Nashville, TN – Lauren de Castro, who batted a robust .611 in Austin Peay State University’s five games last week, has been named the adidas® Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Week.
It is the third time de Castro has been honored by the conference office this season. However, the previous two awards were for OVC Pitcher of the Week honors.
But it was the bat of the sophomore from Torrance, CA, that rang loud during OVC play this past week. In five games, de Castro rattled off 11 hits in 18 at bats.
Despite losing to Tennessee State, Wednesday, de Castro went a perfect 5-for-5 at the plate in the second game of the doubleheader. It was the first time in more than 12 years that a Lady Govs player has tallied at least five single-game hits.
But she didn’t stop there. In the Lady Govs’ 2-1 first-game win, Saturday, against Morehead State, de Castro provided the game-winning base hit. Then in the nightcap, her two-run seventh-inning triple sent the contest to extra innings.
Finally, on Sunday, de Castro delivered a first-inning solo home run to give APSU a quick 1-0 lead in the 7-3 verdict.
For the season, de Castro is batting a team-leading .370, with four home runs, 14 runs scored and 16 RBI—all team bests.
Pitcher and Player of the Week honors are voted on by sports information representatives from the respective schools. Lauren de Castro was APSU’s first Player of the Week since Shine Huwe captured the honor in April of 2010.