March 21, 2011 HAMDEN, Conn. - Quinnipiac University softball junior Heather Schwartzburg (Mission Viejo, Calif.) was named the Akadema/Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the league office on Monday, March 21. Schwartzburg picks up her second NEC weekly accolade of the year after winning three games against Boston University, 2-1, North Florida, 2-0, and Buffalo, 7-6.

Schwartzburg earned a 3-1 record for the Bobcats last week. The junior pitched 30.1 innings across five games, striking out 44 batters. She posted a 0.69 ERA and only allowed 15 hits and eight runs. Schwartzburg currently holds a 7-5 overall record and leads the team with a 1.40 ERA.

Schwartzburg received the weekly award earlier in the season, on March 7, when she pitched 16 and 1/3 innings across three games. She struck out 26 batters and recorded a 0.43 ERA, while only allowing two runs and seven hits.

As a sophomore, Schwartzburg received the conference's Pitcher of the Week title three times during the 2010 season. She also set a Quinnipiac Division I record with 255 strikeouts on the year. Schwartzburg was also named the NEC's Pitcher of the Week and Rookie of the Week twice as a freshman in 2009.

The Bobcats return to action when they host Connecticut, in their first home game of the season, on Thursday, March 24 at 3:30 p.m. at the Quinnipiac Softball Field in Hamden, Conn.