EL PASO, TEXAS – At the conclusion of the UTEP Memorial Tournament, Western Michigan softball players
Rissa Bajusz,
Haley Boxwell,
Payton Kelly, and
Megan Welsh were named to the UTEP Memorial All-Tournament Team for their performances on the field this past weekend. The four Broncos helped lead WMU to three wins during the five game tournament slate.
Rissa Bajusz
In four appearances this weekend, the senior Bajusz earned three wins and one loss after posting an ERA of 1.29 and a batting average offensively of .250. During the tournament, the pitcher etched her name in the WMU record books by becoming only the eighth Bronco in program history to surpass 300 strikeouts. She currently stands at 321 career strikeouts (and counting) which ranks eighth all-time in program history. Over her first 16.1 innings pitched thus far, Bajusz has recorded 23 strikeouts, marking a career best strikeout rate to start a season through 16.1 innings. As of Monday evening, Bajusz is ranked sixth in the nation in total strikeouts this season.
Haley Boxwell
The catcher Boxwell produced three hits (two doubles) and 5 RBI during WMU's trip to El Paso. In the final game of the tournament, the senior tied a career high of two hits and set a new career best with three RBI against Monmouth. Boxwell enters the second week of the season batting an average of .231.
Payton Kelly
Kelly is off to a hot start to begin the year and has hit a scorching batting average of .500. Over her first five games, the junior has notched eight hits, one double, and one RBI. Defensively, she recorded six putouts during the tournament and posted a fielding percentage of 1.000. As of Monday evening, Kelly ranked 39th in the nation in total hits.
Megan Welsh
The graduate student Welsh produced exceptional numbers this weekend after hitting .417 in five games to start the 2024 campaign. Over the span of the tournament, Welsh totaled five runs, five hits, six RBI, and two home runs. The outfielder tied a personal best three hits (including one home run) against UTEP in WMU's 10-0 win over the Miners on Saturday, February 10. As of Monday evening, Welsh's two home runs rank 20th nationally.
Bajusz, Boxwell, Kelly, Welsh, and the rest of the WMU softball team will compete in the Roar City Invitational Friday, February 16 - Sunday, February 18, in Nashville Tennessee.
For all things WMU softball make sure to follow the team on Instagram @wmusoftball_, X @WMUSoftball, and Facebook @WesternMichiganSoftball.
