NEW ORLEANS - The Sun Belt Conference announced its final softball weekly honors for the 2021 season on Monday. The Texas State duo of Sara Vanderford and Jessica Mullins were named the Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. It marks the second time this season the Bobcats swept the weekly awards with the twosome also doing so on March 2.
 
The Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship begin tomorrow in Troy, Alabama, and runs through May 15 when the 2021 Sun Belt softball tournament champions will be crowned. Top-seeded Louisiana looks to defend its 2019 championship title.
 
Championship information is on the Sun Belt Conference website with ticket information available on the Troy Athletics site. 
 
Softball Player of the Week

Sara Vanderford, Texas State
(#26, So, IF – Pasadena, Texas)
 
Vanderford continued to dominate pitchers as she connected on her 11th and 12th homeruns of the season over the weekend. Of the Texas State batters with four-plus plate appearances against UT Arlington, the Pasadena, Texas, native led the team in batting average (.444), runs (3), hits (4), home runs (2), RBI (4), total bases (10), slugging percentage (1.111) and fielding percentage (1.000). She helped the Bobcats seal an eight-run win over the Mavericks in Game 1. Vanderford went 2-for-3 at the plate including a dinger, three RBI and two runs and added a hit in Game 2 (1-for-3) as well. In the regular-season finale, Vanderford clubbed her conference-leading 12th home run on the first pitch she saw during her fourth-inning plate appearance. The recognition is her third of the year, which leads the Sun Belt this season.
 
Softball Pitcher of the Week
 
Jessica Mullins, Texas State
(#4, Fr, LHP – Tarkington, Texas)
 
Mullins factored into the decision in all three of Texas State's wins against UT Arlington over the weekend. She opened the series by throwing a five-inning complete game shutout, as the Bobcats knocked off the Mavericks, 8-0. In that game, Mullins did not allow a baserunner to reach second base. In Game 2, Mullins entered the game in the top of the sixth inning and earned her third career save, only allowing one single in her 2.0 innings of work. To close the series, Mullins entered the circle with runners on the corners and only one out with UTA ahead 1-0 in the top of the second. She escaped the half unscathed and kept the Mavericks off the scoreboard until the fourth inning. The Tarkington, Texas, native responded by retiring nine of the next 10 batters to earn her 19th win of the season. Mullins led the Bobcats, who earned their 25th home win of the season in the final series, with a 0.55 ERA in 12.2 innings of work. She recorded eight strikeouts and allowed only one extra-base hit in the stretch.
 
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
Week 10: Makiya Thomas, Coastal Carolina
Week 11: Kayla Rosado, Coastal Carolina
Week 12: Bailee Wilson, Georgia Southern
Week 13: Sara Vanderford, Texas State
 
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
Week 10: Summer Ellyson, Louisiana
Week 11: Meagan King, Texas State
Week 12: Aaliyah Garcia, Georgia Southern
Week 13: Jessica Mullins, Texas State