by Taylor Fraze
This week’s player spotlight is junior softball player Libby Baker. Baker is a two-way threat for the Trojans as both a pitcher and a force at the plate. Her performances this week contributed to the team’s overall results.
Baker has always shined throughout her career at Troy. The 2021 season was her best season for pitching statistics. Baker boasted a 2.53 ERA in 26 appearances in 2021. The 15 starts at pitcher that year were the most in her career. In 2022, Baker threw 115 strikeouts, the most in her time at Troy.
Baker has made more of a name for herself as at the plate for the Trojans. The start of the 2023 is the best of her career. In 2020, Baker had a .333 batting average in 17 games played, but only one home run to go with it. She has gradually improved her hitting over the years and truly inserted herself as one of Troy’s top offensive options.
Her 2023 campaign has been the best of her career with 42 hits, 27 RBIs and 10 home runs. Her 42 hits are second on the team only behind Taylor McKinney. The 10 home runs are the most of her career and tied for first place on the team. Baker also leads the Trojans in batting average, batting .359 over 43 games.
Her performances this past week against Auburn and James Madison were spectacular despite the Trojans going 1-3. Against Auburn, Baker had two hits in three plate appearances accounting for one home run, two RBIs and an average of .343. Over the weekend series against JMU, Baker had a total of six hits in 12 at bats. She had two RBIs and one home run in the series.
Baker has a chance to improve her season totals in Troy’s next outing, a series against nationally ranked Louisiana April 21-23 in the Troy Softball Complex. The first pitch of the series is set for 6 p.m. Friday April 21.
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