March 1, 2004
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Georgia Tech’s Tara Knudsen and Florida State’s Jessica van der Linden were named Atlantic Coast Conference Softball Players of the Week, announced by the league office. Knudsen earns the honor for the first time this season.
Knudsen led the Yellow Jackets to a 6-2 record last week, including two wins over ranked opponents at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The senior shortstop went 2-for-6, with two walks and a double against Gardner-Webb as Tech swept the Runnin’ Bulldogs. She then powered Tech past Virginia Tech (6-5) in the opening game of the Leadoff Classic with two homeruns and four RBIs.
The Thornton, Colo., native then broke up Nebraska’s Summer Tobias’ no-hitter in the seventh inning, eventually coming around to score the game’s winning run. In Tech’s next game versus the seventh-ranked Wolverines, Knudsen again broke up a no-hitter, this time against Michigan’s Nicole Motyka, tallying the only run scored for the Jackets.
Later that night, Knudsen drove in three runs against DePaul, smashing her 39th career home run to tie the ACC and Tech’s home run record, and lift the Yellow Jackets to a 5-1 win. In the semifinals, Knudsen drove in three more runs for the Jackets against 16th-ranked Fresno State to advance the Rambling Wreck to the finals against Notre Dame.
Knudsen ended the week hitting .346, with nine hits, 10 RBI, seven runs scored, three home runs, two walks and two doubles.
van der Linden led the 10th-ranked Seminoles to the championship game of the Gold Bracket at the Leadoff Classic wins over No. 4 Washington, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 20 South Carolina. The reighning ACC Player of the Year tallied the game-tying hit against the fifth-ranked Sooners, driving in two runs, and had the game-winning double in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the game for FSU. She finished the Leadoff Classic, 3-0 with a 0.34 ERA.
