INDIANAPOLIS – Kentucky Wesleyan freshman infielder Jaylin Tidwell and Cedarville sophomore pitcher Morgan Arbogast were selected Great Midwest Athletic Conference Softball Players of the Week on Monday.
Tidwell and the Panthers closed the regular season on a very strong note, winning five of six games this week, including the last four in a series sweep against Malone. This is Tidwell's second conference player of the week honor of the spring.
Tidwell was spectacular from the plate, collecting hits in 12 of her 23 at-bats. The freshman also drove in ten runs, hit two home runs, three doubles, and scored six runs. Tidwell’s best game came in the second game of a doubleheader at home on Senior Day against Malone where Tidwell went 3-for-4 with a home run, five runs batted in and three runs scored.
Tidwell sports a .441 batting average in the regular season, which is fourth in the G-MAC, along with 12 doubles, five home runs, and a league-leading 56 RBI.
Arbogast appeared in three games for the Yellow Jackets this week going 2-1. Arbogast shut the door on Ursuline after a tough start to the series, going all seven innings, allowing only five hits, giving up two runs, both of which were earned and striking out four batters in a 3-2 Yellow Jackets’ victory.
Friday, Arbogast one-upped her performance on Wednesday with her ninth complete game win of the season, this time against Davis & Elkins. Arbogast’s last start of the regular season proved to be her best, allowing only three baserunners to reach all afternoon (one hit, two walks) and striking out eight Senators in a 3-0 Yellow Jackets’ victory.
Arbogast finished the regular season with a 13-7 record, a 2.75 earned run average, leading her team in wins, innings pitched (134.2), and strikeouts (94).
Kentucky Wesleyan finished the regular season second in the G-MAC with an 18-8 conference record and a 34-20 overall record, good for the No. 2 seed in the six-team postseason bracket. The Yellow Jackets completed the season going 21-4 in the conference and 30-15 overall to secure the top seed in the conference tournament this week in Xenia, Ohio.