Sweeney '00 Named NESCAC Softball Player of the Week
Co-captain becomes second Jeff in two weeks to earn league honors

    AMHERST, Mass. - Senior Amherst College softball Co-captain Darcy Sweeney (Keene, NH) was named New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Player of the Week on Monday for games through April 2, becoming the second Amherst player to earn the award in two weeks after leading the Jeffs to a 3-1 week with a .714 batting average.

    Sweeney, who has played in every single inning of her career at first base for the Jeffs, opened the week with a 1-3, 2 RBI performance in the Jeffs' 5-2 loss to Clark University on Thursday, before going on a tear in three games on Friday and Saturday. Against Mount Holyoke College on Friday, the senior was 2-3 with an RBI triple, her team-leading ninth extra-base hit of the year, in the Jeffs' 10-2 win. Saturday, against Trinity, Sweeney was unstoppable, amassing seven hits in eight trips to the plate in a doubleheader sweep of the Bantams, including a double and an RBI in the Jeffs' 4-0 opening-game win, and two doubles in the squad's dramatic 3-2 win in the nightcap.
    Sweeney's .714 performance from the plate brought her season batting average up to .452, best in the NESCAC, as the Jeffs improved to a league-best 15-2-1 with the three wins. For the season, Sweeney has nine doubles and three triples, both team-highs, as well as a team-best 16 runs batted in. Entering Tuesday's doubleheader against Smith College, the senior has a five-game hitting streak, and has a 1.000 slugging percentage during that stretch.

    Along with Sweeney, sophomore pitcher Lauren Peloquin (Berkley, MA) is also atop the NESCAC leaderboard, with a 1.01 ERA through 18 games, best in the NESCAC. The sophomore, who was named NESCAC Player of the Week last week, has a 10-2 record with 99 strikeouts and only 37 hits allowed in 76 and one-third innings of work. Sweeney's Co-captain--senior shortstop Liza Feldman (Lincoln, MA) is also among the league leaders with a .411 batting average, while rookie hurler Emily Melia (Hingham, MA) still ranks third in the league with a 1.76 ERA, with a perfect 5-0 record in 43-plus innings of work. The Jeffs play two games at home against Smith on Tuesday afternoon, a 3:30 p.m. start on Hills Field, and have another home doubleheader against Bowdoin College on Saturday, before heading out on the road for a season-long six-game road trip.