OKLAHOMA CITY — Following a historic week at the plate and in the circle during Week 6 of the NCAA Softball season, Missouri’s Braxton Burnside (Paragould, Ark.) and Cal Poly’s Sierra Hyland (Visalia, Calif.) have been named USA Softball Collegiate National Co-Players of the Week, USA Softball announced today. Both athletes had a phenomenal weekend on the field, as Burnside put on a record-breaking performance at the plate after collecting 10 RBI in a single game, while Hyland matched the Big West Conference career record for strikeouts.
In her freshman season, Missouri shortstop Burnside produced one of the most historic stretches at the plate in Missouri, Southeastern Conference (SEC) and NCAA Softball history. Appearing in seven games, Burnside tallied a team-high 12 hits, three home runs and 18 RBI, finishing the week with a .545 batting average (12-for-22) and a 1.091 slugging percentage. Burnside’s premier game occurred against North Dakota State, where she went 3-for-5 at the plate with a triple, two grand slams and 10 RBI. This marked the first time this season that an SEC player has hit two grand slams in one game, while becoming just the twelfth player in NCAA Division I history to launch a pair of grand slams in a single game. Burnside picked up a hit in each game, extending her hitting streak to 12 games.
"It’s an honor to receive this award,” said Burnside. “I want to give a big thank you to my teammates, because I couldn’t have done this without every one of them.”
This marks the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week honor for Burnside, and is the first honor for an athlete from Missouri since Week 12 of the 2014 season when Tori Finucane earned the accolades.
“I’m very happy for Braxton and her earning this recognition,” said Missouri Head Coach Ehren Earleywine. “It’s a well-deserved honor. She’s so talented and remains humble through it all.”
In a 4-0 performance from the circle in which the senior matched the Big West Conference career record for strikeouts, Hyland started her week with a 16-strikeout performance in a 2-1 (eight inning) win over Northern Colorado. Two days later, Hyland pitched a complete-game, one-hitter in a 3-1 win over the then-No. 10 Oklahoma Sooners while retiring a hot Sooner lineup with nine strikeouts. Hyland struck out five more Oklahoma batters as Cal Poly bested the Sooners once more, 3-1. Hyland closed out her week by striking out four Sacramento State hitters and six Dartmouth batters in a pair of relief efforts. Hyland finished the week with a 0.95 ERA, issuing 40 strikeouts and allowing just four runs to score in 29 and one-third innings. Hyland also performed at the plate, hitting .364 (8-for-22) on the week with four RBI and one run scored.
“No matter what the situation or score was, I stayed composed and trusted every pitch.,” Hyland said. “Whether the ball went up in the air or on the ground, I knew our defense would have my back. We trust our process as one unit and the game is paying us back for what we've put in."
This marks the third USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week for Hyland, who earned the accolades during Week 1 of the 2017 season and during Week 3 of the 2016 season.
“It's an honor for Sierra and our program to win this award,” said Cal Poly Head Coach Jenny Condon. “Her mindset is to win every pitch, but her ability to move on after a bad pitch or a big hit is one of the biggest reasons for her success this year. Her mental discipline and focus are big contributors to her consistency.”
2017 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week
Week 1 (Feb. 9-12): Sierra Hyland – Cal Poly – Senior – Pitcher – Visalia, Calif.
Week 2 (Feb. 13-19): Alyssa Denham – Louisiana – Freshman – Pitcher – Alvin, Texas
Week 3 (Feb. 20-26): Mo Mercado – Arizona – Senior – Infield – Temecula, Calif.
Week 4 (Feb. 27-March 5): Nicole Schroeder – Arkansas – Senior – Outfield – Yorba Linda, Calif.
Week 5 (March 6-12): Alexis Osorio – Alabama – Junior – Pitcher – Riverside, Calif.
Co-Week 6 (March 13-19): Braxton Burnside – Missouri – Freshman – Infield – Paragould, Ark.
Co-Week 6 (March 13-19): Sierra Hyland – Cal Poly – Senior – Pitcher – Visalia, Calif.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is a 501(c)(3) not-for profit organization headquartered in Oklahoma City, Okla., and is designated as the National Governing Body (NGB) of Softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. One of the nation’s largest sports organizations, USA Softball sanctions competition in every state through a network of 70 local associations and has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 150,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than 2 million. USA Softball is dedicated to providing people of all ages the opportunity to play the game they love at a variety of levels by offering recreational, league, tournament and competitive play for fast pitch, slow pitch and modified pitch. USA Softball annually conducts thousands of tournaments throughout the country including over 100 National Championships. The USA Softball umpire program is among the nation’s largest and are widely known as the best trained umpires in the game.
As the NGB for the sport of softball, USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting the six USA Softball National Teams that compete in events such as the Olympics, Pan American Games, World Championships and other international and domestic events. For more information on USA Softball, including its founding and history as the Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA), please visit, www.USASoftball.com.
About the NCAA Women’s College World Series
ASA Hall of Fame Stadium – OGE Energy Field serves as the home to the NCAA Women’s College World Series (WCWS). For the 27th year, the top eight college teams in the nation will head to Oklahoma City and compete for a national championship. Last year, over 78,000 fans attended the WCWS. Be there to Share The Experience with softball fans from across the country June 1-7 in Oklahoma City. Tickets for the 2017 NCAA WCWS are on sale now, click here to purchase your tickets and secure your championship experience!