Feb. 22, 2005
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. --- Baylor softball's Tessa Lynam (Alpharetta, Ga.) has been selected as the USA Softball National Collegiate Player of the Week for the week of February 15-20 the Amateur Softball Association announced Tuesday. She led the No. 11 Lady Bears with a .571 batting average through seven games and was instrumental in the team's success at the Crowne Plaza Classic in Houston, Texas. For her performance, Lynam also earned Big 12 Conference Player of the Week honors.
Lynam's honor marks the first time in school history a Baylor player has been recognized for the award.
"I am honored to be USA Softball National Player of the Week," Lynam said. "To be honored among so many great players throughout the country is something that is truly special. My teammates have done a great job of putting me in situations where I can succeed; and, hopefully, we will be able to continue to play well throughout the rest of the season."
Over the course of the week, Lynam went 12-of-21 and led the Lady Bears with a .571 batting average over seven games. She led the team in several categories, including hits (12), doubles (4), home runs (2), RBI (13), total bases (22), slugging percentage (1.048) and on-base percentage (.615). She ranked second on the team with eight runs scored and four walks.
"Tessa had a phenomenal week," head coach Glenn Moore said. "The award is a testament to all the hard work she has put in after being injured and missing last season. She has been a huge part of our success this year and it is a great honor for her, the team and the program."
In the 16-2 win over Texas State, Lynam went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a double, two runs score and six RBI. The 10 total bases for Lynam in the contest established a new single-game school record, eclipsing the previous record of nine held by three different players.
Her six RBI performance against the Bobcats was the most for a Baylor player since Kelly Osburn drove in six in a win against Tennessee on Feb. 27, 2004. Lynam recorded an RBI in five of six games this week and went 2-for-3 with a double, run scored and three RBI in the 11-1 win over North Carolina to clinch the Crowne Plaza Classic title. The junior also recorded a hit in every game, including multiple hits in four of seven contests, this past week as she pushed her hit streak to 10 games.
Lynam also contributed to the Lady Bears success while in the circle. The right-hander pitched a 3-0 shutout victory against the Wildcats to open the Crowne Plaza Classic. In seven innings of work, she allowed only two hits while striking out six to move to 4-0 on the season. Lynam currently leads the team with a 0.27 ERA in 25.2 innings of work and has allowed only one earned run on the year.
With her selection as Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, Lynam became the third consecutive Lady Bears player to be selected for the honor. Kim Wilmoth won the season's inaugural award as Chelsi Lake won the honor last season. It marked the first career honor for Lynam and is the first time in school history three Baylor players have been selected for the award in a single season.
The USA Softball National Player of the Week is designed to acknowledge outstanding athletic achievement by individuals on a weekly basis. Each recipient of the USA Softball National Player of the Week Award will receive an engraved plaque and will be national recognized for their accomplishments. A complete list of winners can be found on the USA Softball web site at www.usasoftball.com.
Lynam and the Lady Bears, who moved up to No. 11 in the latest ESPN.com/USA Softball Top 25, will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 22, when Baylor travels to San Marcos, Texas, to take on Texas State at 5:00 p.m.
About ASA
The Amateur Softball Association, founded in 1933, is the National Governing Body of softball in the United States and a member of the United States Olympic Committee. The ASA has become one of the nation's largest sports organizations and now sanctions competition in every state through a network of 88 local associations. The ASA has grown from a few hundred teams in the early days to over 240,000 teams today, representing a membership of more than three million. For more information on the ASA, visit www.asasoftball.com.
About USA Softball
USA Softball is the brand created, operated and owned by the ASA that links the USA Men's, Women's, Junior Boys' and Junior Girls' National Team programs together. USA Softball is responsible for training, equipping and promoting these four National Teams to compete in international and domestic competitions. The USA Softball Women's National Team is one of the only two women's sports involved in the Olympic movement to capture back-to-back gold medals at the Olympic Games since 1996. The U.S. women have also won seven World Championship titles including the last five consecutive. For more information about USA Softball, please visit www.usasoftball.com.
