OCCAC’s Latest Athletes of the Week Honorees

Familiar faces Mackenzie Byrne (Edison State) and Julee Phillips (Cuyahoga) snagged the conference’s weekly softball awards for April 20-26. Two incredible performances by Gavin McLane (Bryant & Stratton) and Jamir Ross (Cuyahoga) resulted in co-Player of the Week recognition for baseball while Owens’ Parker Woods earned Pitcher of the Week honors.

Byrne is a back-to-back winner following a 7-0 week for the Chargers. The freshman drove in 16 runs and scored 12 more on her own. She racked up 15 hits, including four doubles, a triple and a homerun, to slug .960 for the week. Byrne is now riding an 8-game hitting streak, a stretch highlighted by her 6-RBI explosion at Marian University Ancilla. 

Phillips adds an eighth weekly honor to her career stockpile. She started the week with a bang, hurling a no-hitter at Lakeland. It didn’t stop there as Phillips accumulated 18.1 scoreless innings in the circle. Following a short relief appearance in Game Two vs the Lakers, she recorded her second and third complete game shutouts of the week, blanking both Hocking and Frederick. Phillips compiled 36 strikeouts, averaging nearly two K’s per inning, while surrendering just eight hits and six walks.

McLane earned his second conference award of April. The sophomore shortstop posted multiple hits and runs in five of six games, and multiple RBI in four contests. He went 11-for-19 overall, totaling four doubles, three homeruns and 11 RBI. McLane drew five walks and stole four bases as well.

Ross and the Triceratops won all six games, thanks in large part to the center fielder putting up four doubles, two homeruns and 10 RBI. His on-base percentage ballooned to .625 by drawing a half dozen walks. Once on base, Ross was a terror — swiping nine bags and scoring 12 runs.

Woods put the cherry on top of a 4-game series sweep over Hocking, delivering five scoreless frames to earn the win in Game Four. He struck out 10 batters, working around two hits and four walks to keep the Hawks off the scoreboard.