Mississippi State Softball's Alison Owen Named SEC Pitcher of the Week

Coming off of her efforts against No. 15 South Alabama and No. 2 Alabama last week, Mississippi State's Alison Owen has been named the SEC Pitcher of the Week for the third time in her career.

Owen, who won the award on two occasions last year, stands as the only Bulldog pitcher to win the award more than once in her career, and her awards in 2013 and 2014 has extended Mississippi State's streak of having at least one pitcher capturing the award to four years.

On the road against South Alabama, Owen gave up three runs in two innings of work, but her return to the circle in SEC proved nothing short of spectacular.

Taking the circle Saturday, Owen started perfect through the first 2.2 innings, and in all, she sat down the side in five of seven innings while striking out 12 on her way towards leading Mississippi State to victory. With Mississippi State clinging to the lead, she retired the last seven batters she faced in helping the Bulldogs pick up their first win at home against a top-five team in front of a record breaking crowd at the MSU Softball Stadium.

With the series on the line Sunday, Owen pitched 9.2 innings, only allowing runs in the top of the tenth inning on the way to Mississippi State's 4-3 victory.

The weekend bumped Mississippi State's record to 32-14, tying the mark for the best 46-game start in program history. Owen, who has a record of 16-8 this season, also moved to within striking distance of Stephanie Becker's all-time Mississippi State strikeout mark of 451 strikeouts. In her career, Owen stands at 443 career strikeouts.

The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday in Jackson at Jackson State with a schedule start of 6 pm.