Bulls continue to reap rewards of being No. 23

With a 39-10 record and a 28-game home winning streak this year, the No. 23 USF softball team has been dominating and turning some heads this year.The same goes for its players.

On Monday, sophomore first baseman Carmela Liwag was named Conference USA’s Hitter of the Week. The award was the sixth C-USA Player of the Week award in seven weeks for the Bulls. Catcher Courtney Lewellen and pitcher Leigh Ann Ellis each earned the honor twice, while right fielder Holly Groves won the award.

Liwag was a key catalyst to the Bulls’ five victories last week. She batted .545, going 6-for-11 with six runs and seven RBI in the doubleheader sweep of Jacksonville on Wednesday. Liwag hit a two-run home run against the Dolphins, her sixth of the year and two shy of Groves’ recently set home-run record of eight. In the three-game sweep of Charlotte, Liwag went 2-for-5 with three RBI.

“We’ve preached all year long that unrecognizable teams have unrecognizable players,” USF coach Ken Eriksen said.

“Our players are being recognized because of great team play, and Carmela has been a big part of that since coming in last year. We’ll look for her to continue to play a big role in our team’s success.”

The Bulls look to continue their 28-game home winning streak when they host No. 25 Florida in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Thomas Carrigan covers softball and can be reached at oraclethomas@yahoo.com