WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons University's Christie Bott (Seaford, N.Y.) was named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Softball Player and Rookie of the Week for the week of March 4-10, it was announced today by the league. 

Bott becomes the first Shark named Player of the Week since Lauren Del Vacchio was named for the week of April 2-8, 2018 and the first Rookie of the Week since Marissa Santoro was tabbed for that same week last season. 

Bott enjoyed a tremendous week, hitting .583 (7-12) with a .750 slugging mark to go with a .643 on-base percentage to comprise a 1.393 OPS in four games. The sophomore knocked in six runs, smacked two doubles, scored three runs and was hit by a pair of pitches, while hitting safely in all four games and knocking in at least one run in every contest during the team's opening-season trip to the Sunkissed Games in Plant City, Fla. The catcher was equally as impressive behind the plate, throwing out two of three would-be-basestealers and handling all eight chances without a miscue. Bott began her career by going 2-4 with two runs batted in as the team's designated player vs. Hood College on March 7 and came back the same day to drive in two more runs with a double vs. Illinois College, while scoring a run and throwing out a base-runner trying to swipe second base. A product of St. John the Baptist Diocesan High School, Bott stayed hot, going 3-4 with an RBI and a run scored vs. #20 nationally-ranked College of Saint Benedict on March 8. The Physical Therapy major capped the week by reaching base safely in all three plate appearances vs. Ohio Northern University, rapping out a run-scoring double and reaching via a hit-by-pitch twice in addition to scoring a run and cutting down a runner trying to steal second. 

The rookie currently ranks fifth among conference leaders and second among rookies in both doubles (two) and runs batted in (six), while standing second among league foes in being hit by a pitch (two). 

Simmons is currently 2-8 on the season and returns to the diamond on Friday, March 15 when it travels across the city to take on Emerson College for a twinbill with a 3:00 p.m. first pitch at Rotch Field in Boston.