ST. JOSEPH, Minn. — Senior pitcher Ellie Peterson (St. Anthony Village, Minn.) has been named The House / St. Cloud Orthopedics CSB Athlete of the Week after a dominant stretch in the circle that helped power the No. 25 College of Saint Benedict softball team to a pair of conference sweeps.

 

Peterson was instrumental in victories over Macalester and Hamline, allowing just two runs across 15 innings while extending her winning streak to 12 games. The Bennies defeated the Pipers (9-1, 9-5) and Scots (3-1, 8-2) to secure the program's fourth MIAC regular-season title — and its second outright crown — while also clinching the No. 1 seed for the MIAC Tournament.

In first game against Macalester, Peterson tossed a complete game in a 3-1, seven-inning win, allowing just one earned run on seven hits with three strikeouts. On April 29, she threw a complete game in the opener against Hamline, surrendering just one earned run and four hits in six innings of a 3-1 win. She also tossed two scoreless innings of relief against Macalester in the second game of the doubleheader on May 2.

With major contributions from Peterson, Saint Benedict closed the regular season on a 20-game winning streak, sweeping 10 consecutive opponents to finish 21-1 in MIAC play and 31-9 overall — the program's highest win total since 2018.

A three-time All-MIAC selection, Peterson has matched her career high with 15 wins this spring while posting a career-best 2.00 ERA — fourth in the MIAC — over 122.2 innings pitched, also fourth in the conference. Opponents are batting just .251 against her, the seventh-lowest mark in the league.

Peterson has earned the win in each of her last 12 starts, including an 11-0 record against conference opponents. For her career, she is 55-21 in 92 appearances with 482.2 innings pitched — the most in program history. Her 55 career wins rank second all-time at CSB, while her 52 complete games set a program record. She owns a 2.65 career ERA.

The Bennies return to action Saturday, May 9, hosting the final semifinal and championship games of the MIAC Playoffs. As the top seed, CSB will face the winner of No. 5 St. Catherine and No. 4 Gustavus in the semifinal round at 11 a.m., at the CSB Softball Field.