HBU Softball Places Four on Southland Conference All-Tournament Teams

K. Schwirtlich, Burnett Named First Team All-Conference
Lauren Schwirtlich earns Second Team honors, while Shay Orsak is named to Third Team

 

Photo courtesy of HBU Athletic Media Relations Department

FRISCO, TEXAS (May 6, 2014)  On the eve of the Southland Conference Tournament, four members of the HBU softball team earned spots on the All-Conference teams. Sophomore Kirsten Schwirtlich and freshman Alyssa Burnett earned First Team honors, senior Lauren Schwirtlich was named Second Team All-Conference, and sophomore Shay Orsak earned a spot on the Third Team, the conference office announced Tuesday.

 

K. Schwirtlich, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, makes her second appearance on the All-Conference Team, as she led the Southland with a .411 batting average, was sixth with 11 doubles, and seventh with nine home runs. She started the season with a hit in six of the first seven games and later had a 14-game hitting streak that spanned from March 29 through April 23. She set a new career high with two doubles against Texas Southern on Feb. 18. Schwirtlich had 11 two-hit games and five 3-hit contests. She recorded a season-high four RBI at UTSA on March 26. In conference play, Schwirtlich hit .449 with 35 hits, five doubles, three triples, four home runs, 17 RBI, and 20 runs scored.

 

Burnett, who hails from Sugar Land, Texas, leads HBU’s freshmen with a .333 batting average. She has 37 hits, eight doubles, two triples, five home runs, 26 RBI, and 16 runs scored in 39 games. She had a career-high four-RBI game against Northwestern State on March 9. She had an eight-game hitting streak from March 13 through the 29^th. Burnett has hit three game-winning home runs, one being in walk-off fashion. Her homer was the only run in a 1-0 win over Stephen F. Austin in game one on March 29, then she hit a walk-off three-run shot in game two to defeat the Ladyjacks, 8-5. She later hit a solo homer in the top of the eighth to help the Huskies defeat Houston for the first time in program history, 6-5, on April 23. Burnett is hitting .292 with 21 hits, seven doubles, two triples, three home runs, 17 RBI, and 10 runs scored in conference play.

 

L. Schwirtlich, a native of Corpus Christi, Texas, also makes her second appearance on the All-Conference Team. Her .376 batting average is ranked 11^th in the conference and her 64 hits is one shy of the conference leader. Schwirtlich started the season with a hit in 12 of the first 13 games. She set new career highs with four RBI at Prairie View on April 9 and four runs scored against Jackson State on Feb. 8. She has 17 two-hit games and five 3-hit contests. She hit three home runs on the season, all coming in a span of five days, as she hit one at Lamar on April 5, then hit homers in back-to-back games of a doubleheader at Prairie View A&M on April 9. In conference play, Schwirtlich is hitting .347 with 33 hits, six doubles, two triples, one home run, eight RBI, and 16 runs scored.

 

Orsak, who hails from Katy, Texas, makes her first appearance on the All-Conference Team. She leads the Southland Conference with 22 doubles and is tied for the national lead with 0.47 doubles per game. She ranks ninth in the league with a .386 batting average. Orsak set new career highs with three doubles and four runs scored against Jackson State on Feb. 8, as she went 4-for-4 with four RBI in that game. She began the season on an 11-game hitting streak, spanning from Feb. 7 through the 21^st. Orsak is currently on an eight-game hitting streak, which began on April 23. She has 16 two-hit games, one 3-hit contest, and two 4-hit games this season. In conference play, Orsak is hitting .360 with 32 hits, 12 doubles, two triples, one home run, 19 RBI, and 19 runs scored.

 

Top-seed McNeese State won four of the six major awards, as Alanna DiVittorio – who has a .397 batting average – was named both Player and Hitter of the Year. Teammate Jamie Allred earned Pitcher of the Year honors, while Mike Smith was named Coach of the Year for the second-consecutive season. Nicholls’ Taylor Terrio was named Freshman of the Year, while Kylee Studioso of Central Arkansas earned Newcomer of the Year honors.

 

The Southland Conference Tournament begins Thursday, May 8, as No. 5-seed HBU takes on No. 4-seed Stephen F. Austin at 11 am.