After Indiana softball improved to 8-0 in Big Ten play over the weekend with a sweep of Ohio State, sophomore outfielder Taylor Minnick and freshman utility player Avery Parker earned a pair of Big Ten awards on Monday.
Minnick was awarded co-Big Ten Player of the week, sharing the award with Maryland senior utility player Trinity Schlotterbeck. In Indiana’s six victories, Minnick had a batting average of .500, a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .667 on-base percentage. She also totaled eight hits, four extra-base hits, two home runs, six RBIs and six runs scored during the week. Three multi-hit and three multi-RBI games allowed the Bloomington native to earn her first Big Ten Player of the Week award.
For the past three weeks, second baseman Taryn Kern has been awarded freshman of the week, but this week it was Parker’s turn. Parker also had a .500 batting average and a 1.000 slugging percentage, identical to Minnick. A .636 on-base percentage alongside her two home runs, seven RBIs and eight runs scored allowed Parker to capture her first Big Ten Freshman of the Week award.
“We have hitters up and down the lineup,” head coach Shonda Stanton said after sweeping Ohio State on April 2. “Every time (Ohio State) struck, we had an answer.”
The two did just that in the three-game series against the Buckeyes as Parker responded to a two-run fifth inning from Ohio State with a solo home run to extend Indiana’s lead in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader.
After Ohio State got off to an early 4-0 lead in the first game of the series on March 31, which was eventually finished the next day, it was Minnick who responded with an RBI double that kick-started the Indiana offense who eventually went on to defeat the Buckeyes 17-9.
