Morgan Cooper and Peyton Simmons of the Radford Highlanders were recognized on March 16 by the Big South Conference for their performances in recent games. Cooper was named Pitcher of the Week, while Simmons earned Freshman of the Week honors after helping the team secure four victories.
The recognition highlights both players’ contributions to a successful week for the Highlanders. Such awards can bring attention to individual achievements and boost team morale as they approach important conference matchups.
Cooper pitched in three games against Campbell and Lafayette, allowing only two earned runs over 13.1 innings. She first appeared in relief against Campbell, pitching five scoreless innings that contributed to a narrow 3-2 win. Cooper also delivered 1.1 innings of scoreless relief in a victory over Lafayette before finishing the weekend with a complete game win, retiring 11 consecutive batters during a 9-2 result.
Simmons reached base at a high rate throughout the week, posting a .615 on-base percentage and a .583 batting average. She recorded multi-hit games in all but one contest, contributing key runs in wins over Campbell, East Tennessee State University (ETSU), and Lafayette. Her efforts included scoring one of the deciding runs against ETSU in a close 2-1 game and adding two more runs during an 8-3 win over Lafayette.
These weekly honors are the third and fourth such awards for Radford this season, joining teammate Dakota Redmon who previously received Pitcher of the Week recognition. This is Cooper’s second award this season, making her the team leader in weekly honors so far.
Looking ahead, Radford is preparing for its Big South opener against USC Upstate starting Friday, March 20. The series will be streamed on ESPN+.
