Newport News, Va. – Fordham softball junior
Madie Aughinbaugh has been named this week's Co-Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday afternoon. She shares the award with Saint Louis' Kat Lane. A four-time A-10 Pitcher of the Week in her career, including once earlier this season, this is the Port Tobacco, Md. native's first Player of the Week honor.
"I'm happy for Aughie as she continues to be a solid two-way player for us," Head coach
Melissa Inouye said, "She is always striving to be better and this recognition is a credit to her hard work and the adjustments she makes."
Aughinbaugh earned the award by helping the Rams to a 2-1 week with her play on both sides of the ball. At the plate, the junior slashed .625/.600/1.000 with a team-high five RBIs, while striking out a season-high 10 and allowing just one unearned run over seven innings of a tough loss to Rhode Island, suffering only her second loss in conference play in 15 starts.
Aughinbaugh started her week at the dish off by reaching base five straight times. In a five-inning win over St. John's in midweek, Aughinbaugh singled, drove in a run with a sac fly, and blasted a three-run home run in three trips to the plate, matching her career-high for RBIs. The junior nearly willed the Rams to a win over Rhode Island in game one of Saturday's doubleheader, reaching base in all three at-bats, with two singles and a walk, and notched her second career double-digit strikeout performance, allowing an unearned run in the seventh inning of the 1-0 loss. She tacked on another RBI with a single up the middle in game two.
For the year, Fordham's ace has pitched to a 14-11 record and a 2.61 ERA over 32 appearances, 27 starts, with 19 complete games, one shutout, and two saves. The 19 complete games are tied for eighth-most in the single campaign. At the plate, the junior is slashing .338/.363/.469 with a team-high-tying 54 hits and nine doubles, plus the second-most RBIs, 35, four home runs, 22 runs scored, and seven walks. In league play, she is 11-2 with a 1.77 ERA, second-lowest in the A-10, with 12 complete games in 15 starts and 91.0 innings. At the plate, she's hitting .368 with 28 hits and 17 RBIs.
Aughinbaugh continues her climb up the Fordham record books. Her next appearance will be the 100
th of her career and her next start will be her 75
th, becoming the seventh and fifth Ram to reach those respective milestones. Her 46 complete games rank third, her 48 wins are tied with Rachel Gillen ('16) and
Lauren Quense ('18) for fourth-most all-time, her final two outs on Saturday passed Gillen for sixth all-time with 468.1 innings pitched, her 313 strikeouts rank sixth, her 12 shutouts sit fifth, and she is eighth all-time with a career 2.56 ERA.
The 2019 Atlantic 10 regular season champion Rams have earned a first-round bye and will play the winner of #4 Dayton and #5 Saint Joseph's on Thursday at 11 a.m. at Sortino Field in Amherst, Mass.
