South Dakota State University outfielder Lauren Chirnside has been named Summit League Softball Player of the Week after helping lead the Jackrabbits to a weekend sweep of Fort Wayne in record-setting fashion.
A senior from Kansas City, Missouri, Chirnside batted .400 (4-for-10) in five games during the week with two home runs and eight runs batted in, adding a 1.200 slugging percentage and .455 on-base percentage as SDSU finished the week with a 4-1 record. Both of Chirnside’s home runs and all of her RBIs came in a doubleheader sweep of Fort Wayne on April 30. She started an NCAA-record-tying streak of four consecutive home runs with a three-run blast as part of an 11-run fourth inning and added a run-scoring double later in the frame. In Game 2, Chirnside hit a grand slam as SDSU erupted for 13 runs in the second inning.
Chirnside is the first Jackrabbit softball player to earn a Summit League weekly award this season. The Jackrabbits, 21-32 overall and 6-9 in league play, close out the regular season by hosting in-state rival South Dakota in a three-game weekend series. The series begins Friday with a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. at Jackrabbit Softball Stadium.
