Softball Trio Earns NECC Honors

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Three members of the Mitchell College softball team were honored by the New England Collegiate Conference on Monday morning.

Junior Suzanne Vachon was named NECC Player of the Week while classmate Taylor Duchesneau was tabbed NECC Pitcher of the Week. Rounding out the honorees was freshman Shyla Phillips-Krick, who was selected as NECC Rookie of the Week. The trio helped the Mariners to a 6-0 week that included wins over Pine Manor, Southern Vermont and Wheelock.

All three players earned their respective honors for the first time this season. A total of four Mitchell softball players have been recognized this season, as freshman Stephanie Adams earned rookie of the week honors on March 26.

Vachon batted .571 with a team-high nine RBI and six runs scored last week. She went 5-for-6 with a triple, four RBI and three runs scored in a doubleheader sweep of Southern Vermont. Against Wheelock, she went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs while scoring twice. She slugged .714 for the week and also stole three bases.

Duchesneau went 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA last week, pitching shutouts against Pine Manor, Southern Vermont, and Wheelock. She yielded only seven hits and one walk for the week while striking out 11 batters over a combined 15.0 innings of work. She allowed only two hits in each of her conference victories, fanning four against Southern Vermont and three against Wheelock.

Phillips-Krick was a dual threat for the Mariners last week. At the plate, she batted a team-high .600 with two doubles, seven RBI and six runs scored. Inside the circle, she went 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA and eight strikeouts. She went 2-for-2 with two RBI and two runs scored against Pine Manor, and tossed a two-hit shutout while striking out five. Against Southern Vermont, she went 3-for-6 with two doubles, four RBI and three runs scored, while giving up three hits and one unearned run. She wrapped up the week by going 1-for-2 with a walk, RBI and run scored against Wheelock, while tossing a three-hit shutout. She also slugged .800 for the week and stole a pair of bases.

Mitchell (8-6 overall, 4-0 NECC) has won eight straight games and will next play at Rhode Island College on Wednesday, April 4 at 4 p.m.