WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons College's Lauren Backhaus (Windsor, Conn.) was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Softball Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 9-15, it was announced today by the league.
The award marks the fifth time in her career that Backhaus has earned the weekly accolade.
The senior appeared in the pitching circle in six of the Sharks' nine contests last week at the 2015 Spring Games in Clermont, Fla., posting a 3-1 record to go with a 1.52 earned run average, while hurling three complete games. Backhaus allowed just 23 hits in 27 2/3 innings pitched to hold opponents to a .228 (23-101) batting mark, while striking out 31 batters against just five walks for a 6.2:1 strikeout to walk ratio. She also threw a shutout during her award-winning week. A Captain for Simmons, Backhaus began the week and the season by tossing four innings, while allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks, while striking out four vs. Worcester Polytechnic Institute on March 9. The Northwest Catholic High School product came back later in the day to hurl two innings of perfect relief, setting down all six batters she faced, including three by way of the strike out vs. Hood College. Backhaus earned her first victory of 2015 in a 7-1 effort vs. Westfield State University on March 10 when she allowed just one run on six hits, while striking out eight and walking two in seven complete innings. She made her second relief appearance of the spring when she gave up an unearned run in an inning and two-thirds of work vs. Wittenberg University. The right-hander capped the week with a pair of wins in consecutive days, hurling her 21st career shutout with an 8-0 decision over University of Northwestern (Minn.) on March 12 and gaining a 6-3 victory over Monmouth College (Ill.) on March 13. Backhaus yielded just three hits and one walk, while fanning 13 batters vs. Northwestern, while throwing seven innings and allowing three runs on eight hits and no walks to go with three strike outs vs. Monmouth.
Backhaus was impressive at the plate as well for Simmons, hitting .462 (6-13) with a .563 on-base percentage and a .538 slugging mark. The senior knocked in three runs, while scoring four times and stroking a double to go with three bases on balls. The highlight of her week at the plate came vs. Northwestern where she was 3-3 with a double, two runs batted in and a run scored.
The Social Work major has enjoyed one of the most impressive pitching careers in school history, posting a 46-20 (.697) win-loss record, while owning a 1.65 earned run average. She has completed 56 of 64 starts in 78 appearances, while striking out 513 batters and issuing just 112 free passes in 449 innings of work. Backhaus has been dominant in each of her three seasons prior to 2015, winning at last 13 games, while owning an ERA of 1.78 or less. She was named Third Team All-Northeast Region by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association and was a Second Team selection by the GNAC last year.
The Sharks are currently 3-6 on the season and will be in action again on Wednesday, March 25 when they travel to Standish, Maine to take open the GNAC slate vs. Saint Joseph's College (Maine) in a re-match of last year's conference championship game.