KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After helping their team go 10-0 last week and stretch its winning streak to 12 games, two member of the Missouri Western softball team have been rewarded for their efforts. Tiffany Gillaspy has been named the MIAA Hitter of the Week and Janie Smith is the MIAA Pitcher of the Week.

Gillaspy batted .529 and slugged 1.059 in 10 games last week. The senior infielder went 18-34 at the plate with four doubles, four home runs and a triple. She drove in 15 runs and did not strike out in 10 regional wins, two coming against ranked opponents. Coming into the week, Gillaspy was batting .355 but used the stellar week to bump her average up to .417.

Smith went 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA last week, picking up a shutout win over No. 14 Winona State and a one-run win over No. 24 Augustana. The junior pitcher also shutout Northwest Missouri State last week and picked up wins over Southeastern Oklahoma State and Minnesota State. Smith went the distance in all five starts, allowing just seven earned runs in 34 innings, while striking out 16 and not allowing an extra base hit. Smith is the second MWSU pitcher to win the award this season, with Shyanne Saladino claiming the title earlier this spring.

The Griffons return to MIAA play this week, hosting Lindenwood on March 27 and Lincoln on March 28. So far this season, the team is 21-9 overall, 6-2 in the MIAA and 10-0 at home.

— MWSU Sports Information —