WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons College's Marissa Santoro (Franklin, Mass.) was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Softball Rookie of the Week for the week of April 2-8, it was announced today by the league. 

Santoro becomes the second Shark this season to receive the honor with classmate Ivy Vann (Bend, Ore.) being named for the week of March 19-25. 

In four games, Santoro hit .400 (4-10) with a walk for a .455 on-base percentage and smacked a pair of doubles and a triple to contribute to a .800 slugging percentage to give her a 1.255 OPS. The first year also knocked in four runs, while scoring four times and stole a base in her only attempt. The shortstop was flawless in the field, handing all 16 chances without an error, including 10 assists. Santoro hit safely in three of four games and began the week by going 3-6 with a pair of doubles and three RBI in a double-header sweep of Regis (Mass.) on April 7. A graduate of Franklin High School, the middle infielder came back the next day to score four runs, triple and steal a base in a 1-4 effort vs. Saint Joseph's College (Maine) to help Simmons to its second straight sweep in as many days. 

For the season, Santoro has started all 21 contests that she's appeared in, while hitting .286 (16-56) with three doubles, a triple, seven runs batted in and 12 runs scored. She has heated up over her last seven games, hitting .444 (8-18) with two doubles and a triple, while driving in five runs and scoring seven runs. 

The Sharks have won five straight and nine of their last 10 for their most successful 10-game stretch since 2014. Simmons stands at 12-10 overall, including 6-4 in GNAC play. The Sharks will be in action again tomorrow night when they host Norwich University for a conference twinbill at Daly Field at 5:00 p.m.