Jordan Vorbrink

For just the third time in program history – and first time as a Conference USA member – Western Kentucky’s softball team collected both Pitcher of the Week and Player of the Week honors on the same day.

Kelsey Aikey repeated as the league’s top pitcher while Jordan Vorbrink earned Co-Player of the Week recognition, Conference USA announced Monday.

After being named Conference USA’s Pitcher of the Week on March 25, Aikey quickly made a case for back-to-back honors Wednesday when the junior held 17th-ranked Kentucky at bay, allowing just three Wildcat hits en route to her first of three wins on the week. Aikey carried a no-hitter into the third inning of WKU’s midweek victory and struck out a trio of Wildcats while allowing just one run.

The Iowa native carried her dominance into the Hilltoppers’ weekend series against Florida Atlantic – a squad predicted to finish second in the C-USA Preseason Coaches Poll. Aikey set the tone for the weekend as she posted a career-high 11 strikeouts in just five innings of work, striking out the side thee times. She allowed just three hits en route to her second win of the week before coming in for four innings of relief Sunday to secure the Hilltoppers’ third series sweep in as many chances. Despite allowing her first earned runs in league play, Aikey still owns C-USA’s best ERA in conference play at 1.07. She closed the weekend with a 19-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio while allowing just eight hits across 13.0 innings for the week.

Across her last nine appearances, Aikey has racked up a 6-0 record along with two saves. She’s allowed just four runs in that 28 2/3-inning stretch with 45 strikeouts and just 15 hits allowed.

Aikey is just the third WKU pitcher to ever earn back-to-back weekly honors.

As for WKU’s first-ever C-USA Player of the Week, Vorbrink led the Hilltoppers in every way possible across the eighth week of the season as WKU posted a perfect 4-0 week. Playing every inning of action in left field, the Louisville native connected for at least one hit in all four games in addition to registering a pair of multi-hit performances.

Vorbrink hit .600 on the week to add to her scorching C-USA-best .579 average in league-only games.

The weekly recognition is the first of Vorbrink’s career at WKU or Louisville.

The standout performances of Aikey and Vorbrink helped WKU improve to a program-best 9-0 in league play. With a 26-5 start to the season, the Hilltoppers are also off to the team’s best-ever start.{&end}