Concordia softball sweeps GPAC weekly honors following school record start

GPAC Release

SEWARD, Neb. – Following a week in which the Concordia University softball team raced out to the first 9-0 start in school history, it’s no surprise that the Bulldogs sweep the first GPAC weekly awards of the 2014 season. On Tuesday the conference named junior Molly Madsen the GPAC/Hauff-Mid America Sports Softball Player of the Week while tabbing senior Amanda Beeson the GPAC/Hauff-Mid America Sports Softball Pitcher of the Week.

Madsen made a quick recovery from offseason shoulder surgery and started all nine games last week in Tucson, Ariz. The Bulldog first baseman scalded the ball, going 12-for-19 with 10 RBIs and seven runs. The native of Thornton, Colo., had a pair of three-hit games on the week and leads Concordia this season in batting average (.632) and RBIs (10).

Beeson began her senior season with perhaps the biggest win of her career, going all seven innings of the Bulldogs’ 5-1 season-opening upset of No. 10 Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) on March 10. A native of Waverly, Neb., Beeson went 3-0 with 27 strikeouts while allowing only eight earned runs in 30 innings last week. Last season she finished second in the GPAC with 141 strikeouts.

The undefeated Bulldogs return to action on Wednesday with a doubleheader at Peru State, beginning at 3 p.m. Head coach Todd LaVelle’s club is also scheduled to play on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as part of another whirlwind week.