NEWPORT NEWS, Va.— Massachusetts sophomore Jena Cozza has been selected as Atlantic 10 Softball Player of the Week Monday, while Fordham graduate student Rachel Gillen was named A-10 Pitcher of the Week. Cozza’s freshman teammate Kaycee Carbone was chosen as the Softball Rookie of the Week. The awards are for games played May 2-8 and are the final weekly awards of the year.
Cozza, batted .538 over the last week of the regular season as the Minutewomen went a perfect 4-0. Her efforts helped UMass clinch a spot in the A-10 Championship for the first time since 2012. The Wantagh, N.Y. native added two home runs and four doubles to her season totals, also driving in four runs and scoring seven times. She reached base nine times for an on-base percentage of .600 while slugging 1.308 with six total extra base hits. In addition to her stellar play offensively, Cozza played flawless defense at shortstop last week.
Gillen hadn’t pitched in over a month due to an injury, but she helped Fordham to a three-game series sweep and the A-10 regular season title. She appeared in relief in game one of Saturday’s doubleheader and notched her first career save with a clean inning, allowing just one hit and striking out one. In game two, she fired a complete-game shutout, the 12th of her career, to earn her 13th win in seven scoreless innings. She allowed just five hits and one walk, while striking out seven. Gillen even batted once in the contest, stroking a single to the opposite field through the left side. The Wilmington, Del., native appeared in game three out of the bullpen again, earning her second win of the weekend with four one-run innings, allowing four hits and striking out six.
Kaycee Carbone helped lead the Minutewomen to a 4-0 record and an A-10 Championship bid as she batted .571 with a double and triple and two singles, driving in two runs. The Hudson, N.H. native reached base three times by a walk, giving her an on-base percentage of .700 over the week. She reached base seven times, slugged 1.000 and score a run during the week.