SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Elon softball junior Carleigh Nester was named the Southern Conference’s Player of the Week the league office announced on Monday, April 29. This is the first conference weekly honor for Nester in her career and the third overall for the Phoenix this season.
Nester hit .556 (5-for-9) in her three games last week for the Phoenix. The Kernersville, N.C., native hit 2-for-2 versus N.C. Central on Tuesday, April 23, with a pair of home runs, two runs scored and four RBI. It was also the first multi-homer game for Nester in her career. The center fielder followed that performance with a 2-for-3 outing at the plate against NC State on Wednesday, April 24, and added her third home run in as many days last Saturday, April 27, at Furman with a two-out two-run shot to left center that tied the game in the top of the seventh.
In the month of April, Nester has hit seven of her new single-season high nine home runs on the year. During SoCon play, Nester leads the team in hits (24), runs scored (14), RBI (20), home runs (five) and slugging percentage (.708) while ranking second in batting average (.369). She has also posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage throughout the season.
Nester joins Tomeka Watson as the Elon recipients of the conference’s weekly accolade this season. Watson was also selected by the conference on Feb. 25, and April 15, during the 2013 campaign.
Elon will host North Carolina A&T on Wednesday, May 1, in a doubleheader at Hunt Softball Park. The first contest is slated for a 1 p.m. start.