Sutherland Featured in Sports Illustrated

Humboldt State softball player Megan Sutherland appears in Sports Illustrated this week in the nationally distributed magazine's "Faces In the Crowd" feature. The March 7 issue is due out on the newstands Thursday.

According to information posted by Sports Illustrated editors, the magazine’s “Faces in the Crowd” feature is designed to salute amateur athletes, coaches and administrators who don’t often receive recognition.

Magazine editors chose Sutherland to lead off that segment because of her performance in the Humboldt State Tournament two weeks ago. In HSU’s four games at the Jacks’ home event, Sutherland had nine hits in 16 at-bats, including a pair of home runs, and also drove in a tournament-best seven runs.

Sutherland, a junior outfielder from Anaheim, helped the Jacks win three of the four games, and was honored as the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week. She has continued her torrid pace, and comes into the week with a.412 batting average and team leadership in hits, doubles and home runs.

The Lumberjacks, 11-3 overall, will participate in the Red Lion Invitational in Richland, Wash., this week, playing eight games in four days. They begin tourney play Thursday with a 1:30 p.m. game against Saint Martin’s University.