SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Western Carolina softball's Bailey Huneycutt and Jayme Eilers have been named Southern Conference Player and Pitcher of the Month respectively for April the conference office announced today.

It is just the fourth time in program history Western Carolina has earned player and pitcher of the month honors since the start of the program in 2006. Huneycutt joins Allyson McCubbins (2006), Stephanie Beatty (2007), and Erin Foster (2012) with her Player of the Month honor. Eilers becomes only the second Catamount pitcher to earn pitcher of the month accolades as former Catamount Mendy McKenzie won it three times in her career (twice in 2006 and once in 2007).

Huneycutt, a junior shortstop from Oakboro, N.C., tore up the month of April with a .423 batting average smacking 22 hits, scoring 15 runs, adding five doubles, and blasting eight home runs along with 16 RBI. She also drew 14 walks with a .981 slugging percentage and a .545 on-base percentage. For the month, she reached base safely in the last 19 games, had four multiple-hit games and four multiple-RBI games. Huneycutt hit two home runs in the key series win at Mercer with a home run in game one and turned around to blast a home run in the series-clinching game two wins over the Bears. She was named SoCon Player of the Week on April 12.

Eilers, a sophomore from Sterling, Ill., made 12 appearances in the circle in April. She started nine games, had five complete games, tossed two shutouts, earned one save, and pitched 55.1 innings during the month. She had a 1.52 ERA with 59 strikeouts as teams hit just .195 against her. Eilers allowed only one run and five hits and struck out six as WCU captured the series over Samford. She was masterful in her one-hit shutout against the high-powered offense at Mercer to help WCU secure the win as she struck out six. In the first game of a doubleheader against North Carolina A&T, on April 28, she tossed the first no-hitter of her career and was one walk away from a perfect game. She did face the minimum 21 batters in the game as the Aggie who draw a walk was caught stealing second. Also in the game against the Aggies, Eilers struck out a career-high 13 which ranked third in the WCU record books for most strikeouts in a game. She was named SoCon Pitcher of the Week for her performance in the last week of April. 

Western Carolina is the No. 2 seed in the upcoming 2021 Southern Conference Championship and will face off against No. 3 seed Chattanooga at 3 p.m. Thursday in Greensboro, N.C.