The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Softball's Luna earns second-straight Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week award
04.02.2013 | Softball
April 2, 2013
IRVING, Texas - Senior Blaire Luna received her second-straight Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week honor, according to an announcement Tuesday by league officials. The award is the third for Luna this season and the 12th of her career.
In all, Texas has claimed six of the last 14 league weekly honors and three of the last four, as Luna and classmate Kim Bruins swept the March 26 awards. It is the first time Luna has claimed consecutive Big 12 Pitcher of the Week accolades in her career and the first time the same UT hurler has won back-to-back awards since Cat Osterman, who won three straight from April 18-May 2, 2006.
Luna picked up a pair of victories over Kansas last weekend in helping the Longhorns to a 5-0 start to Big 12 play. She allowed just two earned runs in 13 innings, surrendered only four hits and struck out 18, as opponents hit .093 against her.
In the opener against the Jayhawks, Luna surrendered two hits and a pair of walks while striking out nine in six innings. She combined with Bruins, who pitched the seventh, for the shutout, with only one runner reaching third base during the contest.
During the series finale, the Austin native again allowed only two hits, both in the first inning. Luna struck out nine, including the game's final batter, stranding the tying run on third base.
In Big 12 Conference games this season, Luna sports a 4-0 record with a 0.48 earned-run average and 43 strikeouts in 29.0 innings. The two weekend wins increased her career total to 97, just one behind Peaches James for sixth in league history.
Her last eight starts have been exceptional, as Luna has allowed three hits or fewer in each game. During the last four contests, she has surrendered just two hits each. She is just the third UT pitcher to ever start a season 17-1, joining Rachel Fox (2011) and Osterman (2006).
Luna and the Longhorns (32-4) return to action Tuesday with a 4:30 p.m. doubleheader against McNeese State. Longhorn Network will televise the first contest live while the second will be shown on tape delay at midnight.