Louisville Slugger/NFCA D2 National Player of the Week Awards (Mar. 28)

IRVINE, Calif. – Continuing a historic week for Academy of Art University Softball, freshman Brooke Larsen (15-2) became the first Urban Knight to ever be named Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division II National Pitcher of the Week after she was selected as PacWest Player of the Week and Tournament of Champions Most Valuable Player, Top Pitcher, and All-Tournament Team. The award was based on games played Mar. 19-25.

Over the course of the past week, Larsen impressed with a 0.00 earned run average, four wins, two shutouts, two complete games, a save, and 31 strikeouts in 21.2 innings of work. After she logged a shutout and a save in ART U's sweep of Chaminade on Mar. 27, she has now not allowed a run in her last 35.2 innings pitched.

In a week where opponents hit just .118 against her, Larsen began by shutting out Humboldt State with 10 strikeouts. To start the Tournament of Champions, she shut out No. 13 Sonoma State with seven strikeouts and just two hits allowed then came on to earn a relief win in a combined shutout with freshman pitcher Cecilia Lopez (6-4) versus Cal State San Bernardino that night. The following day, Larsen collected her first collegiate save with one scoreless inning after the Urban Knights had gone ahead of Cal State Dominguez Hills 7-6 with four runs in the seventh. To complete the week, the dynamic freshman provided 4.1 scoreless relief innings with only one hit allowed and nine strikeouts for her 14th win of the season plus a combined shutout with senior pitcher Brenna Mitchell (2-3) versus Western Washington.

Larsen currently leads the PacWest in wins (15), complete games (14), and innings pitched (120.0). She is also second in strikeouts (144), ERA (0.93) and shutouts (7). The Graphic Design major started the week among the country's top 10 in wins, strikeouts, and shutouts.

This is the first NFCA national weekly honor in Academy of Art history and comes on the heels of Larsen being named PacWest Player of the Week on Monday and Freshman of the Week four times previously (Feb. 5, Feb. 12, Feb. 19, Mar. 19).