Southern Illinois University softball players Sarah Harness and Bailey Caylor took home Missouri Valley Conference Weekly honors for their performances in SIU’s series win over Evansville, the conference announced Monday. Harness earned her fourth MVC Pitcher of the Week honor this season while Caylor was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week for the first time in her career.
Harness was brilliant in her two wins over Evansville last week. The sophomore hurler went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA in 14 innings of work. The Bowling Green, Mo. native allowed just 10 hits- three of which went for extra bases, two earned runs and held opponents to a .200 batting average. She also struck out 22 and walked just three. In her game one win, Harness allowed one run on six hits with 11 strikeouts to no walks. On Sunday, she limited the Aces to just one run on four hits with 11 strikeouts and three walks. Harness became the first Saluki pitcher since 2010 to record double-digit strikeouts in back-to-back starts. Harness currently leads the Valley in wins (14), ERA (1.35) and innings pitched (114.1).
Caylor, meanwhile, slashed .500/.500/.500 in SIU’s series win over Evansville. The Tipton, Ind. native was 5-for-10 at the plate with a run scored and a stolen base. She recorded at least one hit in each of Southern’s three contests, which included a pair of multi-hit games, to extend her hit streak to five games. She went 2-for-3 in Southern’s 3-1 walk-off win over the Aces on Saturday, and followed with another 2-for-3 day with a run scored in game two of the series. In SIU’s 4-1 win in the series finale, Caylor tallied a hit and a stolen base. She currently leads all Valley freshmen with a .348 batting average.
The Salukis are back in action this weekend when they travel to Normal, Ill. to tangle with the first-place Illinois State Redbirds in a matchup between the top two teams in the Valley. First pitch for Saturday’s doubleheader is set for Noon.
