EDISON, NJ – Following her eruption at the plate over the first five games of the season, senior Katie Baron of the Monmouth University softball team has been named Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Player of the Week, the conference announced today. Baron wins the weekly award for the first time in her career.

"I am excited for Katie, as she put a lot of time into her game this past offseason," said Monmouth head coach Shannon Salsburg. "Katie had a fantastic weekend and really came up big for us in clutch situations."

The senior batted .588 on 10-of-17 at the plate over the weekend. She launched three home runs and racked up six RBI, helping Monmouth to three wins at Eastern Michigan's Madeira Beach Invitational in Florida. Baron also registered five runs, two walks, and a stolen base.

On the first day of the 2018 season, Baron went 1-for-2 in a loss to Massachusetts, but then went 3-for-4 with a solo home run, an RBI single, and two runs in Monmouth's 9-4 win over Georgia Southern.

On Saturday, Baron launched a two-run home run in the bottom of the first against Abilene Christian. A game later against Eastern Michigan, she belted her third home run of the season, once again in the first inning. Baron ended the game 3-for-3 with the HR, two RBI, two runs, and two walks, adding the go-ahead RBI single in the 8^th inning.

In Monmouth's 5-3 win over George Mason on Sunday, Baron kept it rolling with another hit in the bottom of the third.

Baron and the Hawks return to action on Friday, March 2, when they compete against Army in the first day of George Mason's Patriot Classic.