SAINT LEO, Fla. – Sophomore Kacie Kelly and senior Alison Mitts were tabbed Sunshine State Conference Softball Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, to open up the softball season. Kelly and Mitts played a key role in the No. 23 Lions 5-1 weekend at the Gulf Coast Invitational.
 
Kacie Kelly led Saint Leo to a 5-1 record including a 5-4 win in eight innings against No. 3 The University of West Florida. In the win over the Argonauts, Kelly went 1-for-3 while scoring two runs with one double and two walks. The sophomore would go on to pick up 10 more hits in the Lions last four games with four more doubles to finish opening weekend with 12 hits in 23 at-bats with five doubles, eight RBI, and nine runs scored. In the field, Kelly tallied 15 putouts with nine assists and just one error in six games of play for a .960 fielding percentage. The Jacksonville, Florida native went 3-for-4 on the base path with a .522 batting average, .739 slugging percentage and a .577 on-base percentage.
 
Alison Mitts pitched 14.1 innings on the weekend with 16 strikeouts and allowed just three runs on the weekend. Mitts finished off Delta State University with two innings of work, allowing no hits and no runs with six strikeouts. Getting the nod against the University of North Alabama, Mitts pitched the complete seven innings allowing four hits and two runs while striking out another six batters to earn the win. The Belleville, Illinois native got the start in the final game of the weekend against the University of West Alabama and pitched 5.1 innings allowing six hits with four strikeouts and just one run. While on the mound, Mitts saw the Lions outscore opponents 20-6 and went 2-0 with a 1.47 ERA. In three appearances, the senior held opponents batting averages to a .204.

The SSC Player of the Week honor for Kelly is the second of her career, first of the season, while the Pitcher of the Week honor is Mitts' first of her career. 
 
Saint Leo will host Young Harris in the home opener on Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. before a doubleheader with the Mountain Lions on Feb. 10 at 1 p.m.

For more information on the Saint Leo softball program, visit SaintLeoLions.com.  Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.