MACON, Ga. – With a three-game sweep of conference opponent Stetson in the rear view mirror, senior outfielder Mariah Fernandez (Cape Coral, Fla./North Fort Myers HS was named Atlantic Sun Player of the Week, the league announced Monday afternoon after having powered FGCU (20-9, 3-0 A-Sun) to a 5-0 week with wins over Maine and Valparaiso to go with the sweep of Stetson.
This marks the first time Fernandez has been named A-Sun Player of the Week in her career, with Fernandez having previously received a conference honor by being named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team after the 2010 season.
The senior outfielder finished the week with a .529 batting average, eight RBI, 16 total bases and a slugging percentage of .941. Fernandez had the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the seventh against Valparaiso to give FGCU an 11-10 walk-off win on Wednesday, March 13. Five of Fernandez's nine hits on the week went for extra bases with four being doubles and one being a home run.
A versatile outfielder whether it is in center field or in right field, Fernandez posted a perfect fielding percentage of 1.000 in five contests this week.
This marks the second time this season that FGCU has collected an A-Sun Player of the Week honor, with Chelsea Zgrabik (Venice, Fla./Venice HS) having picked up the first one on March 4.
The Green and Blue will play host to Iowa State on Tuesday, March 19 at 6 p.m. and Dartmouth, in a doubleheader, on Thursday, March 21 with the first game to begin at 4 p.m. The three games will close out an eight-game home stand for FGCU with the Eagles currently 5-0 through the first five games.
In-game Twitter updates (@FGCU_Softball), results and a recap from the day's action will be available at www.FGCUATHLETICS.com.