Scali Earns Conference-Best Sixth Pitcher of the Week Award
5/7/2019 11:33:00 AM | Softball
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Kent State redshirt freshman pitcher Andrea Scali has been named Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Week for a league-leading sixth time this season, the conference office announced Tuesday (May 7). She was named Co-Pitcher of the Week along with Miami's Courtney Vierstra. She was electric in this circle on Saturday against Bowling Green and fired the fourth perfect game in program history while striking out a career-high 14 in a 4-0 win.
Her perfect game was the first for Kent State since Ronnie Ladines threw a five-inning perfect game at Buffalo in 2017 and the first seven-inning perfect game since Paige Stitz in 1983 against Ohio Northern. She has thrown three no-hitters this year against Youngtown State, Robert Morris and Bowling Green and became the first MAC freshman hurler to throw a no-hitter since 2012. Her three no-no's are the most in a single season in Kent State history, surpassing Emma Johnson (2015; Michigan State & Bowling Green) and Kylie Reynolds (2009; Charleston Southern & Stetson).
She also pitched an inning of relief work during the second game of the doubleheader and for the week totaled 8.0 innings pitching with one hit and walk allowed while striking out 15 and limited the opposition to a .143 batting average.
Nationally, she is eighth in shutouts (10), ninth in strikeouts per seven innings (9.8), 15th in total strikeouts (227) and fourth in total strikeouts among freshmen.
With Eastern Michigan discontinuing the sport after last season, the MAC has abolished divisions for the first time since 1997. There will be one player or pitcher of the week, except for co-honors, across the league as opposed to previous years when both the East and West Divisions received weekly awards.
The Golden Flashes closed the year winning three of four league games to finish 11-5 in league games and will enter the MAC Tournament as the No. 2 seed. Kent State will play seventh-seeded Toledo in the opening round of the tournament at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8th. The eight-team, double-elimination tournament will be played at Firestone Stadium in Akron.
Be sure to follow the Flashes on Twitter and Instagram for news and in-game updates about the squad.
