BROOKLYN, N.Y. - For the second consecutive week, LIU Brooklyn softball freshman Elena Valenzuela was named the Northeast Conference Pitcher and Rookie of the Week, it was announced by the league office Tuesday afternoon. It's the second career honors in both categories for the pitcher in her first season.

Valenzuela continued her torrid pace this weekend, throwing her third consecutive shutout in her only start of the week - to move to 5-1 on the season. In a 1-0 win over Bowling Green State at the UCSB Gaucho Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif., Valenzuela threw a two-hitter (one single in the first, one in the seventh inning), going seven full with four walks and three strikeouts to lower her season ERA to 1.59 and is currently ranked first or second in the NEC in nearly every pitching category. For the season, Valenzuela has appeared in nine games, starting six, with five wins and a save. She has 24 strikeouts in 51 innings of work.

Up next, the Blackbirds head to Boca Raton for the FAU/FIU Parent's Weekend Tournament with the team's first game scheduled for Friday, March 8 at 11:15 a.m. versus Florida A&M.