Athlete of the Week: Heather Schwartzburg

Athlete of the Week: Heather Schwartzburg

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor

Heather Schwartzburg’s (Mission Viejo, Calif.) presence on the mound for Quinnipiac (26-15, 10-6 NEC) this season has been synonymous with untouchable pitching.  The senior ace pitched two complete games against Robert Morris for 14 innings on April 21 and added a win coming in as a relief pitcher later in the week against Hartford. 

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

In the doubleheader against the Colonials, Schwartzburg pitched two gems but only picked up a win in the second game.  One unearned run and a lack of run support in the first game of the day made the difference as the Bobcats dropped the game, 1-0.  Despite taking only her fifth loss of the season, Schwartzburg tied up six hitters and gave up just four hits. 

After surrendering a solo shot in the fourth inning, the Bobcat bats came out ready for the latter half of the day, putting three runs up on the board.  The two run lead was more than enough for Schwartzburg to work with as she led the Bobcats to a 3-1 victory.  Schwartzburg struck out another six Colonials and allowed only two hits on the way to her 15^th win of the season. 

Just days later on April 25, with one out in the sixth inning, Schwartzburg relieved Katie Alfiere (Beacon Falls, Conn.) and finished out the game. In her short time on the mound, Schwartzburg gave up one run and one hit, but struck out five including the three she caught looking to retire the side and end the game. 

With her performances in the week that was, the Bobcat pitcher boasted her personal record to 16-5.  She leads the team substantially in almost every statistical category, giving up a season total of 90 hits and 34 earned runs while striking out 168 batters in 152.2 innings of work.  Christy Cabrera (West Sacramento, Calif.) is second on the team with 36 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. 

The Bobcats, nearing the finish of the regular season, will rely on Schwartzburg’s precision on the mound to slide them past the competition of postseason play.