Emily Dowd and Jen Westphal of the Middlebury softball team have earned NESCAC weekly honors after helping the squad to its second conference title in program history. Dowd was named the pitcher of the week, while Westphal tallied player of the week recognition.

HONOREE HIGHLIGHTS

• Dowd (Pitcher of the Week)
  • Dowd logs her second pitcher of the week nod.
  • The Panther excelled in the circle, conceding four earned runs and four walks while striking out 14 batters over 16 innings of work. She also went a perfect 3-0 over her three appearances.
  • Entering the NESCAC Semifinals in the top of the fourth with a 4-3 deficit, Dowd fanned eight batters across eight shutout frames, buying time for the 6-4 win in 11 innings. Her outing matched the longest by a Middlebury pitcher this season.
  • During the slate, Dowd surpassed Allison Quigley '18 and Brittany Burke '08 for the most wins by a pitcher in a season with 14.
  • The first-year leads the team in innings pitched (104.2), strikeouts (101) and earned run average (2.34).
• Westphal (Player of the Week)
  • Westphal earns the weekly honor for the first time.
  • She reached base twice and scored the game-winning run in Middlebury's 3-2 victory over Bates in eight frames during the NESCAC Quarterfinals.
  • The Panther excelled when it mattered most, lifting a walk-off home run over the left-field wall in the 11th inning to seal the triumph over Colby. 
  • Westphal closed the three-game weekend with a walk and run batted in during the squad's thrilling 7-5 win over Williams in the championship bout. 
  • Defensively, the senior flashed the leather with 17 putouts and an assist while splitting time at first base and catcher.

Middlebury discovers its opponents for the NCAA Tournament Regional round when the bracket is revealed on Monday at 11:00 a.m.