Week 2 of the Division 1 college softball season is upon us and with a full slate of games this week, we’re taking a look at some of the arms to keep an eye on! These pitchers looked sharp in their teams’ season openers and could be difference-makers for their squads as the season goes on.
Bailey Parshall | Penn State
Parshall was excellent in the circle for the Nittany Lions on opening week, helping guide her program to a 3-2 start with some impressive performances. She eclipsed the 400-career strikeout mark on opening week and collected 29 strikeouts in 20.2 innings of work, allowing just two earned runs and four extra base hits.
Sydney Nester | Marshall
Nester held opponents scoreless in three appearances and 14 innings to open the year, including limiting Saint Joseph’s to three hits in nine innings across two appearances and Villanova to three hits in a run-rule win. Nester sits 3-0 on the year, with 25 strikeouts and just one walk to her credit.
Ashley Miller | Michigan State
Miller was rock-solid through three games, leading the nation’s 0.00 ERA club by assembling that number in 21 solid innings of work. She recorded wins over Pittsburgh and UConn before throwing the Spartans program’s first-ever 7-inning perfect game against Akron. She collected 29 strikeouts across opening week.
Morgan Clausen | North Florida
Clausen allowed one earned run in 16.1 innings of work over the weekend, earning wins over Florida A&M and Winthrop before taking a hard-luck loss to NC State. Clausen recorded twenty strikeouts across her three appearances, did not give up a walk, and allowed just ten hits.
Kenna Wilkey | Houston
Making her UH debut, Wilkey threw 13.1 innings across four appearances, earning two wins and a save for her new club. She notched 13 strikeouts, gave up just one run, and allowed just five hits. She earned the wins in a Sunday victory over Texas Tech, turning in a complete-game performance in a redemptive win for her Cougars.
Saya Swain | Iowa State
Swain set a new program record with seventeen strikeouts in a win over Northern Iowa, eclipsing the previous mark of fourteen. She ended the week as the team leader in innings pitched, with ten frames of work, and a total of nineteen strikeouts to her credit. She is 2-0 on the year after opening week.
Jayme Eilers | Western Carolina
The WCU hurler turned in a quartet of solid performances on opening week, earning three straight wins to start the year before taking a hard-luck loss in a Wednesday midweek showdown. On the weekend, she was 3-0 in 17 innings pitched with 23 strikeouts to her credit, and she still turned in a 5-hit, 8-strikeout performance in a tough loss to Georgia State on Wednesday.
Jordan Benefiel | Austin Peay
Benefiel turned in a team-best 0.98 ERA in 21.1 innings of work on opening weekend, making four appearances and posting a 2-0 record to start the year. She allowed just three earned runs – all in the same game – and collected 22 strikeouts. Benefiel was one of two APSU pitchers to see action to begin the year and allowed just four extra base hits in her appearances.
