For the fourth time in the first six weeks of the 2016 season, Courtney Poole has been named the Peach Belt Conference AstroTurf Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced on Monday. It is the first time in over 12 years that the same student-athlete has won the award in three consecutive weeks and just the fourth time since the PBC began honoring a Pitcher of the Week in 1993.
Poole continued her incredible start to her senior campaign with another eye-popping week in the circle, going 7-1 on the week in North Georgia's eight games. Just hours after suffering her first loss of the season against a tough Wingate team, Poole rebounded by tossing her second career perfect game -- just the third in North Georgia history -- against Coker on Saturday.
The Watkinsville native picked up three shutouts on the week in five complete games and had five games with double-digit strikeouts. Overall on the week, Poole had a 0.70 earned run average, allowing just 23 hits in 49.2 innings pitched with an astonishing 73 strikeouts while only walking three. The senior paces the PBC in strikeouts with more than double the next league pitcher, she also leads the NCAA - in all divisions - in both victories and strikeouts.
The 13th-ranked Nighthawks are set to start league play on Saturday, traveling to Savannah to take on rival-Armstrong State. First pitch for the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m.
