The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
02.20.2024 | Softball
For 15th time in program history, Texas earns Big 12 Conference’s Player and Pitcher of the Week in same week.
AUSTIN, Texas – As a byproduct of knocking off then-No. 2 Tennessee and then-No. 9 Stanford during last weekend's Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational in Florida, Kayden Henry and Citlaly Gutierrez were named the Big 12 Conference's Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. Additionally, Henry was named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA DI Player of the Week.
The recognitions from the Big 12 mark the 15th time in the program's history that The University of Texas softball program earned both the league's top player and pitcher weekly honor in the same week. The last time it occurred was on April 25, 2023, when Mac Morgan and Reese Atwood were named the conference's pitcher and player of the week, respectively.
With Atwood and Henry being named Big 12 Player of the Week in consecutive weeks, it marks the first time Texas has had two softball student-athletes be selected as the conference's top player in back-to-back weeks since Lauren Burke (March 3) and Janae Jefferson (March 10) were selected during the 2020 season.
With NFCA honoring Henry on Tuesday, it marks the first time in Texas history that two softball student-athletes have earned the organization's top weekly player honor in consecutive weeks after Reese Atwood was selected seven days ago. Henry joins Cat Osterman and Blaire Luna — both pitchers — as the only freshmen Longhorn softball student-athlete to earn the honor and first since Luna was selected on April 6, 2010.
Henry, a true freshman appearing in just her fourth and fifth career collegiate softball games, sparked the Longhorn offense throughout the program's wins over the Volunteers and Cardinal as she led the team in batting average (.833), runs scored (3), hits (5), home runs (2), runs batted in (4), total bases (11), slugging percentage (1.833), on-base percentage (.833) and stolen bases (1). She also turned in her first career multi-home run (2) game against Stanford, while going 3-for-3 at the plate against the Volunteers earlier in the night.
In the circle, Gutierrez helped the Longhorns to a win over its highest-ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 1 Oklahoma in April 2022 by tossing a seven-inning complete game against then-No. 2 Tennessee. Against the Volunteers, the sophomore right-hander struck out six batters and did not allow an extra base hit or issue any walks. She surrendered just a single fourth-inning run, before going on to retire nine of the final 12 batters she faced.
2024 Big 12 Softball Players of the Week
|
Date |
Player of the Week |
Pitcher of the Week |
|
Feb. 13 |
Reese Atwood, Texas, C/1B, So.^ |
Kelly Maxwell, Oklahoma, Gr. |
|
Feb. 20 |
Kayden Henry, Texas, OF, Fr.^ |
Citlaly Gutierrez, Texas, So. |
^Louisville Slugger/NFCA DI Player of the Week
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