April 22, 2002

CHICAGO - The Charlotte 49ers softball team's Leah Heston has been Conference USA Hitter of the Week it was announced today by the league office. Heston, a senior third baseman, helped the Niners go 5-0 last week, including a sweep of C-USA rival East Carolina.

Heston went 9-for-17 at the plate for a .529 average last week. She cracked two home runs, including the game-winner in the second game of the series with the Pirates. She also collected 11 RBI and scored six times. Her six runs batted in on Saturday gave her 44 for the year, a school single-season record. It is the second player of the week award for Heston this season. She was named hitter of the week after the first weekend of the season.

Heston and the 49ers return to action next weekend, when they play a three-game series at Louisville. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday before the series finale on Sunday.