Cullowhee, N.C. – Following a strong offensive weekend at the plate that led to winning the league series over chromatic rival Furman, Western Carolina sophomore infielder Sydney Dirks was named the Southern Conference Player of the Week by the conference office on Monday afternoon.
The Mocksville, N.C. native posted a .700 batting average with seven base hits, including a pair of home runs, and seven runs scored, as WCU took two of three from the Paladins.
The SoCon office selects and announces the weekly awards based on nominations submitted by each member institution's communications or media relations contacts.
After receiving the honor during her freshman campaign, the weekly award is the second for Dirks in her Catamount career. She is the fourth Catamount to receive a weekly award from the SoCon this season, joining classmates Maya McPherson (March 3) and Lily Bell (March 10), along with senior pitcher Tessa Juett (March 24) to receive top player awards from the league.
Monday's fourth recognition matches the 2006 and 2023 teams as the most weekly honors the Catamounts earned in a single season.
As the designated player for the series, Dirks made her presence known at the dish beginning on Saturday afternoon with her first of three multi-hit games. She picked up three hits and scored a run in the extra-inning win over the Paladins in game one.
She opened the scoring in Saturday's finale with her ninth homer of the season as part of a two-hit effort with a career-high three runs scored in a tight 7-6 defeat. She finished the weekend with her third multi-hit game of the series, including her team-high 10th home run of the season, as WCU run-ruled Furman 10-1 to claim the series win in its home finale.
Dirks became the first Catamount to reach double-digit homers in a season since 2022 when Bailey Huneycutt (15) and Myra Twitty (11) both connected on double-digit dingers for the Purple & Gold.
Dirks is tied for third in the league with 10 homers as one of six players in the conference to have eclipsed the double-digit threshold.
Western Carolina (22-28, 6-12 SoCon) finishes the 2025 regular season with a trip to Greensboro to battle UNCG this weekend, beginning on May 3. The Catamounts and Spartans open the series with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday before a 1 p.m. regular-season finale on Sunday at the UNCG Softball Stadium.
All three games with live stats provided at CatamountSports.com.
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