By Antonya English, Times Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Florida Gators freshman pitcher Hannah Rogers has been named SEC Pitcher of the Week honors following her performance that helped the Gators earn their fourth consecutive SEC Eastern Division title with a series sweep over No. 3 Tennessee at home in Gainesville this past weekend.
Rogers was instrumental in UF's success in the past week of play, picking up her third career save in UF's 1-0 victory over FSU, working the final 2.1 innings of the game, while also picking up all three wins in the Gators' sweep over the Lady Vols, having only started Sunday. Rogers threw a complete game in the series finale, and allowed just two runs in her four appearances over the past week, while walking just three batters between the four match-ups to finish the week's play with a 0.91 ERA and 13 strikeouts.
Rogers has a UF freshman-record 30 wins this season and has struck out 175 in her 43 appearances. She is fifth in the Gator record book for single-season wins and ranks in the top five in the country, first among freshman, in wins this season.
Through the 2011 regular-season league schedule, Rogers had an SEC-leading 25 appearances, 18 wins and starts and a conference-leading 128.2 innings pitched. Rogers did not allow an earned run in her first six conference games and has allowed one or fewer in 17 of her 25 SEC appearances.
Florida will open play in the SEC tournament Thursday against No. 7 seed Auburn. The game will be televised on ESPNU at 2:30.
The Gators have learned this season that just knocking home runs out of the park isn't the only way to win. Florida coach Tim Walton has turned this team into a group that thrives on the little details of the game - and it's working.