MAC Announces Softball POW

Photo Courtesy of MAC

MAC East Player of the Week

Katie Yoho, Bowling Green, OF

Year, Hometown/Previous School: Senior, Grove City, Ohio / Grove City

Senior co-captain Katie Yoho led the Falcons offensively over the weekend, helping Bowling Green come away with a 2-2 record against Buffalo and Kent State. Yoho finished the week going 6-for-15 (.400) with one double, three home runs, and 12 RBI. Yoho got the week started by hitting home runs in back-to-back games during the Falcons’ doubleheader sweep over the Bulls on Friday (April 18) afternoon. Yoho began the day with a two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning in game one to help the Falcons earn a 6-1 victory over Buffalo. Then, the right-handed senior continued her strong efforts by going 3-for-5 with a double and a home run to compile a career-high seven RBI in the game, helping BBGSU sweep the Bulls. Yoho concluded her strong weekend by going 2-for-4 at the plate on Sunday afternoon against Kent State, including a three-run homer in the fifth inning to pull the Falcons within 6-4. Overall, the Grove City, Ohio native leads the Orange and Brown with a .319 batting average in 44 games this season. Yoho also has compiled a team-leading 45 hits, nine home runs, 80 total bases, and 34 RBI.

MAC East Pitcher of the Week

Emma Johnson, Kent State, P

Junior, Groveport, Ohio/Groveport-Madison

Junior Emma Johnson’s no-hitter on Friday vs. Toledo was just the beginning of a dominant weekend for the reigning MAC Pitcher of the Year. Johnson tossed 12.2 scoreless innings and a pair of shutouts on her way to earning 3 victories in as many appearances. She was almost unhittable, allowing just 3 hits and striking out 18 batters for a WHIP of 0.47. A first-inning walk kept Johnson from a perfect game vs. Toledo, as she retired the final 13 batters she faced and finished with 9 strikeouts. She nearly matched that performance on Saturday, holding a Bowling Green offense that exploded for 18 runs in 2 games the previous day to only 2 hits while recording 6 punch-outs. Following a 3-run homer that cut Kent State’s lead to 6-4 in the fourth, Johnson entered the game and retired the first two batters to end the Falcons’ hopes of a rally. She pitched the final 2.2 innings and allowed just 1 hit while striking out 3 batters.

MAC West Player of the Week

Jennifer Gilbert, Ball State, Left Field

Senior, McKinney, Texas/McKinney

Jennifer Gilbert continued her solid play last week, leading the Ball State offense with a .500 (10-for-20) batting average, nine RBI and seven runs scored over the team’s six game … She  recorded at least one hit in each of the six games, raising her current hitting streak to a career-best 17 games … She also blasted a pair of home runs, raising her career total to 73 which is tied for eighth on the NCAA Division I career home run list … Gilbert helped account for all three of Ball State’s league wins over the weekend … In Friday’s nightcap versus Akron, Gilbert’s drove in what proved to be the game-winning run with her two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning … In Saturday’s opener versus Ohio, Gilbert scored the eventual game-winning run thanks to a two-out double in the bottom of the first, followed by an RBI triple from Taylor Rager … In Sunday’s win over Ohio, Gilbert drove in the game-winning run with a RBI fielder’s choice in the bottom of the third.

MAC West Pitcher of the Week

Allyson Kus, Western Michigan

Sophomore, West Bloomfield, Mich./West Bloomfield

Allyson Kus went 3-0 this past week and was in the circle for the Broncos for all three of the team’s wins.  Kus opened the week by tying her career high in strikeouts with six against Eastern Michigan, not allowing an earned run against the Eagles.  Her second win of the weekend came in relief, helping WMU to its first extra-inning win of the year.  Her third win came in extra-innings as well, working 8.0 and setting a new career high with seven strikeouts.  Kus walked just two batters through 18 innings of work and finished the week with a 0.39 ERA.  Kus worked her 20th and 21st complete games of the season and became WMU’s active leader in shutouts with her fourth of 2014.

Other Nominees:

Erin Seiler, Akron, P

Sophomore, Bowling Green, Ohio/Toledo Central Catholic 

Erin Seiler continued to dominate in the circle for Akron over the weekend as she improved her record to 14-5 overall with a pair of complete game victories. The sophomore registered an impressive 0.35 ERA in 20 innings of work, allowing just one earned run in her three appearances. In a 4-2 victory over MAC West leader Ball State, Seiler did not give up an earned run and forced the Cardinals to leave 12 runners stranded on the basepaths. The Bowling Green, Ohio native tallied her third shutout of the season in the Zips’ series finale victory over Miami (Ohio), giving up just one walk. She retired seven-straight batters to close out the game, and only allowed one RedHawk past second base for the day. Seiler carries a 1.63 ERA in MAC play, and has given up just two earned runs in league games on the road this season.

Kelsey Schifferdecker, Ball State, Starting Pitcher

Sophomore, Belton, Mo./Belton

Sophomore pitcher Kelsey Schifferdecker turned in another solid all-around week, leading the Cardinals to a 3-0 record over her three starts, highlighted by a complete game shutout of MAC leading Ohio Sunday … In the win over the Bobcats, Schifferdecker limited Ohio to just three hits and a walk over 7.0 innings of work … She also struck out three Bobcats, including the final batter of the game … In Friday’s doubleheader versus Akron, Schifferdecker entered the first game in relief and held the Zips to just six hits and one run over 5.0 innings of work … In the nightcap, Schifferdecker threw 4.2 innings and surrendered just  one run and six hits to earn the victory … She opened the week by guiding Ball State to a 6-3 victory at Indiana, limiting the Hoosiers to 12 hits and three runs in a complete game win.

