TUCSON, Ariz. – Arizona Softball's Sydney Stewart has been named Big 12 Player of the Week and Rylie Holder earned Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors, announced by the conference on Tuesday. This is the second time Stewart has been honored by the Big 12 this season and Holder's first Big 12 weekly honor.
 
Stewart was named the Big 12 Player of the Week after leading Arizona to a series sweep and three run-rule wins over Houston with a 1.000 batting average, going 3-for-3 with three home runs, eight RBI, a 4.000 slugging percentage, seven walks, a 1.000 on base percentage, and a 5.000 OPS. Stewart hit a home run in every at-bat and was intentionally walked six times during the weekend.
 
The senior catcher hit a pair of home runs in back-to-back plate appearances and drove in five runs in Arizona's first win over the Cougars to start the series. In the second game, Stewart was walked in all in three plate appearances and scored two runs to help the Wildcats to a second run-rule win of the weekend. Stewart hit a three-run home run and was walked three times in the final game of the series to help Arizona complete the sweep over Houston.
 
Stewart currently leads the Big 12 in slugging percentage (1.055), on base percentage (.584), OPS (1.639), RBI (73), and walks (41). She ranks second in home runs (19) and sixth in batting average (.431) and runs scored (50) in the conference.
 
Holder earned her first Big 12 Freshman of the Week honor after going 2-0 against Houston with a 0.00 ERA. The freshman tossed 8.0 innings across two appearances during the series and held the Cougars to a .208 batting average while not giving up an earned or unearned run. Holder pitched a complete-game shutout while tying her career high of five strikeouts in Arizona's second win over Houston. In the series finale, she pitched 3.0 innings in relief and did not allow the Cougars to score while she was in the circle.
 
Holder ranks sixth in the Big 12 with three shutouts and seventh in the conference with 11 victories.

The Wildcats will head to Utah for the final week of conference play beginning Friday, May 1 at the Dumke Family Softball Stadium in Salt Lake City.