INDIANAPOLIS – For the first time since 2018, the Northern Kentucky softball program swept the Horizon League weekly awards as Ella LeMonier was named the conference's Player of the Week and Madisyn Eads picked up the league's Pitcher of the Week honors after the Norse made history at the 2023 Texas A&M Invitational.
 
LaMonier was selected as the Horizon's Player of the Week after a blistering performance at the plate down in Texas. The Orland Hills, Ill. native hit .556 at the dish over her five starts to go with 10 hits, two RBI, three runs scored and five stolen bases.
 
After the opening weekend, LeMonier leads the Horizon in batting average, hits and stolen bases and is second overall in RBI. She is ranked in a tie for fourth in the NCAA in stolen bases, is tied for seventh nationally in hits and is 60th in batting average.
 
LeMonier is the first student-athlete to win the weekly Player of the Week honor since Taylor Hoover captured the award during the week of Feb. 17, 2020.
 
Eads took home the Horizon Pitcher of the Week honors after a standout week in the circle against top competition at the Texas A&M Invitational. Over four games, the junior from Louisville, Ky. went 1-1 overall to go with a 2.83 ERA. She threw 17.1 innings down in Texas and allowed just 18 hits and seven earned runs to go with 10 strikeouts.
 
Eads picked up the opening-day win with a complete game over the Southland's Texas A&M Commerce and helped the Norse make history as she slammed the door with a save in the top of the seventh to seal the victory over Michigan State.
 
Eads is currently ranked first in the Horizon in saves and is second in innings pitched and strikeouts. She is also tied for third in complete games. Eads is the first NKU student-athlete to earn the weekly honor since Lauryn Hicks captured the award during the final week of the 2022 season.
 
 
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