The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
No. 3/2 Softball’s Janae Jefferson named Big 12 Player of the Week
03.10.2020 | Softball
The junior second baseman hit .750 (9-for-12) with two three-hit efforts during the Longhorn Invitational
AUSTIN, Texas – Another stellar weekend, that saw No. 3/2 Texas softball (24-3) go 4-0 at its home-hosted Longhorn Invitational, has paid off again as junior second baseman Janae Jefferson has been named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week for March 10.
This marks Texas' fifth weekly league accolade of the season. Junior utility player Lauren Burke and sophomore pitcher Shea O'Leary swept the Big 12 awards on March 3, while senior pitcher/utility Miranda Elish previously earned both Big 12 Conference Player of the Week (Feb. 11) and Big 12 Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week (Feb. 18) honors.
From the leadoff spot at this past weekend's Longhorn Invitational, Jefferson continued her remarkable 2020 campaign with a .750 batting average (9-for-12), four runs scored, a double, a triple, two RBIs, three stolen bases and a 1.714 OPS. The Humble, Texas, native hit safely in all four weekend match-ups and registered a pair of three-hit efforts in wins over Liberty (March 6) and New Mexico (March 8). She also reached base safely in each of her first six plate appearances and recorded hits in each of her first six official at-bats. Jefferson started her weekend off on Friday by going 3-for-3 with a key fourth-inning RBI in a 2-0 win over Liberty. After going 2-for-2 with two runs, a triple and a RBI in a rout of Texas Southern (3/7), she went 3-for-4 with a double, a career-high three stolen bases and two runs scored in the 7-0 victory over New Mexico (3/8). With her weekend performance, the two-time All-American raised her overall season batting average from .516 to an even more incredible .554.
Texas ventures back out on the road this weekend with a trip to Tuscaloosa, Ala., for the T-Town Showdown over March 13-15. During their stay at the event, the Longhorns will battle Bryant, No. 10 Alabama and BYU.
