Elisabeth Schaffer Claims Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week Honors

LOUISVILLE, Ky.- Junior Elisabeth Schaffer (Benton, Pa.) of the Eastern Nazarene College softball team has been named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week, announced the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Wednesday.

Schaffer dazzled in the pitcher's circle on the week, firing four complete-game shutouts to lead the Lions to four victories. After spinning a complete game with six strikeouts in a 7-0 win at Roger Williams, she threw a pair of complete-game shutouts and racked up 16 strikeouts in a conference doubleheader sweep at Elms.

She capped off the week with a dominant performance in the pitcher's circle to lead the Lions to a critical 1-0 victory over Becker. Schaffer hurled a 10-inning shutout and posted a season-high 16 strikeouts while yielding just two hits and one walk.

Schaffer was tabbed the New England Collegiate Conference Pitcher of the Year and earned a spot on the All-NECC first team earlier this week. She repeated as Pitcher of the Year after earning Commonwealth Coast Conference Pitcher of the Year honors last season.

She posted an impressive 20-4 record in the pitcher's circle on the year with 22 complete games in 22 starts. Schaffer hurled 148.1 innings on the season and racked up 217 strikeouts to lead the league and rank third nationally. She paces NCAA Division III with 13 shutouts to her credit while ranking fifth in the country with 10.2 strikeouts-per-seven-innings.

In league action, Schaffer compiled a microscopic earned-run average of 0.51 along with a 12-1 record in 12 starts. A six-time NECC Pitcher of the Week, she worked 82.2 innings in conference games and fanned 124 batters.

Eastern Nazarene boasts a 24-12 overall record and finished the regular season with a 14-2 mark in the New England Collegiate Conference. The Lions captured the No. 1 seed in the NECC Tournament and will host fourth-seeded Lesley May 2 in the NECC Tournament.