SARNIA – A pair of first-year stars brought their best to the diamond this weekend.

Kale Murray (Men’s Baseball) and Gracie Harse (Women’s Softball) have been named the Lambton Student-Athletes of the Week for their efforts on the diamond this past week, both at home and on the road.

This marks the first Athlete of the Week honour for both Murray and Harse in their collegiate career.

Murray, a first-year pitcher / shortstop from Mitchell, wasted little time in making an impact on his home diamond for the first time this season. Murray was an impact player on both sides of the ball this weekend for the Lions, helping the Men’s Baseball Program improve their record to 6-0 to start the year with sweeps over the Sheridan Bruins and George Brown Huskies at Errol Russell Park.

In Game One against the Bruins, Murray went 3-for-5 with a double and one run batted in. His RBI came at the right moment for the Lions, as he ripped a bases loaded single to right field to score the game winning run in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Lions a 6-5 walk-off win.

He also picked up a stolen base in the win.

After sitting out Game Two against the Bruins, Murray came ready to play on Sunday against the Huskies. He was a problem for the Huskies in both games, and both on the mound and at the plate, as the Lions swept their Sunday doubleheader by a combined score of 24-0.

Murray got the start in Game One, and the Huskies couldn’t muster up much in terms of offense. Murray threw a five-inning complete game shutout, allowing just five hits and walking just one batter while striking out six. At the plate, he helped his own cause, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs.

Then, as the starting shortstop in Game Two, Murray continued his hot day at the plate with another impressive offensive showing. He went 3-for-4 at the plate, finishing a double shy of hitting for the cycle. In the second inning, Murray hit his first-career OCAA home run to dead center field for two of his four RBIs in the game.

For the weekend, Murray went a combined 8-for-13 (.615 average) at the plate with a triple, a home run, and eight RBIs. For the year, Murray is batting .474 with nine RBIs and eight runs scored. On the mound, he’s currently 2-0 with a 1.62 earned run average and 12 strikeouts.

Harse, a first-year shortstop from Petrolia, has been a steady presence for the Lambton Women’s Softball Program throughout their first eight games of the season, and this weekend was no different.

Across four games this past weekend on the road against the Humber Hawks and Sheridan Bruins, Harse went a combined 6-for-11 at the plate with a pair of RBIs and picking up four walks. She is now tied for the team lead with 11 hits, and she leads the team with 10 runs scored and a .440 batting average.

In the team’s second game against Humber this weekend, Harse went 2-for-2 at the plate from the leadoff spot. She also picked up two walks in the game and a stolen base.

On Sunday, Harse was back at it again at the plate against the Bruins as the Lions split their two games against Sheridan. Harse went a combined 4-for-8 (.500) at the plate with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs.

In Game Two on Sunday, which was a 9-7 win for the Lions, Harse picked up both of her RBIs in the game as the Lions used a seven-run sixth inning to come away with the victory.

Congratulations to both Kale and Gracie on being named this week’s Lambton Student-Athletes of the Week!

The 2024-25 Athlete of the Week awards are presented by the Lambton College Student Administrative Council.