Tech Softball Players Snag ACC Honors

The road to a three-peat is often paved with accolades and this week was not the first a Georgia Tech player was honored by the ACC.

However, as Tech marches toward its pursuit of a third straight ACC title, it was the first week to see two softball players honored. Kristen Adkins was named ACC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season, and Shannon Bear was named ACC Player of the Week.

Adkins and Bear combined for some formidable stats for the Yellow Jackets and helped start what is now a six-game winning streak for Tech.

On the way to winning her first career Player of the Week award, Bear hit an impressive .429 for the week with six hits, three runs and nine RBIs. She said taking more time to focus during her at-bats made a tremendous difference for her at the plate this week.

“I think I’ve just been seeing the ball well at the plate, and just been really focused in my at-bats, and kind of just learning what they throw me from at-bat to at-bat,” said Bear, a junior who studies biochemistry. “There’s some at-bats where you just feel confident you’re going to get a hit, and I felt pretty good several times last week.”

Her success at the plate was shared by Adkins’ success at the mound. Adkins picked up three wins on the week, pitching two complete games with one shut out. She had a 0.74 ERA for the week.

“I’d rather be lucky than good any day,” Adkins said. “And I think that I’ve had a lot of luck on my side thus far, but I know to go with it, that I’ve put in a lot of tough hours in over the offseason. I think that’s gonna show and that’s gonna come through.”

After three tough losses in a row, the Jackets had a week off to practice and to focus on the basics. Bear said it’s made all the difference in their turn around.

“It was good for us early on in the season to realize where our little kinks were,” she said. “Once we kind of got those in our head ... we just spent the whole weekend doing little situational things, and I think that really helped us to come together and get the timely hits. Start putting the defense with the good hits and the pitching, and all that’s been working out this past week.”

The pitching and the hitting has definitely been there during the win streak for Tech. They’ve put up 47 runs over six games, including an 18-1 win over Evansville in the Buzz Classic. Couple that to the lethal pitching by Adkins who had two shut outs, two complete games, and a career high 10 strike outs in the shut out against Georgia State, and you’ve got a formula for another successful run at the ACC.

“We have a very talented team, some very talented coaches, all three of which are just incredible and have ton of knowledge about the game,” Adkins said. “We have a freshman class that just came in and have really taken control of their own destiny. They’ve put in a lot of hard hours. I definitely foresee us doing well.”

Bear said the team has one goal this year:  To make it to the College World Series. Both she and Adkins believe it’s something they can achieve as a team, and if these early season accolades are any indication, they definitely have a good shot.

“The ultimate goal ... is to make it to the college world series,” Bear said. “We have other smaller goals in mind. Obviously, we want to three-peat the ACC ... and hosting a regional, we’ve been talking about how that’s a really crucial part. It just sets you up for success into the post season."

Adkins, who is finishing her senior year at Tech, has a similar goal for herself as her team heads into this weekend’s action, which they host at Mewborn Field.

“I just don’t want to have any regrets,” she said. “I want to leave it all out on the field, every practice, every game, whatever it is, give absolutely everything I can, for my team, for my coaches, for my parents so they can all see it was worth it."

If she does, her 6-2 record indicates her team’s success will follow and that three-peat might not be out of reach after all.

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