CORTLAND, N.Y. - The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) has selected its Softball Pitcher and Athlete of the Week for the week ending March 18. Plattsburgh's Jennifer Groat has been chosen as Athlete of the Week, and Geneseo's Ashlyn Kersch has been selected as Pitcher of the Week.

Groat batted .688 and tallied 13 runs scored, five RBI, four doubles and one triple during the week for the Cardinals at the Sunkissed Games in Kissimmee, Fl. The junior catcher also had a hit in all 10 games during the week. Groat went 2-for-4 and 2-for-3, respectively, against Eastern Connecticut State and Ithaca College before going 4-for-4 and 1-for-3, respectively, against Washington University in St. Louis and Utica College. She then went 3-for-3 and 1-for-3, respectively, versus William Paterson University and Wisconsin Lutheran College before batting 1-for-2 and 3-for-4 against Rowan University and Beloit College, respectively. On the team's last game of spring break, she hit 2-for-2 against Skidmore College and 3-for-4 versus Salve Regina University. The team went 6-8 on the week, and will face Brockport at home next weekend in their first conference games of the season.

Kersch threw two shutouts for the Knights as she earned wins over University of New England, 10-2, and Marian, 10-0. Kersch threw five innings against New England, allowing four hits and a pair of unearned runs. The sophomore struck out eight and walked just one. She also went 2-for-3 from the plate, including a two-run home run - the first of her career. Against Marian, Kersch earned a five-inning shutout, allowing just four hits and one walk while recording two strikeouts. Kersch leads the league in ERA (0.41) among pitchers with 10.0 innings pitched or more, and has recorded 15 strikeouts on the season. The Knights are scheduled to face Alfred next Wednesday in a home double header.