Malone University freshman Kelsey Byers has been named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Softball Pitcher of the Week following her outstanding efforts in the circle over the Pioneers' last four games.
 
Byers, of Alliance, Ohio and West Branch High School, led Malone to a 3-1 record, tossing four complete games. Over 27 innings pitched, Byers allowed just one walk while posting 20 strikeouts and a 1.04 ERA. She also held opponents to a .167 batting average as Malone earned a sweep of Findlay on Wednesday and a doubleheader split with Davis & Elkins on Saturday.
 
In the doubleheader sweep of Findlay, a team Malone had defeated just two times in program history coming into the week, the Pioneers earned 3-2 and 3-1 victories behind Byers' tremendous performance. The freshman dandy pitched all 14 innings, surrendering three runs on eight hits while striking out seven Oiler batters in the twinbill.
 
On Saturday, Byers spun a five-inning, one-hit shutout, her third of the season, in an 8-0, run-rule victory over Davis & Elkins in the opener. She followed that up by allowing just one earned run over eight strong frames in a 4-2 extra-inning loss to the Senators. The 5'7" righthander totaled 13 strikeouts over 13 innings on the day.
 
On the season, Byers owns a 15-6 record with a 2.52 ERA and 121 strikeouts over 136 innings pitched. She leads the G-MAC in wins, strikeouts, innings, shutouts, and complete games (19) and is fifth in ERA.
 
Byers, who is one win away from tying the school record mark of 16, has helped Malone to a 17-13 record this year, including a 9-9 mark in conference play. Malone enters the final two weeks of the season in seventh place in the G-MAC Standings. The Pioneers continue play this weekend with doubleheaders at Alderson Broaddus and Ohio Valley.