Southern Conference announces softball weekly honors

GREENSBORO, N.C. – UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball junior Blayke Batten was named Southern Conference (SoCon) Player of the Week, announced by the Conference on Monday.

This is the second recognition for the Spartans this season.

Batten started and played in all five games this week, including the single game against NC State and the four contests in the UNCG Invitational.
 
The Kenly, North Carolina native played three games at first base this week and two in right field, where the junior made no errors with 12 putouts. At the plate, she averaged a .412 batting clip swinging 7-for-17. She scored five runs and drove in seven RBI. Batten hit every category this week connecting for one double, two triples, and two home runs.
 
Batten had a 1.059 slugging percentage and only struck out twice. With a .412 on-base percentage, Batten tallied 18 total bases.
 
She is currently among the top 10 in the SoCon in nine categories. Batten is leading the way in slugging percentage (1.000), triples (2), home runs (5), and total bases (34). She is second in runs scored (10) and runs batted in (12), third in batting average (.382), fourth in on-base percentage (.432), eighth in hits (13).
 
UNCG has launched at least one home run in each of its games this season except two, and Batten's five home runs this season have contributed to the team total of 19.
 
The Spartans are now 9-4 overall and won four-straight games this weekend, including their third run-ruled game of the season. During the tournament, UNCG defeated Loyola Chicago, 4-1, Towson, 4-1, Bucknell, 10-1 in five innings, and Virginia, 6-4. The Spartans fell to NC State 4-3.
 
This week included two of UNCG's ACC opponents this season, where the Spartans are now 1-1 against the conference. The win over Virginia was the sixth-straight for the Spartans. The weekend at home extended UNCG's home streak to 8-0.

From Batten
"Being recognized is an honor in itself but being successful in order for our team to win ball games is what means the most. For the team, this weekend felt like we came together all around. Coming out with a full sweep was a confidence boost that will move us into the next couple of weeks."

Up Next
The Spartans take a few days off before hosting Oregon, a top-25 team, on Thursday, March 3 with a first pitch at 4:30 p.m. This will be the second top-25 team UNCG will face this season.