NEW ORLEANS - The Sun Belt Conference announced its softball weekly honors on Tuesday. Faith Shirley picked up the Player of the Week honor, while South Alabama’s Olivia Lackie nabs her fourth Pitcher of the Week nod.  
 
Softball Player of the Week

Faith Shirley, Georgia Southern
(#43, Jr, 1B/3B – Winston, Ga.)
 
Junior Faith Shirley helped the Eagles collect their first road Sun Belt series win since March of 2018 as Georgia Southern took 2-of-3 at Coastal Carolina over the weekend. She recorded a .500 batting average and 1.100 slugging percentage, with four of her seven hits of the weekend going for extra bases. Shirley went 3-for-3 at the plate with a pair of doubles and four RBIs in Saturday's 9-1, six-inning run-rule victory in Conway, South Carolina.  The Winston, Georgia native leads the Eagles, who are 9-18 overall, with 11 doubles, six home runs and 19 RBIs. Defensively, Shirley, who plays at either corner, gave an errorless performance at first base with 15 total chances. This marks the first honor for the program since 2018.
 
Softball Pitcher of the Week

Olivia Lackie, South Alabama
(#99, Fr, P – Walker, La.)
 
Freshman Olivia Lackie helped the Jaguars record one of their biggest weeks of the season as they swept then-Sun Belt co-leader Texas State in San Marcos, Texas. For the week, Lackie recorded a win and a save both in the series against the Bobcats, while striking out 19 and allowing just two earned runs in her 15 innings of work. Against Texas State, Lackie tossed 10 scoreless innings and held the Bobcats, who entered the weekend as one of the top offenses in the conference, to just five hits (.172 average), while striking out 10 in the series. The freshman bounced back from a loss at Troy on Wednesday by registering a complete-game, two-hit shutout in game two of the series on Saturday. It was her fifth shutout of the season and her ninth complete game. On Sunday, Lackie came out of the bullpen and tossed three scoreless innings to preserve a three-run victory to clinch the series sweep. For the year, Lackie continues to rank as one of the top pitchers in the Sun Belt and in the nation as she is 12-6 with three saves and a 1.85 earned run average The conference sweep was the third of the spring for the Jags and the second league road sweep of the season. It marks the first time South has done either since the 2017 season. It is also the first time since 2013 that South Alabama has taken a series from a ranked opponent and the first time the Jaguars have ever swept an opponent ranked inside the Top 25.
 
Player of Week
Week 1: Belle Wolfenden, South Alabama
Week 2: Baylee Morton, App State
Week 3: Tara Oltmann, Texas State
Week 4: Sara Vanderford, Texas State
Week 5: Sara Vanderford, Texas State
Week 6: Korie Kreps, ULM 
Week 7: Tara Oltmann, Texas State
Week 8: Katie Lively, Troy
Week 9: Faith Shirley, Georgia Southern
 
Pitcher of Week
Week 1: Leanna Johnson, Troy
Week 2: Olivia Lackie, South Alabama
Week 3: Jessica Mullins, Texas State
Week 4: Olivia Lackie, South Alabama
Week 5: Olivia Lackie, South Alabama
Week 6: Leanna Johnson, Troy
Week 7: Kandra Lamb, Louisiana
Week 8: Leanna Johnson, Troy
Week 9: Olivia Lackie, South Alabama