Softball: Summer Ellyson Captures Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week Award

Began last week tossing Louisiana’s first perfect game since the 2016 season

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball senior pitcher Summer Ellyson was the recipient of the Community Coffee Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Week award on Tuesday, following a week in which she claimed a pair of victories, struck out at least six batters each of her three starts and limited foes to just six hits over 17 innings.
 
Her highlight of the week was throwing a six-inning perfect game in Louisiana’s 8-0 victory over Lamar on Feb. 11 – her first career perfect game and fourth career no-hitter.
 
Against Lamar, Ellyson did not blink the entire evening, striking out 11 of the 18 batters that she faced for her first shutout of the young season.
 
The reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year started the weekend off with a second consecutive shutout, limiting Samford to one hit while striking out seven on Saturday at Lamson Park. She tacked on six more strikeouts to her week-long total of 24, fanning six batters on Sunday at No. 7 Louisiana State.
 
For Ellyson, a seven-time recipient of the award during the 2019 season, this marks the 11th Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week honor of her career.
 
It is the first weekly award for a Ragin’ Cajun in the 2020 season. Louisiana, which has received at least one SBC Player and Pitcher of the Week award since the inception of the league in 2000, now owns 89 pitcher of the week awards in program history.
 
Louisiana (7-2), now ranked as high as No. 9 in the national polls, travels to Birmingham, Ala., to compete in the UAB Blazer Classic scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Feb. 21-23 at Mary Bowers Field. During the weekend event, the Ragin’ Cajuns are set to face nationally ranked Oklahoma State and Ole Miss twice.
 
The squad begins play in Birmingham on Friday with matchups against No. 8 OSU at 12:30 p.m. and host-UAB at 5:30 p.m.