Emily Carlin '17 repeats as an EC Athlete of the Week honoree following a stellar performance in the final week of the softball team's 2017 season. The Purple and Gold went 2-2 in their final four games, which included an 11-2 victory and a 6-5 walk-off win in a sweep of Empire 8 Conference rival Houghton on April 26. For the week, the fourth-year standout utility player batted .417 (5-for-12) with a team-leading five RBIs and a .667 slugging percentage. She was also spotless on defense, as she posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on 17 total chances. In the pitcher's circle, Carlin earned both wins against the Highlanders and she finished the week with team bests in ERA (4.61), innings (13.2) and strikeouts (3).
The Riverside, California, native had a day to remember in EC's 11-2 victory over Houghton in the opening game of the twin bill. She drove in a pair of runs with a base knock in the second inning, and then in the fourth she launched a three-run bomb over the fence in left field. In addition to establishing a new career high with five RBIs in the game, Carlin's home run moved her into a two-way tie with Erin Pruess '12 for first-place all-time in program history with 13 career homers. Carlin tossed a complete game for the Soaring Eagles in the matinee, scattering seven hits across 5.0 innings of work while surrendering two unearned runs. She then pitched 2.2 relief innings in the nightcap, recording the game's only strikeout en route to the win.
In the final series of the season at Lycoming, Carlin hurled a six-inning complete game with two strikeouts in game one, while going a combined 2-for-5 with a walk at the dish. Her two-hit effort in the late game allowed the senior to end her collegiate career on a 19-game on-base streak, the longest such streak by a Soaring Eagle in over a dozen years. Along with her home run record, Carlin will graduate this summer fifth all-time in slugging percentage (.522), seventh in on-base percentage (.390), and 10th in runs driven in (51).
