Kansas softball sweeps Big 12 weekly honors
LAWRENCE, Kan. – After starting the 2017 season with a 5-0 mark, Kansas softball swept the first Big 12 Conference weekly honors with senior infielder Taylor Dodson and sophomore right-hander Alexis Reid earning player and pitcher of the week accolades, respectively as announced by the league on Tuesday afternoon.
The recognition from the Big 12 marks the first career honors for both Dodson and Reid. It is also the second year in a row that Kansas has opened the season earning the first Big 12 Player of the Week accolade of the season.
Coming into 2017, Dodson had hit five career home runs, but at the end of the first day of the season she had increased that number to eight with three long balls. The Grove, Oklahoma native hit one home run against Akron in the season opener to tie the ballgame and followed up with two round-trippers in KU’s 16-2 win over Savannah State, driving in three RBIs.
In total, the senior finished opening weekend with a .500 average (7-for-14) to lead the Jayhawks, driving in six RBIs and scoring seven runs. She totaled four home runs in the first five games, also hitting one in the weekend finale versus Akron. She was named to the Stetson Lead-Off Classic All-Tournament Team along with Reid.
During opening weekend, Reid pitched two complete games and picked up two wins for Kansas at the Stetson Lead-Off Classic. The Blue Springs, Missouri product opened the season in the circle for the Jayhawks with a one-run, six hit pitching performance, striking out six Akron batters. Reid allowed a run in the first inning of the season opener, then pitched 13-consecutive innings without allowing a run. In her second start she allowed just four hits in the complete-game shutout against Stetson, the first shutout of her career.
Up Next
Kansas continues its 21-game road streak at the Osprey Invitational, Feb. 17-19, hosted by North Florida. The Jayhawks will play five games during the tournament against UNF, Georgia State, South Carolina State, Eastern Illinois and South Dakota State. Every game of the weekend will be available on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics. com/radio.
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