April 9, 2003

FAIRFAX, VA...George Mason softball players Kim Braxton (Lynchburg, VA/Heritage) and Dianna Austin (Fairfax, VA/Robinson) were announced today as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.

Braxton and Austin helped the Patriots open conference play last weekend with a three-game sweep of Drexel after dropping a doubleheader at Maryland Wednesday. Mason is now 17-12 overall on the season and 3-0 in the CAA, which ties it with Hofstra atop the league standings.

Braxton, a junior first baseman, hit .692 (9-for-13) for the week, with five runs scored and six RBI. She also drew three walks, hit a sacrifice fly and struck out just once. Additionally, she posted a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .706 on-base percentage.

Among her highlights, Braxton hit a two-run home run and scored twice in the second game against Maryland, and she delivered a game-winning double in the bottom of the seventh inning to complete a 6-5 come-back win over Drexel Sunday afternoon. During the three-game series with the Dragons, Braxton went 7-for-9 with three RBI and three runs scored.

Austin went 2-0 inside the circle last week, picking up complete-game victories over Drexel. She posted a 0.47 ERA over 15 innings, with 11 strikeouts and just ten hits allowed.

On Saturday, Austin, a junior, threw a three-hit shutout with four strikeouts in a 3-0 victory. Sunday, she surrendered six hits, all singles, struck out six and gave up one earned run in the 6-5 win. She also worked one inning of relief against Maryland, allowing one unearned run with one hit and one strikeout.

George Mason visits Towson this weekend for a CAA series, with Saturday's doubleheader and Sunday's single game both starting at noon.