Marshall University Athletics
Ellis Named Conference USA Player of the Week
4/22/2019 1:59:00 PM | Softball
2019 Warrior Award Winner hit three home runs and drove in eight
IRVING, Texas – Senior Hayden Ellis had a special weekend for the Marshall softball team, and as a result was named Conference USA Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday.
Ellis hit three home runs for the Herd and drove in eight during the three-game series against Louisiana Tech at Dot Hicks Field, April 19-20. Marshall won 2-of-3 to take the series. She was also named the 2019 Warrior Award winner, named in honor of Emileigh Cooper.
"What a special weekend for our team and for Hayden," Herd head coach Megan Smith said. "This weekend was our cancer awareness weekend and she played for her father who has been battling cancer and she was named our Emileigh Cooper Warrior Award winner.
"She has truly been a fighter throughout her career and she is stepping up and doing great things for her team this season. I think this may be the proudest I have ever been for a player to be named conference player of the week. She deserves every honor she gets!"
During pregame warmups, Ellis wore a shirt with her father's name on the back as the person that she was playing for during the Friday doubleheader of Cancer Awareness Day. Ellis then helped power Marshall to having a chance in the first game and then the win in game two.
The Ashville, Ohio, native smacked a solo home run to left in the fourth inning that got Marshall on the board and cut the Lady Techsters lead to two, 3-1. She came up big again in the bottom of the seventh. The Herd was trailing 10-5 with two outs, and two runners on base. Ellis, who had only hit just two home runs in her career coming into the day's action, belted her second home run of the day to straight-away center. The three-run homer cut the Herd deficit down to two, 10-8, and gave Marshall a chance. Louisiana Tech held on for the win.
In game two of the Friday doubleheader, Ellis hit her third home run of the day with a two-run shot to left that put Marshall up 3-0. In the bottom of the fifth, Ellis was part of back-to-back walks with sophomore Katie Adams that loaded the bases. Senior Hannah Giammarino then hit a grand slam to end the game in the fifth, 10-2.
Ahead of game three on Saturday, Marshall had a pregame ceremony to honor the late Emileigh Cooper and name the 2019 Warrior Award winner. Ellis was named the recipient joining Rebecca Myslenski (2017) and Madi Marshall (2018) as winners of the award. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Ellis drew a bases loaded walk that brought in the second run of the game to put the Herd up, 2-0. Marshall continued to fight all the way to the end and capped the game with a walk-off double by junior Blakely Burch in the bottom of the seventh.
Ellis finished the weekend batting .375 (3-of-8) with all three of her hits as home runs, scored four times, drove in eight, walked twice, slugged 1.500 and had an on base percentage of .500. The two home runs and four RBI in game one were both career highs. For the season, Ellis has set all new career-bests with 22 hits, 16 runs, seven doubles, four home runs, 21 RBI, 23 walks, .506 slugging percentage and .409 on base.
Marshall returns to the field on Tuesday, April 23, at home against Louisville. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
Ellis hit three home runs for the Herd and drove in eight during the three-game series against Louisiana Tech at Dot Hicks Field, April 19-20. Marshall won 2-of-3 to take the series. She was also named the 2019 Warrior Award winner, named in honor of Emileigh Cooper.
"What a special weekend for our team and for Hayden," Herd head coach Megan Smith said. "This weekend was our cancer awareness weekend and she played for her father who has been battling cancer and she was named our Emileigh Cooper Warrior Award winner.
"She has truly been a fighter throughout her career and she is stepping up and doing great things for her team this season. I think this may be the proudest I have ever been for a player to be named conference player of the week. She deserves every honor she gets!"
During pregame warmups, Ellis wore a shirt with her father's name on the back as the person that she was playing for during the Friday doubleheader of Cancer Awareness Day. Ellis then helped power Marshall to having a chance in the first game and then the win in game two.
The Ashville, Ohio, native smacked a solo home run to left in the fourth inning that got Marshall on the board and cut the Lady Techsters lead to two, 3-1. She came up big again in the bottom of the seventh. The Herd was trailing 10-5 with two outs, and two runners on base. Ellis, who had only hit just two home runs in her career coming into the day's action, belted her second home run of the day to straight-away center. The three-run homer cut the Herd deficit down to two, 10-8, and gave Marshall a chance. Louisiana Tech held on for the win.
In game two of the Friday doubleheader, Ellis hit her third home run of the day with a two-run shot to left that put Marshall up 3-0. In the bottom of the fifth, Ellis was part of back-to-back walks with sophomore Katie Adams that loaded the bases. Senior Hannah Giammarino then hit a grand slam to end the game in the fifth, 10-2.
Ahead of game three on Saturday, Marshall had a pregame ceremony to honor the late Emileigh Cooper and name the 2019 Warrior Award winner. Ellis was named the recipient joining Rebecca Myslenski (2017) and Madi Marshall (2018) as winners of the award. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Ellis drew a bases loaded walk that brought in the second run of the game to put the Herd up, 2-0. Marshall continued to fight all the way to the end and capped the game with a walk-off double by junior Blakely Burch in the bottom of the seventh.
Ellis finished the weekend batting .375 (3-of-8) with all three of her hits as home runs, scored four times, drove in eight, walked twice, slugged 1.500 and had an on base percentage of .500. The two home runs and four RBI in game one were both career highs. For the season, Ellis has set all new career-bests with 22 hits, 16 runs, seven doubles, four home runs, 21 RBI, 23 walks, .506 slugging percentage and .409 on base.
Marshall returns to the field on Tuesday, April 23, at home against Louisville. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
For all of the latest information on the Marshall Softball team, follow the Herd on Twitter @HerdSB, Facebook at Marshall University Softball and on www.herdzone.com.
To follow all Thundering Herd sports and get live stats, schedules, and free live audio, download the Marshall Athletics App for iOS or Android!
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