Top Performances From College Softball March 8

Alex Frenz

The senior threw NIU's first perfect game in 23 years as Northern Illinois blanked Idaho State 9-0 in five innings at the Husky Classic in Seattle, WA. Frenz struck out four and got plenty of help offensively as the visiting Huskies made Seattle look like home.

Tennessee

The Vols made a massive statement, blowing open a top-10 showdown at No. 5 Florida to open SEC play with an emphatic road win in Gainesville, Fl. Senior Matty Moss didn't allow a Gator past first base after the first inning, while three different Vols homered off reigning SEC Pitcher of the Year Kelly Barnhill in the 9-1, five-inning win for No. 6 Tennessee.

Freshman Kaili Phillips continued her hot hitting for the Lady Vols as she was 2-for-3 with two home runs and three RBIs. Of her last 14 at-bats, eight have been hits and six have been home runs.

Alabama

The last remaining undefeated team in Division I pulled off a huge rally to remain perfect, erasing an 7-0 deficit en route to a doubleheader sweep of Missouri to open SEC play in Tuscaloosa, Al. Head coach Patrick Murphy recorded career SEC win No. 400 in the opener, which is far and way the highest total by any coach, current or former.

Freshman Montana Fouts held the Tigers to a run in a complete-game 3-1 win in the opener. Sarah Cornell did a spectacular job in relief to hold Missouri off the board while the Tide bats roared to life and came back from a 7-0 deficit to win 14-8 game two. Sophomore outfielder Kaylee Tow had four hits in the doubleheader, including driving in three key runs in the massive comeback during game two.

South Florida

Bulls head coach Ken Eriksen got win No. 950 of his career in a big way, as host USF swept a doubleheader at the USF-Clearwater Showcase Tournament in Clearwater, Fl. Sophomore Georgina Corrick held No. 19 Wisconsin to just one hit and one run in a 7-1 win. Junior outfielder AnaMarie Bruni went 3-for-4 in both wins, her first two three-plus hit games of the season, and notched her first triple of the year in the 7-1 win over UMass.

Kindra Hackbarth

The junior outfielder hit for the cycle as host No. 23 Arizona State routed New Mexico State 17-1 in five innings at the ASU Invitational in Tempe, Az. She drove in four runs and scored all four times she batted as the Sun Devils scored at least three runs in each inning.

Autumn Humes

The junior silenced one of the nation's best offenses in hostile territory as No. 16 Kentucky won game one of a three-game series to open SEC play in Columbia, S.C. Humes allowed just two hits over seven shutout innings in a 5-0 win over No. 10 South Carolina, snapping the Gamecocks' 15-game winning streak.

New Mexico

The Lobos had a huge late rally to stun Oregon State 6-5, then carried that momentum to an emphatic 10-0 five-inning win over Western Carolina at the LMU tournament in Los Angeles, Ca. Held to just one hit and struck out 12 times in five innings against the Beavers, UNM got a run in the sixth and five in the bottom of the seventh to beat OSU. Junior backstop Lauren Wilmert had the walk-off single to knock off OSU, then homered, doubled, and drove in five in the rout of the Catamounts.

Jessica Hartwell

The All-American first baseman moved into a tie atop TTU's career home run chart as host No. 12 Texas Tech thumped Northern Colorado and Gardner-Webb, each by a 8-0 score in five innings, at the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic in Lubbock, Tx. The senior went 5-for-6 on the day with three RBIs, three runs, and home run No. 45 of her career, matching the Red Raiders record held by Mikey Kenney (2010-13).

Five SEC Freshmen To Watch In 2023

We examined five of the top SEC freshmen entering the 2023 college softball season.