Warrensburg, Mo. (May 3, 2000) -- Central Missouri State University right-hander Gwen Giffin has been named Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) Softball Pitcher of the Week for her efforts in six of the Jennies' seven outings during the week of Apr. 24-30.

Giffin, a 5' 8" junior from Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada (Dr. J.H. Gillis Regional High School, posted a 5-1 record and an 0.68 earned-run average in six complete-game starts for the Jennies last week. In 41 innings of work, she allowed 39 hits, nine runs (four earned) and five walks, while striking out nine batters.

After dropping a 4-3 decision to NAIA nationally ranked Columbia (Mo.) College on Apr. 24, Giffin won both games of a doubleheader against league-rival Missouri Western State College on Apr. 26, hurling a four-hit shutout in the Jennies' 1-0 win in the first game and allowing just five hits and two unearned runs in a 4-2 victory in the nightcap. She then picked up three wins in her team's sweep of all three games in its own Jennies Invitational on Apr. 28-29, yielding six hits and two unearned runs to top Lincoln University (Mo.) 4-2, tossing a four-hit shutout to best the University of Missouri-Rolla 1-0 and scattering 11 hits and one earned run in a 3-1 conquest of Southwest Baptist University (Mo.).

Giffin, who is the Jennies' only veteran pitcher this season (the rest are freshmen), has now earned MIAA pitcher-of-the-week honors three times in her career at CMSU (she also won the award once each as a freshman and sophomore). She has compiled a 14-15 record and a 2.55 ERA this season and is tied for sixth in the league in wins, despite having eight of her losses decided by two or less runs. She is currently tied for fourth among CMSU's career leaders in pitching victories with 37.

Giffin's efforts last week helped the Jennies snap an 11-game losing streak. They have now won their last five outings and enter the MIAA Tournament at the Johnson County Girls Athletic Association Complex in Shawnee, Kan., this weekend with a 22-26 overall record. They finished ninth in the final conference standings with a 4-14 league mark to receive the No. 9 seed for the double-elimination event and will play eighth-seeded Missouri-Rolla (14-35, 5-13) in the first round on Friday at 11 a.m.

Should the Jennies win, they will face top-seeded Washburn University (Kan., 35-18, 15-3) at 1 p.m., but should they lose their first-round game, they will play either 10th-seeded Missouri Western (21-32, 3-15), No. 7 Southwest Baptist (15-36, 5-13) or No. 2 Truman State University (Mo., 37-9, 15-3) at 3 p.m. The tourney will conclude with the championship game on Saturday.