No-Hit Britt (Britt Stewart)

April 19, 2010 6:02 PM


Our Taco John's Athlete of the Week is one of a handful of outstanding sophomores on the Augie softball team.  Whether she's hitting or pitching, Britt Stewart is always a threat for Augie.

The Augie softball team is loaded with talented hitters and pitchers.  But few players can do both as well as sophomore Britt Stewart.

"I have to have her in the lineup.  She's our designated player.  In fact, when she pitches, I have to use some funky rules in softball just to be able to make sure I can never lose her bat," said Augie softball coach Gretta Melsted.

Stewart has been a force on the mound and at the plate.  She has an on-base percentage of .413 and an ERA of 2.46.  She's scored 22 runs and given up 29 earned runs.  And she's struck out 68 batters, including 13 on April 2nd, when she threw her first collegiate no-hitter.

"We played really well defensively as a team and we started hitting the ball that second game.  It was fun.  It was a team effort," said Stewart.

"It's really cool to watch that happen and, like she said, it takes a defense too, but she was just so dominating, making sure to get that first pitch strike and getting ahead of the batters and really working the corners and yeah, she did an awesome job," said Junior teammate Traci Fransen.

Still, the best attribute according to her coach is her bat, where Stewart rarely has to worry about going hitless.

"She's an extremely important part of our hitting lineup.  Definitely an all-around player," said Melsted.  "The best thing is, her best days are in front of her."

With more than two years left to play, Britt Stewart has already made her mark, starring in her role as a dual-threat player.