Softball’s Lindsey Stephens collects national, conference awards

By Steve Lansdale

AUSTIN, Texas — To say center fielder Lindsey Stephens is the best offensive player on the No. 25 University of Texas softball team would be to declare the obvious. After the offensive display she put on while leading the Longhorns to a three-game sweep at Iowa State, in which they outscored the Cyclones by a combined score of 39-5, Stephens was named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player of the Week and Big 12 Player of the Week.

The national award is the [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level1)]second time Stephens has won the honor from the National Fastpitch Coaches Association, having received the award in February 2015. With the honor, she becomes the third Longhorn in program history to win the award more than once; the other two were Blaire Luna, who also won it twice, and Cat Osterman, who claimed the honor four times.

A top 25 finalist for the 2016 USA Softball National Player of the Year award, Stephens now has three conference player of the week awards this year, and five in her career at UT.

In the Longhorns’ last four games — a stretch that also included last week’s 4-2 home win over North Texas — Stephens went 8-for-14 (.571), scored 11 runs, hit two doubles and four home runs while driving in seven runs. She reached base in 11 of her 17 plate appearances during the stretch and hit at least one home run in each of the three games at Iowa State, which Texas won 15-2, 14-3 and 10-0.

In just about every offensive category, Stephens either holds or shares the team lead for the 2016 season, including batting average (.401), runs scored (52), hits (63), doubles (20), home runs (12), RBIs (43), total bases (125), slugging percentage (.796), walks (29), on-base percentage (.495) and stolen bases (17). She also shares the team lead in triples (tied with three) — she and second baseman Stephanie Ceo each have three three-baggers, accounting for half of the Longhorns’ team total of 12.

Stephens and the Longhorns wrap up the regular season at 8 p.m. Saturday with a home game against Baylor that will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network.

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