For the second time in three weeks Northwestern State pitcher Sage Hoover has been named the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced on Monday.
This is the second weekly award for Hoover and the fourth for an NSU pitcher in nine weeks.
For the third Friday and conference series in a row, Hoover got the Lady Demons in the win column with a dominating performance in the circle. This past week at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, the freshman righty threw a game for the record books, nearly in more ways than one.
She went the first 6 2/3 innings of the game without allowing a hit to the Islanders and striking out 12 along the way. That, however, was just the beginning of what was a Herculean day for the NSU ace.
Locked in a 1-1 game through the first seven innings Hoover continued her dominance through five more innings to toss a 12-inning complete game, adding six more strikeouts along the way to set the NSU record with 18 strikeouts in the game.
The 222 pitches and 12 innings were the most by an NSU pitcher since Katelyn Boles threw 246 in a 13-inning loss in 2017.
Hoover added to her conference-leading strikeout total and sits at 142 for the year with an even more impressive 10.3 K/7 average. She ranks 33rd I the nation in total strikeouts and 22nd in K/7.
In her past three conference series-opening starts Hoover has struck out 45 and allowed just one earned run on 11 hits in three complete games spanning 26 innings.
Hoover and the Lady Demons begin a three-game home series with McNeese on Thursday at Lady Demon Diamond at 6 p.m.
Photo: Chris Reich, NSU Photographic Services.
