George Washington University Athletics
Softball's Cone Lands Pair of National Weekly Awards
3/12/2019 2:17:00 PM | Softball
GW slugger honored by USA Softball and NFCA after record-breaking week
WASHINGTONÂ - George Washington softball's Jenna Cone received national attention Tuesday in recognition of a record-breaking week on the diamond.
The junior from California became the first Colonial to be named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week and Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week after hitting .636 (14-for-22) with five home runs, 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored to lead the Buff and Blue to a perfect 7-0 record last week.
With her late go-ahead grand slam in Sunday's 5-4 win over Manhattan to close the Colonial Classic, Cone passed Victoria Valos to become the program's all-time home run leader with 37 for her career.
"I'm so happy to achieve this for my team and my school," said Cone, who was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday. "Tori Valos set the bar high for our program, and to have my name up with hers now is really an honor.
"My mentality every time in the box is to hit the ball hard to produce for my team. In the end, it's the wins that matter, and I'm glad to contribute to my team's success."
A two-time All A-10 pick, Cone's blistering run last week continued a strong start to her junior season. She recorded at least one hit, RBI and run in all seven games, highlighted by a trio of three-hit games. She also doubled three times, finishing the week with a 1.455 slugging percentage.
Cone was at her best in a pair of wins over Manhattan. In Saturday's 10-1 victory over the Jaspers, she went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. She followed up with three more hits in Sunday's finale, including her third career grand slam.
For the season, Cone has hit .443 (31-for-70) with team highs in home runs (7), RBIs (27) and total bases (58) to help GW get off to a program-best 18-3 start. She's anchored an offense that is hitting .367 collectively to rank second in the country behind only defending national champion Florida State.
"I'm proud of Jenna for this national recognition," head coach Shane Winkler said. "She continues to work hard to improve at the plate, even after all of the success she's had during her career here.Â
"We have a very strong offense around Jenna, so other teams are forced to pitch to her. She is off to amazing start this year, and she is continuing to get even better."
GW is back in action Wednesday with a doubleheader at Towson before returning home this weekend to host Oakland, Stony Brook and Georgetown for the three-day Buff and Blue Challenge.
The junior from California became the first Colonial to be named USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week and Louisville Slugger/NFCA National Player of the Week after hitting .636 (14-for-22) with five home runs, 17 RBIs and 14 runs scored to lead the Buff and Blue to a perfect 7-0 record last week.
With her late go-ahead grand slam in Sunday's 5-4 win over Manhattan to close the Colonial Classic, Cone passed Victoria Valos to become the program's all-time home run leader with 37 for her career.
"I'm so happy to achieve this for my team and my school," said Cone, who was named Atlantic 10 Player of the Week for the second time this season on Monday. "Tori Valos set the bar high for our program, and to have my name up with hers now is really an honor.
"My mentality every time in the box is to hit the ball hard to produce for my team. In the end, it's the wins that matter, and I'm glad to contribute to my team's success."
A two-time All A-10 pick, Cone's blistering run last week continued a strong start to her junior season. She recorded at least one hit, RBI and run in all seven games, highlighted by a trio of three-hit games. She also doubled three times, finishing the week with a 1.455 slugging percentage.
Cone was at her best in a pair of wins over Manhattan. In Saturday's 10-1 victory over the Jaspers, she went 3-for-3 with two home runs, a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. She followed up with three more hits in Sunday's finale, including her third career grand slam.
For the season, Cone has hit .443 (31-for-70) with team highs in home runs (7), RBIs (27) and total bases (58) to help GW get off to a program-best 18-3 start. She's anchored an offense that is hitting .367 collectively to rank second in the country behind only defending national champion Florida State.
"I'm proud of Jenna for this national recognition," head coach Shane Winkler said. "She continues to work hard to improve at the plate, even after all of the success she's had during her career here.Â
"We have a very strong offense around Jenna, so other teams are forced to pitch to her. She is off to amazing start this year, and she is continuing to get even better."
GW is back in action Wednesday with a doubleheader at Towson before returning home this weekend to host Oakland, Stony Brook and Georgetown for the three-day Buff and Blue Challenge.
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