The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Softball's Czech selected as Big 12, NFCA Pitcher of the Week
04.09.2024 | Softball
Estelle Czech becomes first Texas softball pitcher to earn Big 12 Conference, NFCA Pitcher of the Week in same week since 2022.
AUSTIN, Texas – When The University of Texas needed her the most, Estelle Czech took the softball and shutdown the nation's top offense en route to the Longhorns earning their first series win over Oklahoma since 2009 and as a result was named both the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week and Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week as a result.
Czech becomes the first Texas Longhorn softball pitcher to earn both the Big 12 and NFCA's top weekly pitching honor since Hailey Dolcini picked up both on April 19, 2022. Czech becomes the third different Longhorn softball student-athlete to earn a weekly national honor from NFCA this season after Reese Atwood and Kayden Henry were both selected as the organization's top position player earlier this season. She also became the third different UT pitcher to earn the Big 12's top weekly pitching honor, the first time in program history three different Longhorn pitchers have won the award in the same season.
In six innings of work against the Big 12 favorites and a lineup full of preseason all-conference selections, Czech shutdown a Sooner offense that entered last weekend with a nation-leading .394 team batting average and a Big 12-leading 9.20 runs per game, Czech surrendered just three hits — all singles — did not issue a walk or surrender a run during her time in the pitching circle. She was only Big 12 softball student-athlete — with a minimum of 1.0 innings pitched per team game played — to not allow a run (earned or unearned) to score.
After entering Friday's game with one out in the fifth inning and Oklahoma looking to take a commanding lead, Czech entered the circle and retired the next two batters to end the frame and went on to set down the next six consecutive Sooner batters in a row to retire all eight batters faced in 2.2 innings of work.
Czech returned to the circle for a similar role on Sunday — with two outs in the top of the fourth — and went on to throw 3.1 innings of scoreless relief to earn her fifth win on the season. Throughout the weekend, Czech did not allow Oklahoma's All-American Jayda Coleman to reach base in three matchups between the two.
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, Teas, OF, Fr.^ |
Citlaly Gutierrez, Texas, So. |
|
Feb. 27 |
Reese Atwood, Texas, C/1B, So.^# |
Lexi Kilfoyl, Oklahoma State, Gr.* |
|
March 5 |
Angelina Allen, Iowa State, OF, Jr. |
Teagan Kavan, Texas, Fr. |
|
March 12 |
Cydney Sanders, Oklahoma, INF, Jr.^# |
RyLee Crandall, Baylor, So. |
|
March 19 |
Tiare Jennings, Oklahoma, INF, Sr. |
Kelly Maxwell, Oklahoma, Gr.* |
|
March 26 |
Alynah Torres, Oklahoma, UTL, Sr. |
Kelly Maxwell, Oklahoma, Gr.* |
|
April 2 |
Jayda Coleman, Oklahoma, OF, Sr.^* |
Lexi Kilfoyl, Oklahoma State, Gr.*! |
|
April 9 |
Caroline Wang, Oklahoma State, C, Sr. |
Estelle Czech, Texas, Sr.* |
^Louisville Slugger/NFCA DI Player of the Week
*Wilson/NFCA DI Pitcher of the Week
#D1Softball Player of the Week
!D1Softball Pitcher of the Week
&D1Softball Freshman of the Week
UP NEXT
No. 2/1Texas (31-6, 11-4) will break from Big 12 Conference play for a non-conference matchup against No. 25/22 Texas State (32-9, 9-3) at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 10.
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