Sanders Named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State freshman pitcher Savannah Sanders has been named the Big 12 Player of the Week, the conference office announced Tuesday afternoon. Sanders piled up a 3-0 record at the 2016 Cyclone Indoor Invitational, with a win against IUPUI and a pair of victories over an Eastern Illinois team that only lost two games all weekend.

Sanders is the first Cyclone freshman in program history to be named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week. The Mt. Juliet, Tenn., native, is also the first Iowa State player to win a conference weekly award since 2013, and the first ISU pitcher to be awarded the honor since 2007.

Sanders put up an ERA of just 0.81 while pitching two complete games. In 17.1 innings across three appearances, the freshman gave up 12 hits and just two earned runs while amassing 23 strikeouts. After pitching a shutout in Iowa State's season-opening win over IUPUI, perhaps Sanders' most valuable performance came in her relief work against a feisty Eastern Illinois squad in game two of the day.

With the score tied at 5-5 and two out in the top of the sixth, Sanders came on to relieve teammate Emma Hylen with a runner on second. Sanders rolled in the final 4.1 innings of Iowa State's 10-inning thriller. The freshman gave up just one earned run as Iowa State would come back to win, 8-7 in walk-off fashion.

Sanders and the Cyclones are back in action Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. CT to take on Houston (3-2 Overall) at the Hilton Houston Plaza Invitational.