Jena Cozza Earns A-10 Weekly Honors

AMHERST, Mass. – Jena Cozza and Quinn Breidenbach of the University of Massachusetts softball team were named the Atlantic 10 Player and Pitcher of the Week after helping the Minutewomen to a 4-1 record at the EMU Madeira Beach Invitational this weekend.
 
Cozza (Wantagh, N.Y.) earned the A-10 Player of the Week honors after hitting five home runs with a .571 batting average and 11 RBI. The senior broke out in the second game of the weekend on Friday against Monmouth, driving in six runs while hitting her first home run of the season in the opening inning as the leadoff hitter for the Minutewomen. Her second home run came just two innings later in the third, a two-run shot to center field to give UMass a 10-3 advantage in the contest. Cozza homered once in each of the final three games of the weekend, including a three-run shot in the win over UMKC on Sunday. 
In total, Cozza posted a .571 average at the plate to go along with a .700 on-base percentage with a 1.857 slugging percentage on 26 total bases. Through nine games, the senior leads UMass with a .458 average on 11 hits with 13 RBI and 29 total bases.
 
Breidenbach (Enumclaw, Wash.) went 2-0 in the circle with a 0.58 ERA on her way to being named the A-10 Pitcher of the Week. The sophomore picked up her first win of the weekend in relief against Jacksonville State, tossing 4.0 innings of one-hit softball while striking out four in a 10-2 win on Saturday. Breidenbach tossed a complete-game in a six-inning win over UMKC to round out the weekend, holding the Roos to just three hits while surrending her only earned run of the weekend as she improved to 2-1 on the season in the circle. 
UMass will be off next weekend before returning to the field on Friday, March 2 for a matchup against Notre Dame at 2:30 p.m. at the Diamond 9 Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla. 
For complete coverage of the UMass softball team, follow the Minutewomen on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at @UMassSoftball and online at www.UMassAthletics.com.