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Payton Crank Named Big 12 Freshman of the Week
4/21/2026 9:51 AM | Softball
Crank becomes third different Utah freshman to earn weekly award
IRVING, Texas – Payton Crank has become the newest rookie Ute named Big 12 Freshman of the Week, the league announced on Tuesday.
Crank's bat stayed hot all week, as evidenced by her .500 batting average, 1.000 slugging percentage and eight RBIs. In a doubleheader on Wednesday, she homered, doubled twice and piled up five RBIs as Utah earned a sweep of Montana. During the weekend, Crank logged a hit in all three contests, including a three-run homer in her team's Saturday victory. She also scored four runs and posted a perfect fielding percentage.
This is the fifth time a Utah player has taken home one of the conference's weekly awards in 2026 and the fourth time the Big 12's Freshman of the Week honor has been awarded to a Ute. Fellow rookie Danika Wilson has twice been picked as freshman of the week and Mia Gomez earned the award on Feb. 17. Utah hurler Shelbee Jones won the league's pitcher of the week trophy on March 17.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Softball |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
Crank's bat stayed hot all week, as evidenced by her .500 batting average, 1.000 slugging percentage and eight RBIs. In a doubleheader on Wednesday, she homered, doubled twice and piled up five RBIs as Utah earned a sweep of Montana. During the weekend, Crank logged a hit in all three contests, including a three-run homer in her team's Saturday victory. She also scored four runs and posted a perfect fielding percentage.
This is the fifth time a Utah player has taken home one of the conference's weekly awards in 2026 and the fourth time the Big 12's Freshman of the Week honor has been awarded to a Ute. Fellow rookie Danika Wilson has twice been picked as freshman of the week and Mia Gomez earned the award on Feb. 17. Utah hurler Shelbee Jones won the league's pitcher of the week trophy on March 17.
FOLLOW THE UTES!
Fans can follow along on social media (Twitter: @Utah_Softball |Instagram: @utahsoftball | Facebook: Facebook.com/Utessoftball).
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