Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2003

FOX EARNS SOFTBALL'S THIRD STRAIGHT NESCAC HONOR

MEDFORD – After a week during which she hit .600 with three home runs and nine RBIs in three games, junior 3B Julie Fox (Willow Springs, IL/Lyons Township) of the Tufts Softball team was named the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Co-Player of the Week on Monday. This is the third straight week a Tufts player has won the award. Freshman P Julia Brenta (San Anselmo, CA/Redwood) on April 7 and senior C Lis Drake (Chelmsford, MA/Chelmsford) on April 14 won the award outright. Fox shares the honor this week with Bates College OH/P Krissie Whiting.

Fox was most productive in Saturday's (Apr. 19) 11-5 win in the second game of a double-header at Bowdoin. She finished 3 for 4 with two home runs, three runs scored and seven runs batted in. She cranked a two-run home run in the top of the first, a two-run single in the fifth and a three-run home run in the seventh. Tufts clinched a spot in the four-team NESCAC playoffs with the victory. In the first game of the day, a 2-1 loss, she accounted for the lone Tufts run with a solo home run to lead off the second. In the two games, she finished 5 for 8 with three home runs, eight runs batted in and four runs scored.

In the only other game of the week at Babson on Tuesday Fox went 1 for 3 with an RBI in a 4-2 victory. She fielded 14 chances cleanly during the week.

Primarily the center fielder last season, Fox moved to third base this season and has made only four errors in 115 chances, a .965 fielding percentage. Through last week's games, she leads the NESCAC in hits with 35 and in total bases with 57. She is tied for first in the conference with six home runs and 24 runs batted in, is second in the league with 24 runs scored, and her .407 batting average (37/91) is eighth.

Tufts is 19-10 overall after sweeping Williams College in a double-header on Monday (games not included in the Player of the Week voting). Head Coach Kris Herman's team is 6-2 in the NESCAC East and is line to host the conference tournament on May 2-4 at Spicer Field. They are awaiting results from Colby College's last four NESCAC East Division games this week to determine who will host the tournament.

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