Valparaiso's Conner, Butler's Esparza Tally Horizon League Softball Accolades

INDIANAPOLIS – Valparaiso senior third baseman Sadie Conner (Washington, Ill.) has been tabbed the Horizon League Player of the Week, while Butler sophomore pitcher Jenny Esparza (Milledgeville, Ill.) has been selected the League Pitcher of the Week, for the week beginning April 18.  The accolade is the first of the season for Conner, while Esparza is collecting her second honor of the year.

Valparaiso (30-18-1, 13-7 Horizon) remained in the hunt for the regular season championship in the Horizon League after winning a road series at Green Bay.  Butler (28-22, 14-8 Horizon) entered the clubhouse after wrapping up its regular season with a series win at Loyola.

In the rubber game at Green Bay, Conner carried Valparaiso to a 10-5 win, going 4-for-4 with 6 runs batted in.  With a three-run homer in the contest, Conner tied the Crusaders record with her 22nd career long ball.  Leading all players in League play with seven home runs, the senior finished the week 6-for-9 at the plate, reaching base in her last seven plate appearances.  The third baseman had two homers, eight RBI and five runs scored in the series, slugging at a 1.444 clip.

Conner’s first gopher ball of the series was the record-breaker for a Crusaders squad that has crushed 46 long balls on the season, snapping the old mark of 42.

Esparza appeared in all six games Butler played last week, starting four for the Bulldogs.  After Butler was swept in a midweek series at Wright State, the sophomore carried Butler on the mound at Loyola, tossing a one-hit shutout to give the first game of the three-game set to the Bulldogs, 1-0.  Just three outs were needed from the Butler defense in the win, as Esparza struck out 18 Ramblers.

The sophomore became Butler’s all-time strikeouts leader during the game, eclipsing the old mark of 501.  After four strikeouts in a two-inning save on Sunday, Esparza has 515 punchouts in two years.  For the week, Esparza struck out 46 batters in 26.2 innings pitched.

Valparaiso will host Cleveland State with a chance to claim at least a share of the Horizon League regular season title.  The Crusaders and Vikings meet in a three-game set beginning on Saturday, May 7 at 2 p.m. ET.  Butler has qualified for the Horizon League Softball Tournament and will await its seeding following the weekend.