Classic in California, where she chalked up three big wins for the Orange and Blue against Indiana, then-No. 11/12 Texas and then-No. 2/2 UCLA.
Up next, Rogers and Florida will face the No. 7 seed Auburn Tigers in the first round of the 2011 SEC Tournament, slated for 2:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday on ESPNU. The Gators are making their 15th consecutive SEC tournament appearance, having been each year of softball's existence in the league. The Orange and Blue are 17-21 all-time in the SEC Tournament and went 1-1 in the tournament last season, including a 9-1 victory over Auburn in the first round, before being eliminated by LSU in a 9-1 loss in the semifinals.
Florida is 27-14 all-time against Auburn, 3-2 on neutral ground, including a series sweep at Auburn April 15-17 on the road. UF had arguably its best offensive output of the season, putting up a season-high 16 hits, while clocking a school-record eight homers in the Sunday series finale.
2011 UF SEC PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS
2/14/11: Stephanie Brombacher, SEC Pitcher of the Week
2/21/11: Stephanie Brombacher, SEC Pitcher of the Week
2/28/11: Hannah Rogers, SEC Pitcher of the Week
3/21/11: Kelsey Bruder, SEC Player of the Week
4/18/11: Kelsey Bruder, SEC Player of the Week
4/25/11: Kelsey Bruder, SEC Player of the Week
5/2/11: Cheyenne Coyle, SEC Freshman of the Week
5/9/11: Hannah Rogers, SEC Pitcher of the Week
2011 UF NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS
2/22/11: Stephanie Brombacher, NFCA National Player of the Week
3/1/11: Michelle Moultrie, USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week
4/26/11: Kelsey Bruder, USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week
