Add another accomplishment to the long list of career achievements racked up by Massachusetts softball pitcher Sara Plourde.

The senior right-hander – who recently earned her fifth Atlantic 10 Pitcher of the Week honor of the season and was also named one of two UMass Co-Athletes of the Week – was recently recognized in this week’s edition of Sports Illustrated as one of its Faces in the Crowd.

The honor follows a couple of record-breaking weeks for Plourde. The senior broke both the UMass and A-10 career strikeout records and put together an impressive weekend in which she pitched the second perfect game of her career and hit two home runs in the Minutewomen’s doubleheader sweep of St. Bonaventure.

Plourde led the nation in strikeouts in both 2010 and 2011 and is well on her way towards doing it again in 2012. As of Sunday, she had 304 strikeouts, which leads second place by 39, and her career total of 1,425 is good for 11th in Division I history.

For the season, her record stands at 18-9 – including six shutouts – with a 2.29 earned runs average. She has also tossed four no-hitters to bring her career total up to 13.

The last Minutewoman to grace Sports Illustrated was former third baseman Whitney Mollica, who was featured in the June 5, 2006 edition.

Stephen Hewitt can be reached at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @MDC_Hewitt.