Feb. 21, 2011

IRVING, Texas - After helping their teams to a combined 8-2 weekend, Southern Miss' Jill Mathis and Houston's Amanda Crabtree have been named the Conference USA Players of the Week. Mathis picks up hitting honors after going 6-for-17 at the plate and bringing in eight of the Golden Eagles' 23 runs over the weekend. Crabtree earned Pitcher of the Week accolades as she threw her first no-hitter and helped the Cougars to a trio of wins over nationally-ranked opponents.

SOFTBALL HITTER OF THE WEEK (Feb. 21)
JILL MATHIS - SOUTHERN MISS
2B - Senior - Marianna, Fla. (Marianna HS)
Mathis batted .353 at the Auburn Tiger Invitational, going 6-for-17 at the plate and scoring five runs. She also tallied four home runs, including two against Campbell in consecutive at-bats. She finished the weekend with eight RBI, accounting for more than a third of the team's offensive efforts. The senior posted a slugging percentage of 1.059 and was 1-of-1 in stolen bases. In the Golden Eagles' game against South Alabama, Mathis hit a home run in the bottom of the seventh to ignite a five-run rally as the team took a 5-4, come-from-behind victory. She concluded her weekend with a three-run home run in the team's 4-3 win over McNeese State. Mathis' Hitter of the Week accolades are her first of the season and second of her career (Feb. 15, 2009).

SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK (Feb. 21)
AMANDA CRABTREE - HOUSTON
P - Senior - Kingwood, Texas (Kingwood HS)
Crabtree had a career weekend, throwing her first no-hitter against Nicholls State and following that performance with a three-hit shutout in an eight-inning pitching dual against No. 16 LSU to help her team beat three nationally ranked opponents in the same weekend for the first time in program history. On Friday night against Nicholls State, the senior went the distance, throwing all seven innings and fanning 11 batters en route to the no-no. Against the Tigers, Crabtree threw a brilliant game, allowing just three hits - two of which were infield singles - in her eight innings of work. As the game grew in intensity and pressure, Crabtree responded by leaving Tiger runners on third base in both the top of the seventh and the top of the eighth to give her team the chance to support her offensively. Teammate Reina Gaber provided that support with a pinch-hit RBI single in the bottom of the eighth to give the Cougars the win and move Crabtree to 4-0 on the season. The senior struck out another 11 in the contest, bringing her total to 46 on the season with a 0.52 ERA. Crabtree earns her first Pitcher of the Week honor with the stellar performance on the mound and is the first Houston ace to receive the recognition since Angel Shamblin did so on May 5, 2008.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
F14 Carly Hummel, Memphis
F21 Amanda Crabtree, Houston