March 16, 2015

COLUMBIA, S.C. – After a stellar week that saw her pick up three victories, Gamecock sophomore Nickie Blue picked up Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week honors, the league office announced Monday.

Blue gained two complete-game wins, including a shutout of No. 9/15 Tennessee that snapped a 28-game losing streak to the Lady Vols. She allowed only four hits in both of the wins in which she went the distance, also gaining the victory on Wednesday over Western Kentucky. Blue also won on Saturday evening with five innings of relief against the Lady Vols, clinching the first SEC series win over a top-10 ranked team in head coach Beverly Smith’s tenure at South Carolina.

For the week, Blue posted a 0.55 ERA in 25.2 innings, pitching in all five contests. Against Tennessee, her ERA shrank to a 0.49 mark, while she limited the Lady Vols to 11 hits in 14.1 innings. She struck out 23 batters on the week, moving into South Carolina’s top 15 in that category.

The Longmont, Colo., product picks up her second SEC weekly award, as she claimed SEC Freshman of the Week honors on Feb. 24, 2014. She’s the 10th Gamecock to take the SEC Pitcher of the Week honor since the league’s sponsorship of the sport in 1997.

LSU’s Bianka Bell took the SEC Player of the Week honor, while Alabama’s Demi Turner claimed the league’s Freshman of the Week nod.

South Carolina (20-9, 2-4 SEC) continues the second half of its regular season with road games this week, playing at Winthrop on Wednesday at 6 p.m. EDT and at nationally-ranked Texas A&M on the weekend. Saturday and Sunday’s contests from College Station, Texas, will be on the SEC Network.