Georgia sophomore pitcher Chelsea Wilkinson has been named as the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player of the Week for games played over April 28-May 4.

The reigning Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week, Wilkinson led the No. 11 Bulldogs to a high-profile series sweep of then-10th-ranked Kentucky, twirling a pair of complete games from the circle to post a 2-0 record with a 1.00 ERA and 18 strikeouts over 14 innings. The Taylorsville, N.C., native got UGA off to a solid start during Friday night’s lid lifter, allowing just four hits and one earned run while striking out 10 over seven frames as the Red & Black secured the opener, 5-1.

Summoned back to the circle to start Sunday’s finale, she was again almost unhittable, limiting the Wildcats to one tally on three hits with eight K’s as Georgia completed the sweep, 3-1. Overall during the 2014 campaign, Wilkinson possesses a 26-7 record with a 2.14 ERA, 21 complete games, five solo shutouts and 234 strikeouts over 199.2 frames of effort.

“This award is a direct reflection on my team,” Wilkinson said. “I have such solid defense behind me and am on a team with one of the best offenses in the country, which makes my job so much easier. I love being a part of this incredible program with such talented teammates and coaches. It is an honor to be able to go out and compete for Georgia every game.”

“Chelsea is the epitome of what it means to be a Georgia Bulldog,” Georgia head coach Lu Harris-Champer said. “She competes every pitch and does everything that she can to keep her team in the game. She is a leader both on and off the field, and I am so happy to have her in our dugout. She is very deserving of this award, and I am thrilled for her.”

Wilkinson and the Bulldogs return to action on Thurs., May 8, by facing off against fifth-ranked Florida in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Columbia, S.C.

 

Selected Top Performances

Washington’s Hooch Fagaly was chosen as the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Week after going 4-for-6 with five runs scored, a triple, a walk-off grand slam and four RBIs during UW’s series win over No. 9 Arizona…IPFW’s Miranda Kramer, the Summit League Pitcher of the Week, was 3-0 with a trio of one-hit shutouts, a 0.00 ERA and 41 K’s over 19.1 innings against Eastern Michigan and IUPUI…SEC Player of the Week Codee Yeske of South Carolina led the Gamecocks to a pair of wins over No. 20 Auburn, posting a hit and an RBI in each of the three contests with a .556 average…USC Upstate’s Anna Miller was named the Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, her fourth no-hitter of the season and an 18-strikeout effort in a series-opening win over ETSU…Stanford’s Tylyn Wells hit .600 (6-for-10) against Saint Mary’s and No. 2 UCLA and even pitched well in an emergency role against the powerful Bruins…Notre Dame’s Emilee Koerner, the ACC Player of the Week, hit .769 (10-for-13) with two doubles, a triple, three HR’s and eight RBIs against Maryland and Boston College…Cal Poly’s Sierra Hyland picked up a win and a save with a 0.00 ERA over 15 innings against Long Beach State while also becoming her school’s single-season strikeout leader with 256 K’s…USF’s Sara Nevins was 3-0 with a 0.46 ERA and a perfect game during the Bulls’ series versus Temple…Oregon State’s CJ Chirichigno batted .615 (8-for-13) with three doubles, a HR and seven RBIs against Portland State and UNLV…Boise State’s Rebecca Patton went 4-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 13 strikeouts over 20 innings of work against a combination of Idaho State and New Mexico…Alabama’s Sydney Littlejohn earned SEC Freshman of the Week accolades after picking up a huge win over nationally-ranked Missouri, throwing a complete game four-hitter as the Crimson Tide earned the outright SEC title…Fresno State’s Stesha Brazil led her squad over a three-game series with two HR’s, 10 total bases, a .500 batting average and a .636 on-base percentage…Utah’s Sammy Cordova, the Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week, earned a pair of complete-game wins over California to help the Utes to their first-ever league series sweep…DePaul’s Allie Braden was tabbed as the BIG EAST Player of the Week after hitting .583 with six tallies and a trio of extra-base hits…Longwood’s Elizabeth McCarthy posted a 2-0 mark with a 0.50 ERA and 18 K’s over 14 frames of effort to be selected as the Big South Conference Pitcher of the Week…Baylor’s Linsey Hays batted .563 (9-for-16) over five games with four HR’s and 11 RBIs against North Texas, McNeese State and Iowa State…Boise State’s Hailey Torrez earned Mountain West Player of the Week accolades after going 8-for-15 (.533) with a HR and nine RBIs…Oklahoma’s Kelsey Stevens was 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA and 28 K’s over 18 innings of work to help the Sooners clinch a share of the Big 12 crown.

2014 Louisville Slugger Division I National Player of the Week
Feb. 11 – Griffin Joiner – Kentucky – Jr. – C – Hopkinsville, Ky.
Feb. 18 – Bryana Walker – Washington – Sr. – P – La Quinta, Calif.
Feb. 25 – Anna Miller (Co-) – USC Upstate – Sr. – P – Portland, Ore.
Ally Carda (Co-) – UCLA – Jr. – P/UTIL – Elk Grove, Calif.
March 4 – Lacey Waldrop – Florida State – Jr. – P – Chester, Va.
March 11 – Dallas Escobedo – Arizona State – Sr. – P – Glendale, Ariz.
March 18 – Sydney O’Hara – Syracuse – Fr. – P/OF/1B – Cicero, N.Y.
March 25 – Jaclyn Traina (Co-) – Alabama – Sr. – P/UTIL – Naples, Fla.
Sammy Marshall (Co-) – Western Illinois – Jr. – SS/OF – Naperville, Ill.
April 1 – Cheridan Hawkins – Oregon – So. – P – Anderson, Calif.
April 8 – Katiyana Mauga – Arizona – Fr. – 3B – San Diego, Calif.
April 15 – Michelle Mueller – Wisconsin – Sr. – IF – La Crosse, Wis.
April 22 – Stephanie Tofft – Florida – Sr. – 3B – Lincoln, Calif.
April 29 – Tori Finucane – Missouri – Fr. – P – Germantown, Md.
May 6 – Chelsea Wilkinson – Georgia – So. – P – Taylorsville, N.C.