DARNELL, PENNYCUFF NAMED KJCCC PLAYER/PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Jaeleigh Darnell (left) is this week's KJCCC Division I Softball Player of the Week. Morgan Pennycuff (right) is the league's Pitcher of the Week.

Posted: Apr 18, 2023

Hutchinson CC Sports Information

The No. 15-ranked Hutchinson Community College softball team swept Jayhawk Conference Division I weekly honors for the third time this season on Tuesday.

Freshman outfielder Jaeleigh Darnell was named the league's Player of the Week and sophomore pitcher Morgan Pennycuff was named the Pitcher of the week.

Darnell is the fourth Blue Dragon to be selected as the KJCCC Player of the week, joining Aspen Goetz, Riley Wertz and Olivia Sandoval.

Pennycuff's second weekly league honor is the fifth time this season that a Blue Dragon pitcher earned weekly honors.

Pennycuff, a freshman from Auburn, Nebraska, hit .455 for the week and had some very meaningful hits in a huge doubleheader sweep of Barton last week for the then-No. 17 Blue Dragons. Darnell was 5 for 11 with eight RBIs, including a double, triple and home run.

In the Dragons' doubleheader sweep of Barton, Darnell hit a three-run home run in Game 1 and added a three-run triple in Game 2 against the Cougars.

Pennycuff, a sophomore from Augusta, orchestrated back-to-back complete-game shutouts over Barton and Dodge City to go 2-0 for the Blue Dragons last week.

Pennycuff allowed a combined three hits over 12 innings – 1 to Barton, 2 to Dodge City – as she improved her season record to 12-2. Pennycuff had 10 strikeouts to only two walks.