CLEVELAND, Ohio — For the second consecutive week, the Eastern Michigan University softball team swept the Mid-American Conference West Division Pitcher and Player of the Week awards, as Jenna Ignowski and McKenna Russ were both selected as recipients by the conference office today, April 5.
Ignowski (Niles) earns her second MAC West Pitcher of the week honor this season after going 2-2 last week while earning her first career no-hitter in the Eagles 16-0 win over Western Michigan on Saturday, April 2. The sophomore entered the bottom of the fifth with a perfect game on her hands, but a walk knocked it down to a still-impressive no-hit performance where she managed to fan seven WMU batters in the contest. Ignowski threw 19.1 innings in the circle with a 2.17 ERA in five appearances, racking up 22 strikeouts and holding opponents to a .211 clip. In the Eagles opening game of a doubleheader with Detroit, Ignowski went six innings on the mound, allowing just two UDM hits and striking out six for her third shut out this season.

Russ (North Canton, Ohio-Hoover) earns her second career MAC West Player of the Week award after hitting .727 (16-for-22) through six games last week to help the Eagles in wins over Detroit, Northern Illinois, and Western Michigan. The junior belted four doubles and blasted five home runs in that span, including back-to-back multi-home run games against Detroit on March 29. In game two of a double header against the Titans, she went 5-for-5 to tie the most hits in a single game by any EMU hitter in program history. Against NIU, Russ registered her 11th hit in as many plate appearances to tie the third best streak in the NCAA Division I record books for consecutive hits. Through six games, Russ also posted a 1.591 slugging percentage, with an on base percentage of .750 while knocking in 12 RBI and scoring 10 times for the Eagles.

Both will join the Eagles as they head to Cleveland, Ohio to take on Cleveland State in a non-conference doubleheader on Wednesday. First pitch against the Vikings is slated for a 3 p.m. start.