VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., April 27 ? Howard’s Courtney Young earned MEAC Softball Player of the Week honors, the league announced Monday.  Hannah Mills of Maryland E. Shore was named the Rookie of the Week while Brittney Ruark of Delaware State was named the Pitcher of the Week.

Young (OF/DH), 5-6,Jr., Sherwood, Ark.) led the Lady Bison to three straight MEAC wins over Morgan State last week.  She recorded a .500 hitting average and belted a grand slam in the second game of the three-game home stand.  She finished the week with five hits including one home run and eight RBI.

Mills (P, 5-2, Fr., Parksley, Va.) finished the week with a .461 hitting average in four conference games for the Lady Hawks.  In 13 batting attempts, she recorded one home run, one triple and two doubles.  She also stole two bases and notched five putouts and eight assists. Mills also pitched 13.2 innings for the Lady Hawks last week, picking up a win against Morgan State.  She allowed six runs and two walks while striking out seven of the 50 batters faced.

Ruark (P, 5-4, Jr., Seaford, DE) finished the week with a 2-1 record following a three-game series against Hampton.  She posted a .000 ERA, with no earned runs.  She faced 61 batters, striking out 13, in 17 total innings. Ruark threw a complete-game shutout in the final game against Hampton to pick up the 5-0 win during a live ESPNU telecast.

Other Top Performances

Rebecca Barnes (NSU) hit .500 with two doubles and four RBI in a three-game series against North Carolina A&T State.

Cassandra Carlos (UMES) had a .800 slugging percentage to help lead UMES to a 3-1 mark against MEAC opponents last week.

Rhianna Green (FAMU) garnered four hits and five RBI in the three-game series against Bethune-Cookman.

Rebecca Kirshner (HOW) finished the week with a .500 batting average with five hits including one double and two RBI.

Carly Martin (HOW) finished with a .865 ERA in two MEAC games, 10.2 innings, against Morgan State.

Allison Rubin (DSU) recorded a .600 hitting percentage to help the Lady Hornets finish 2-1 in conference play last week.

Alyssa Velazquez (NSU) posted an ERA of 0.81 and picked up two wins against North Carolina A&T  State in 17.1 innings of play.

Brianna Weaver (FAMU) was perfect from the plate (1.000) in game two of a three-game series against B-CU finishing with four hits and two RBI.