RUSSELLVILLE, ARK. – The East Central University softball team saw two student-athletes earn Great American Conference Player of the Week honors. Freshman
Paige Leschber was named GAC Pitcher of the Week, for the second week in a row, and senior
Sable Hankins was named GAC Player of the Week.
Leschber and Hankins helped the Tigers (14-19, 10-14 GAC) to their first GAC series sweep of the 2019 season and helped ECU move from 11
th to ninth in the GAC standings. Over the week, the Tigers went 5-1, including a split with Southeastern Oklahoma State.
Leschber went 3-0 in three appearances last week and threw her third complete-game win against Southeastern. She also earned a shutout victory against Henderson State and has picked up the win her last five appearances.
The Dripping Springs, Texas, native threw 18.0 innings and allowed nine hits and five runs (three earned). She recorded seven strikeouts, had an opponent batting average of .153 and claimed a 1.17 ERA.
Hankins had a strong week for the Tigers, claiming a .500 batting average, a 1.450 slugging pct.,14 RBIs, and a stolen base. She hit six home runs, a double and 10 total hits.
The Moore, Okla., native hit at least one home run in each doubleheader. Her home runs included a two-run homer for the game-winning runs against Southeastern, a lead-off home run to score the game-winning run against HSU and home runs in back-to-back at bats that gave ECU the lead for good in the final game of the series with the Reddies.
