Southern Illinois University softball players Sarah Harness and Emma Austin took home Missouri Valley Conference Weekly honors for their performances last week, the conference announced Tuesday. Harness earned her first MVC Pitcher of the Week honor this season while Austin was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the first time in her career.
Harness went 2-0 with a 0.70 earned run average in 20 innings of work last week. The 2022 Preseason All-MVC selection allowed just two earned runs in her four appearances. She surrendered 17 hits, of which just three went for extra bases, and struck out 13. Harness battled the rain at Murray State and threw four and two-third scoreless innings while giving up only three hits. She picked up the complete game win in the circle in SIU’s series-opening win over Indiana State on April 23, as threw six innings and allowed just one earned run on five hits with two strikeouts. Harness didn’t allow an earned run in three innings of work in relief during game two of the series and followed with a dominant performance on Sunday to secure Southern its fourth MVC series win of the season. The Bowling Green, Mo. native threw six and one-third innings and allowed just one earned run on five hits with three strikeouts.
Austin, meanwhile, slashed .533/.667/.533 in SIU’s four games last week. The freshman outfielder tallied a triple, four runs, four RBI and two stolen bases. She tallied at least one hit in all four games, which included three multi-hit games. Austin went 2-for-4 with a RBI in SIU’s eight inning tie at Murray State on April 20. She followed with a career-day in Southern’s series opening win against Indiana State. Set set career-bests in hits (3), runs scored (2) and RBI (2) in the victory, which included the first triple of her collegiate career. In Sunday’s series-clinching win over the Sycamores, Austin went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a RBI and a stolen base.
The Salukis are back in action on Wednesday, April 27 when they host Missouri State. First pitch is set for Noon.
