DARCY WOOD NAMED VALLEY PITCHER OF THE WEEK

ST. LOUIS – Indiana State sophomore pitcher Darcy Wood (Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) has been named this Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week following her performances against Butler and Creighton. The Sycamores went 4-1 last week against tough competition and their 6-8 MVC record has vaulted them into a tie for fifth place in the league standings.

Wood was a perfect 4-0 for the week as she posted a pair of victories against Butler and Creighton. In 27.1 innings of work, Wood allowed only two earned runs, for an ERA of 0.51. She appeared in all five contests, starting three, and completed each game in which she was the starter.

Wood was credited with two shutouts, and more impressively, she posted 39 strikeouts for the week, giving her 371 for her career – which is a new ISU career record. In fact, during Sunday’s 7-1 victory at Creighton, Wood struck out four Bluejays in the bottom of the sixth inning as one of her "K" victims reached base because of a wild pitch.

Opposing batters hit just .200 against her in five appearances in the circle. In the first game of the Creighton series, Wood struck out 13 batters in a complete game shutout victory. She allowed just five hits in the 4-0 win. On Sunday, she added 12 strikeouts to her total in another complete game effort. Wood allowed just one run, in a 7-1 series-clinching victory. Wood’s other shutout this week was an 8-0 victory over Butler. She tossed a complete game six innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven against the Bulldogs.

This is the second Valley weekly honor for Wood this season, having also taken the award on March 28, following a pair of shutout victories over league preseason favorite Wichita State. Wood has now earned the MVC Pitcher of the Week award three times. She is the first player in the history of the program to earn the league’s Pitcher of Player of the Year Award three times in her career.

The Sycamores return to action on Wednesday, April 12 when they travel to IUPUI for a non-conference doubleheader. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m. (EDT).