BIRMINGHAM, Ala. | Junior Justine Jean was tabbed as the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Pitcher of the Week, the league office announce Monday afternoon.

Jean was pivotal in Alabama State's resounding success over the weekend, picking up two wins and leading the Lady Hornets to their best start (4-0)  in coach Chris Steiner-Wilcoxson's five-year tenure.

The Levittown, N.Y. native tossed two complete games – including the first no-hitter of her career – at the Chef Celeste Challenge hosted by Southern University. The preseason SWAC Pitcher of the Year left the weekend with a 0.58 ERA across 12.0 inning pitched and collected 10 total strikeouts to just three walks. Jean yielded only one earned run across two games. Against Southern, she efficiently retired the Lady Jaguars' lineup, facing only two batters over the minimum while striking out six. In her first start of the season versus Howard, she struck out four and scattered nine base hits. The sophomore leads the SWAC in strikeouts (16) and innings worked (18.0).

The conference office also recognized Vanessa Bradford as a notable performer after the Atlanta, Ga. product hit .833 (5-of-6) in a pair of games, knocking an inside-the-park home run while driving in five runs during an 11-3 victory over Prairie View A&M. Additionally, she posted a complete-game win over North Carolina Central, helping her cause with two base hits in the game.

Alabama State will host the Black and Gold Tournament this weekend (February 15 – 17) at the Barbara Williams Softball Complex. The Lady Hornets will play a doubleheader Friday with games against Fort Wayne (2:30 pm) and North Alabama (7:30 pm).
 
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