SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 9, 2026) – The Conference of New England (CNE) has announced their first Softball Weekly Awards of the 2026 season, and two Golden Bears find themselves receiving honors for their performances in their two wins last week in Florida.

The CNE Softball Player of the Week award was given to Marley Rodriguez after she started the season exactly how anyone would want to in Florida on Sunday. The junior from Austin, Texas, went 4-for-6 with a walk in two games to start the season. Rodriguez picked up her first two extra-base hits of the season on Sunday. The first was a double and the second was a three-run home run. Rodriguez ended the day with a .667 batting average, a 1.333 slugging percentage, and a 2.047 OPS. On top of that, Rodriguez stole one base on one attempt and collected three RBIs.
Riley Kane was also recognized by the conference as the CNE Pitcher of the Week after a top-notch performance in game one of the season. Kane pitched seven full innings, letting up a single earned run and only two hits. The Prospect, Connecticut native, tallied six strikeouts in the win over PSU-Brandywine. Kane added an RBI from the plate to help the Golden Bears get the win, 2-1.

Rodriguez, Kane, and the rest of the Golden Bears will continue their slate of games down at "The Spring Games" with doubleheaders on Tuesday (3/10), Thursday (3/12), Friday (3/13), and Saturday (3/14).