Valpo's Marinec, Loyola's Engelkens Collect Softball Weekly Awards

INDIANAPOLIS -- Valparaiso sophomore infielder Jessie Marinec (Alsip, Ill.) has been named Horizon League Softball Player of the Week, while Loyola sophomore Keali Engelkens (Milledgeville, Ill.) has earned Horizon League Softball Pitcher of the Week honors, for the week of March 5-11.

 

Marinec matched her career home run total last week with four round-trippers as Valparaiso (11-8) competed at the Diamond Devil Invitational. The sophomore kicked off the week with a 3-for-4 effort in the Crusaders’ win at New Mexico State last Tuesday, scoring two runs and driving in a run with a solo homer.

 

It marked the first of three straight games that Marinec hit a home run, as the sophomore went yard in Valpo’s opener versus New Mexico State at the Diamond Devil Invitational and then hit a four-bagger against host #5 Arizona State, the second time in her career that Marinec has hit a home run against a top-five opponent. She also hit a home run in the Crusaders’ game against Pacific.

 

On the week, Marinec went 8-for-19 (.421) with six runs scored and five RBIs. Thanks to her four home runs, which matched her career home run total, Marinec ended the week with a slugging percentage of 1.053.

 

Engelkens came on in relief in two of Loyola’s (3-8) wins last week, collecting victories as the Ramblers swept Wichita State, 5-3 and 9-6. The right-hander tossed 2.0 scoreless innings to earn the win in Game 1 before striking out one in 1.2 innings in Game 2. In 3.2 innings, Engelkens gave up just one hit.

 

Marinec and the rest of the Crusaders return to action Friday at the San Diego Classic II, while Loyola will head to Oxford, Ohio, for games against Miami, Ball State and Eastern Michigan.

Softball Player of the Week:
February 14: Brittany Duncan, Valparaiso
February 21: Vicky Rumph, Youngstown State
February 28: Jordan Rutkowski, Valparaiso
March 6: Jordan Rutkowski, Valparaiso
March 13: Jesse Marinec, Valparaiso

Softball Pitcher of the Week:
February 14: Alex Lagesse, Valparaiso
February 21: Casey Crozier, Youngstown State
February 28: Krystian DeWitt, Wright State
March 6: Breanna Fisher, Butler
March 13: Keali Engelkens, Loyola