Skylar Wallace & Elizabeth Hightower earn the Gators first SEC Player & Pitcher of the Week awards of the 2023 season.
GAINESIVLLE, Fla. – Redshirt-junior Skylar Wallace and graduate senior Elizabeth Hightower were named the SEC’s Co-Player & Co-Pitcher of the Week after each had impressive performances both at the plate and in the circle this past week for the Florida softball program.
These awards are also the first SEC Player and Pitcher of the Week awards earned by the Gators since Charla Echols the week of May 11, 2021 and Natalie Lugo the week of April 27, 2021. In addition, it’s the first ever award for Wallace and third of Hightower’s career. It’s also the first time UF has earned both awards during the same week since Kendyl Lindaman and Natalie Lugo won the awards March 17, 2020.
Wallace led the way at the plate this week for Florida’s offense as she hit .625 (10-for-16) with a double, three triples and two home runs. The all-around performer also scored 11 times, drove in 12 runs, drew seven walks and was 8-for-8 in stolen base attempts.
The Woodstock, Ga. native also extended her hit-streak out to eight games, which is the second longest streak of her career, and has yet to strikeout this season. One of Wallace’s standout performances for the week came against the Dolphins in Jacksonville where she drove in a season-high four RBI and scored a season-high three runs.
In the circle, Hightower earned four victories in four appearances to improve to 5-0 on the year. The Monticello, Fla. native started the week with a combined one-hitter at Jacksonville where she held a perfect game through the first 3 2/3 innings of work. Throughout the rest of the week, she picked up a complete-game victory over UConn and notched two wins in relief against Bowling Green and UConn during the second day of the T-Mobile Tournament.
Hightower has not allowed an earned run in 20 1/3 innings worth of work this year and held opposing batters to a .118 average over the week.
Wallace, Hightower and the Gators are now preparing for a trip to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. where they will take on Cal State Fullerton, UCLA, UC Riverside and Oregon.
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