Syracuse, NY — The State University of New York Athletic Conference announced it weekly award winners Monday with the Hawks sweeping weekly honors as junior Ava Thys and senior Alex Frenza were named as the Player and Pitcher SUNYAC Athlete of the Week, respectively.
 
The duo was huge in a six-game slate for SUNY New Paltz this past weekend at the Margie Knight Tournament in Salisbury, Maryland.
 
Batting in the lead-off spot, Thys was the offensive catalyst as she led the team in batting average (.479) while going 9-for-19 form the plate, while adding two doubles, five runs, two RBI, a walk and a stolen base with an on-base-percentage of .524 and slugging percentage of .579.
 
In a 3-2 loss to Stockton, Thys accounted for two of the Hawks' four total hits in the game, including a run scored. She recorded one of the team's five hits in a 12-0 loss against Juniata, and in a bounce-back Saturday was the catalyst in two wins. Against NYU, she went 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI double and a walk. She then was the game-winning run in a 1-0 victory over Carnegie Melton where she went 2-for-3 with the lone run scored and added a double and stolen base to get herself in scoring position to push her team to the win.
 
Thys finished the weekend with another hit and run scored in an 8-0 shutout over Lynchburg Sunday, and gave the Hawks the initial 2-1 lead in the second inning against previously nationally ranked and hosting Salisbury.  Additionally, Thys was near perfect manning shortstop for all six games, totaling 18 catches, 10 put-outs, seven assists and even turned a game-saving double play in the fifth inning to keep the Hawks with a 1-0 lead against Carnegie Melon.  
Frenza was the key to all three wins over the weekend for SUNY New Paltz, working extra innings following the loss of fellow pitcher and reigning All-SUNYAC select Leah Gunsett. The New Paltz, NY native appeared in the circle in five of six matchups and finished the weekend with an ERA of 2.08 and WHIP of 1.19.
 
She started the weekend with 6.1 innings pitched in a 3-2 loss against Stockton, allowing just six hits, three earned runs and three walks with four strikeouts. She had another complete game performance the next day in an 8-4 win over NYU, throwing a full seven innings and allowing just three hits, three earned runs, two walks and five strikeouts in the victory. Frenza then came in for relief and pitched the last three innings to preserve the 1-0 lead to earn her first save the season. Carnegie Melon threatened in the fifth, as a lead-off single and then a double put runners in scoring position with no outs before SUNY New Paltz made the switch to Frenza, and the senior showed her poise as she calmly struck out the next batter on a full count, painting the corner to catch her looking before forcing a double play on a grounder to short.
 
Frenza then pitched back-to-back complete games on Day 3, earning a shutout over Lynchburg after yielding just three hits and three walks with three strikeouts against the Hornets. She then took the mound against previously nationally ranked Salisbury and threw a full seven innings and conceded nine hits, four earned runs and six walks with three strikeouts in a tough 6-4 loss. Overall, Frenza, in 30.1 inning's pitched, allowed 21 hits, nine earned runs, 15 walks and had 15 strikeouts with a k/7 of 3.46.
 
To read the official SUNYAC press release, click here.
 
Thys, Frenza and the Hawks have more than a week off until their next outing when they travel to face Purchase College in a doubleheader March 27 starting at 3 p.m.
 
 
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