Carbondale, Ill. – Southern Illinois freshman pitcher Maddia Groff was named the MVC Pitcher and Newcomer of the Week, as well as D1 Softball’s National Freshman of the Week. It’s the second-straight week Groff has been named the MVC’s Pitcher and Newcomer of the Week and second time this season she has been named National Freshman of the Week by D1 Softball.

WEEKLY STATS: 15.0 IP, 22 K, 6 H, 0 BB, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 Wins, 1 Save

On the year, Groff has been named MVC’s Newcomer of the Week five times and Pitcher of the Week three times as she leads the MVC in wins (23), strikeouts (183), ERA (0.66), and opponent average (.160).

She is currently second in the nation in wins and ERA with the third-highest winning percentage in the nation (.920).

On the week, Groff made three appearances with two starts as she finished with a pair of wins while earning her second save of the season. In both starts she made, Groff tossed complete game shutouts against the Bruins who entered the weekend with the league’s best batting average.

After eight strikeouts and five hits with zero walks on Friday, Groff tossed a perfect seventh inning on Saturday for the save. She then returned to the circle on Sunday to make the start and secure the sweep over Belmont. In the finale, Groff neared perfection for the second time this season, allowing just one hit. She once again gave up zero walks as she fanned 14, nearing her season-high (15).

The freshman currently ranks third in program history in single-season wins at 23-2. Erin Stremsterfer (2001) and Jamie Schuttek (1997) own the most wins in a single-season in Saluki softball history with 28.