SoCon Announces Weekly Softball Player & Pitcher of the Week
 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) softball team saw junior Salem Ward selected as The Southern Conference (SoCon) Pitcher of the Week, announced by the league on Monday.  
 
Ward tossed 24.1 total innings last week in a five-game stretch for the Spartans. She started in two games in the circle and appeared in four. Ward had a 1.73 ERA in the circle last weekend and opposing batters averaged just .207 at the plate.
 
She kicked off the Spiro Classic with a 3-0 shutout over Merrimack on Thursday. This was the Spartans' first shutout since March 23, 2024, when UNCG defeated ETSU in Johnson City, Tennessee, 9-0. In the win over the Warriors, Ward struck out a season-best 10 batters in her first complete game of the season. This was her second-collegiate game with 10 or more stirkeouts. On March 3, 2024, Ward struck out a career-best 11 batters in a 3-1 nine-inning win over Radford at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
 
On Friday, Ward pitched 5.0 innings against Merrimack allowing just one run, four hits and striking out another 10 batters. UNCG went on to defeat the Warriors for the second time, 6-1.
 
On Sunday, the junior pitched her second complete game of the season against Saint Francis, earning the win, 7-2. This win was Head Coach Janelle Breneman's 400th victory with the Blue & Gold in her 13 years at the helm. She now has 532 in her career. The Lexington, North Carolina, native retired seven batters in the win, giving up just two runs and five hits.
 
Later that day, she came back in relief to pitch 5.1 total innings in a 16-14 nine-inning win over Toledo. The Spartans walked off with the win on Grace Loftin's two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth.
 
FROM WARD
"I am very honored to have received this recognition this week. I can't thank my coaches and teammates enough for having my back and always being in my corner to support me. I am very blessed to be surrounded by such a great group of people everyday. As a team, we have come up with goals for the year. Every time that my number is called, I have these goals I my mind.

"To get ready for this season, our team has put in a lot of work physically, as  well as mental work. My teammates and coaches have helped me everyday at practice to have a purpose and a strong focus in everything that I do."
 
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UP NEXT
The Spartans' game against Winthrop on Wednesday has been postponed. UNCG is scheduled to host four teams for the UNCG Invitaional from Friday, Feb. 21 to Sunday, Feb. 23. The Spartans will face Iona (Feb. 21 – 12:30 p.m.), Towson (Feb. 22 – 10 a.m.), Tennessee Tech (Feb. 22 – 12:30 p.m.) and George Washington (Feb. 23 – 3 p.m.) at the UNCG Softball Stadium.