March 10, 1999

Villanova, Pa. --- In remarkable fashion, the Villanova softball team took home all three of the Big East softball weekly honors. Junior second baseman Megan O'Leary (Natick, Mass.) won the Big East Player of the Week for her phenomenal hitting display, sophomore starting pitcher Keri Stoller (West Linn, Ore.) topped the field as the Big East Pitcher of the Week for her dominant performance on the mound, and freshman outfielder Molly Hanneman (Salem, Ore.) was awarded the Big East Rookie of the Week for her stellar play at the plate.

In Villanova's ten games this past week, O'Leary hit .414 (12-for-29), smashed two doubles and four home runs, and drove in 15 runs. O'Leary's biggest day came on the season's opening day when she hit a fourth inning grand slam against Providence College to put Villanova ahead 5-0 in a 10-4 Wildcat victory. Later that afternoon, in a 17-2 drubbing of Saint Francis College (Pa.), O'Leary had a huge game, going 3-for-4 with two homeruns, six rbi, and two runs scored. The hot-hitting slugger also totalled a .485 on-base percentage (including four walks) in leading the Wildcats to a successful 7-3 record at the Rebel Games in Orlando, Florida.

Stoller made five starts this past week, and went 4-1. She surrendered only 7 earned runs in 24 2/3 innings of work (a 1.99 ERA) and struck out an amazing 42 batters, including a school record-tying 14 k's in a brilliant 2-0 shutout of UNC-Wilmington at the Rebel Games in Orlando, Florida.

Hanneman hit .400 (8-for-20) in nine games last week, hit three doubles and one home run, and drove in 11 runs. Hanneman's best game came in an 8-1 win over Stetson University when she was 2-for-2 with a double, a triple, two walks, one run scored, and four rbi. The sweet-swinging rookie also walked three times to tally a .478 on-base percentage in helping the Wildcats to their 7-3 mark in Orlando.