Feb. 11, 2003

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina pitcher Melanie Henkes was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week for the week ending Feb. 9. Henkes helped lead the Gamecocks to a 3-1 record over the weekend and claim the Carolina Invitational title. The Aiken, S.C. freshman went 2-0 at the Invitational, throwing two complete game shutouts against No. 19 Georgia Tech and UNC-Greensboro in the championship game.

The 6-3 pitcher struck out 12 batters, including a season high seven against UNC-Greensboro. The win over UNC-Greensboro was her third consecutive shutout. She is the first South Carolina freshman to throw three straight shutouts since Megan Matthews in 1999. For the weekend, Henkes pitched 12 innings, allowed five hits and walked only two batters.