SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The SUNYAC has chosen Sydney Bielicki from Buffalo State and Fiona Higgins from Oswego as this week's Softball Athlete and Pitcher of the Week respectively.

Bielicki had an excellent week for the Bengals, batting .652 across eight games with 15 hits, including two doubles and a home run, in 23 at bats, while also scoring nine runs, driving in seven runs, and stealing three bases. She has also hit safely in seven consecutive games. The sophomore second baseman hit her first homer of the season, had three hits, scored three runs and drove in three runs against Medaille on Tuesday. She then went 4-for-4 with a double, three runs scored, and three more RBI in game one against Nazareth, and added another hit in the second game. Bielicki went 3-for-6 on Friday as Buffalo State earned a doubleheader sweep over Brockport, and was 4-for-5 in two games against Geneseo on Saturday, including driving in the winning run with a walk-off single in the first game. Bielicki also fielded 24 of 26 chances for a .923 fielding percentage last week, including turning a pair of double plays.

Higgins had a career-high week. On the week, the Buffalo native recorded 38 strikeouts in in 24.2 innings pitched! She averaged 10.78 strikeouts per seven innings in those three games. Higgins threw a shutout against Cazenovia on April 11th, earning 18 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched. With a record of 2-1 on the week, the Lakers' Ace took down the top-ranked Red Dragons of Oneonta, only allowing three hits and striking out 11 batters in the complete game performance. In Higgins' final appearance of the week, she recorded nine strikeouts, allowed only five hits and allowed one run in eight innings pitched. Higgins only allowed one run the entire week and had an overall ERA of 0.28 in the 24.2 innings pitched. Higgins currently leads the SUNYAC in strikeouts (120) and strikeouts per seven innings (11.20).