March 31, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Freshman Jody Valdivia was named the BIG EAST Conference’s Pitcher of the Week on Monday. The righty picked up her fifth win of the season by handing No. 17 DePaul a 2-0 defeat in her first career BIG EAST action on Sunday (March 30) to secure the honor.
The occasion marks the third time in seven weeks that an Irish pitcher has won the award. Junior Brittney Bargar claimed the accolade twice earlier in the season
Valdivia (5-4) needed only 10.2 innings of work to pick up two shutout wins this past week. She dealt DePaul its first regular-season league loss since the 2006 campaign by keeping the Blue Demons at bay with a five-hit effort. She also limited IUPUI to only three hits without a walk while fanning seven in Notre Dame’s home opener on March 26. The Anaheim Hills, Calif., native struck out nine batters without allowing a single run over the course of her two outings.
Notre Dame (17-10 overall, 1-1 BIG EAST) faces Ball State on Tuesday (April 1) at Ivy Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. (ET), with live stats and audio available at UND.com
–ND–