NCAA Homerun Leader Adds Second SEC Honor
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – In helping power the Razorbacks to six wins last week, senior Nicole Schroeder has been selected the SEC Player of the Week for a second time this season. The senior outfielder was recognized after hitting .632 (12-for-19) with five homeruns, 16 RBIs, eight runs scored and a 1.579 slugging percentage. With Monday’s release, she becomes the first Razorback since Devon Wallace in 2013 to win two SEC Player of the Week accolades in one season.
Schroeder tallied at least two hits in five of six outings and had at least one RBI in each game including a career-high six runs batted in at Oklahoma State. Against the Cowgirls, she belted a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning to send her team to its first win in Stillwater since 2001. It was her second homerun of the game, good for her third multi-homer performance of the season.
With the two shots at Oklahoma State, Schroeder became the third player in program history to reach 30 career homeruns. The Yorba Linda, Calif., native went on to hit three homeruns during the Razorbacks’ home-opening Wooo Pig Classic including a game-winning, two-run blast against Nebraska and a game-ending grand slam—her third of the season and second of the week—in a run-rule win over Lamar. Schroeder capped the weekend with a solo homerun against IUPUI.
Schroeder leads the NCAA with 12 homeruns and 38 RBI, both career-high figures, and ranks 18th among the nation’s best hitters with a .519 batting average. During the home weekend, Schroeder also tallied her 100th career hits and RBIs. Her 107 career RBIs are the sixth most in program history. She has reached base in all 18 games this season and is currently riding a nine-game hitting streak.
Up Next
Arkansas (17-1) returns to its home park Tuesday afternoon for a doubleheader against UMKC. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. (CT) at Bogle Park. General admission for all home games is free. The Razorbacks open conference play next weekend at ninth-ranked Alabama. Arkansas’ SEC home opener is set for March 17-19 against No. 15 Tennessee.
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