BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – With momentum-swinging hits to help carry No. 18 Auburn softball to its first series win over South Carolina since 2017, Jessie Blaine was named the Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week, the league office announced Tuesday.
Blaine is the first Tiger freshman to be honored with the award this season.
The Wentzville, Missouri, native led the Tigers at the plate with a .444 average against the Gamecocks. Three of her four hits went for extra-bases as she knocked a double and two homers for team-leading 1.222 slugging percentage in the series. Behind back-to-back, four-RBI performances at the plate, Blaine led the Tigers with eight.
The designated played also drew three walks to lead the team with a .583 on-base percentage while scoring three runs.
Blaine came through with a pair of clutch home runs throughout the series. She blasted a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the seventh to force the opening game into extra innings. She also plated the go-ahead runs with a three-run bomb in game two to propel the Tigers to their run-rule victory.
Through two conference series, Blaine leads the team with a .500 batting average. She's slugged three homers, a double and has plated 11 runs in league action.