Heyer, Pupillo earn weekly MVC honors for second time in 2024
4/2/2024 1:22:00 PM | Softball
ST LOUIS — For the second time in 2024, Samantha Heyer and Alexis Pupillo have both received weekly honors from the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC). Heyer was named MVC Pitcher of the Week and Pupillo was named MVC Player of the Week, as announced by the league office on Tuesday afternoon.
Heyer and Pupillo were both previously honored on Feb. 27, when both players received the same weekly honors from the conference. Tuesday's honor marks Heyer's eighth career pitcher of the week award, and Pupillo's second MVC Player of the Week honor of her collegiate career. Pupillo received MVC Newcomer of the Week four times last season.
Both players are the lone Panthers to receive an MVC honor so far in 2024.
Heyer and Pupillo starred in a crucial week for the Panthers, as the team went 3-1 across four games played in Illinois. UNI first took down Illinois 9-0 in a non-conference clash last Tuesday before taking two of three games from Southern Illinois last weekend. The Salukis entered the weekend with an undefeated conference record, but UNI took the first two games of the series 2-1 before the Salukis won the series finale.
Heyer led off the week with an efficient five innings of work in the Panthers' nine-run victory against the Fighting Illini. Though UNI ultimately ended the contest in the fifth inning due to the run rule, Heyer's dominance in the circle helped ensure the Fighting Illini would be put at bay. Heyer pitched five innings and allowed five hits, and additionally struck out eight batters as the Panthers picked up a crucial road victory.
In the Panthers' next contest, it was Pupillo who played a major factor in a colossal road victory. After recording an RBI against Illinois, Pupillo was paramount in the Panthers' 2-1 victory against Southern Illinois last Friday. She went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk, and blasted the game-winning home run in the top of the third inning. Pupillo's blast was ultimately the difference between the sides as UNI took the series opener.
UNI then turned back to Heyer in the circle for the second game of the series against the Salukis. Her dominance helped secure a series victory for UNI, as Heyer allowed just three hits in a full seven innings of work while striking out 11 Saluki batters. The complete game marked her sixth of the season.
Heyer was near-untouchable last week, posting a 2-0 record and 0.75 ERA in two appearances. She recorded 19 strikeouts in 12 innings pitched, and conceded just eight total hits and one run while limiting opponents to a .186 batting average. Additionally, Heyer lowered her ERA to 1.78, which leads the team and ranks No. 4 in the MVC. Heyer's 9.5 strikeouts per seven innings ranks No. 15 nationally and No. 2 in the MVC.
Pupillo, meanwhile, rounded out the week with her 11th home run of the season in the Panthers' 9-1 loss in the series finale against Southern Illinois last Sunday. Her 11 home runs rank No. 24 nationally and lead the MVC, and her 0.41 home runs per game rank No. 10 nationally and No. 1 in the MVC. Pupillo also leads the conference in RBIs per game (1.00), runs per game (0.93), slugging percentage (.800) and sacrifice flies (four). She finished the week 4-for-10 with two home runs, three RBIs and 11 total bases across UNI's four games. Her 1.100 slugging percentage was a team high, and Pupillo also drew a team-high five walks and went 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts.
The Panthers return to action with four games this week, which begins with a non-conference clash against in-state rival Iowa State that is underway. That contest can be streamed on ESPN+. This weekend, the Panthers make their highly-anticipated return to Robinson-Dresser Sports Complex for a three-game series against Missouri State. The series begins on Friday at 5 p.m., and all three games of the series can be streamed on ESPN+.
