(LEBANON, Ill., March 18)--Morgan Parkhurst of William Woods University and Allie Leight of the University of Illinois at Springfield have been named the American Midwest Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for March 17.

This was the first week of AMC softball honors in 2008. The weekly awards will continue through the end of the conference tournament in late April.

Parkhurst, a freshman outfielder from Millstadt, Mo., led the Owls to a 4-1 record last week by posting a batting average of .571. Included in her 8-for-14 effort at the plate were two triples, a home run, nine runs batted in and seven runs scored. Parkhurst slugged an impressive 1.071 for the week. For the season, she is hitting a robust .565 with 11 RBI.

Leight, a senior from Johnsburg, Ill., pitched the Prairie Stars to three of their four victories on the week. Her three outings covered 16 innings, and she allowed just seven hits and one earned run. Leight struck out eight batters and posted an ERA of 0.44 for the week.

Illinois-Springfield is currently 6-3 on the year, marking the first time that the Prairie Stars have been over the .500 mark at this point in the season.