Cory DeLamielleure, Central Michigan, C

Senior, St. Clair Shores, Mich. 

The senior blasted her sixth homerun of the season on Friday against Northern Illinois in CMU’s 5-0 win over the Huskies. DeLamielleure’s bomb to right center marks the 17th of her career, which puts her third-all time in CMU’s record books for career homeruns. In the first game of the double header the senior recorded her 11th double of the season, a team-high for the Chippewas and fourth best among the MAC. She ended the game with two hits, two RBI, one homerun and a stolen base. 

Rachael Knapp, Central Michigan, Pitcher 

Freshman, St. Joseph, Mich. (Beal City HS)

Knapp earned two wins this weekend over Northern Illinois and Western improving her record to 10-2 on the season. On Friday the freshman pitched her second career shutout in seven innings pitched, retiring three batters. In the Chippewas final home game of the season, Knapp pitched another full game giving up only one hit and one run, striking out four. The freshman boasts a team-best 1.84 era on the season. 

Abi Clark, Eastern Michigan, 1B/DP

So., Clinton, Mich. (Alma)

Sophomore transfer Abi Clark led the Eastern Michigan offense with a .417 batting average, including five hits, two runs and two RBI on the week. The sophomore went 5-for-12 on the week at the plate, while driving in the winning run on a Senior Day at Varsity Field over Northern Illinois, April 20. After playing three extra inning contest in as many days, the Eagles were finally able to secure a victory when sophomore Clark knocked a walk-off bases loaded single to left field, scoring Stanton for the Eagles’ first win since April 2, snapping an eight game losing streak. The hit marked the second of the day for the Clinton, Mich. native as well as her second RBI of the contest. Clark posted a .667 slugging percentage on the week after starting off slow in EMU’s first two contests on the week. 

Lindsay Rich, Eastern Michigan,P

Jr., Perrysburg, Ohio-Perrysburg

Junior Lindsay Rich threw a team-high 11.1 innings for Eastern Michigan with 12 strikeouts and allowing just five runs to cross the plate. The junior hurler posted a 3.09 ERA on the week, pitching a full seven innings against Northern Illinois, April 19. Despite throwing a complete seven innings, Rich did not earn a decision in the contest as the Eagle fell, 8-6, in an 11 innings single game. Along with having one of her best weeks in the circle, the Perrysburg, Ohio native notched a .357 batting average for the Green and White with five hits, including one home run, scoring one time and hitting one sacrifice fly for the EMU offense. Rich also recorded 18 putouts and three assists playing both first base and left field for Eastern in the weekend Mid-American Conference series.

Erika Warren, Kent State, C

Sophomore, North Canton, Ohio/Hoover

Sophomore Erika Warren had the best weekend of her collegiate career and drove in a team-high 6 RBI as Kent State outscored its opponents 32-4 to go 4-0. Warren helped the Golden Flashes offense explode for a season-high 13 runs in the weekend-opener vs. Toledo on Friday, picking up two hits and driving in three runs. On Saturday, Warren delivered the game-ending two-run single in the fifth inning as the Flashes defeated Bowling Green 8-0. In addition to her work at the plate, Warren did a masterful job of calling pitches from behind the plate, which was highlighted by Emma Johnson’s no-hitter in Game 1 on Friday. Kent State’s pitching staff had a 1.17 ERA and allowed just 15 hits in 24 innings over the weekend. The Flashes struck out 33 batters while walking just 3.

Paige Myers, Miami, Pitcher

Senior, Grove City, Ohio/Grove City

Myers did not allow a single run in 14.2 innings pitched this past weekend. She also allowed only eight hits and struck out 13 in what might have been the best weekend of her career. She had two relief appearances over the weekend in which she did not allow a single hit. In her start against Ohio on Friday, Myers pitched five shutout innings, allowing only three hits and striking out three. Against Akron on Saturday, she pitched a complete game shutout, allowing only five hits and no runner to advance past second base. She tied a season high with nine strikeouts in that contest.

Kayti Grable, Northern Illinois University, First baseman

Freshman, Santee, Calif./Santana

Kayti Grable was a force at the plate in four games for the Northern Illinois University softball team. The freshman first baseman went 7-for-12 from the plate for a .583 batting average, well above her season average of .393, while slugging .833. She reached base in 12-of-17 plate appearances for an on-base percentage of .706. In the series opener with Central Michigan, a 4-1 Huskie victory, Grable walked three times and scored a run and was 1-for-2 with a walk in game two with the Chippewas. She did her most damage in the series opener against Eastern Michigan as she led NIU to an 8-6 extra-inning victory. She went 3-for-6, including her team leading eighth home run of the season and drove in two. Grable was a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk in the Huskies’ 4-3 setback to Eastern Michigan on Sunday

Jessica Sturm, Northern Illinois University, Pitcher

Junior, Wichita, Kan./Goddard

Jessica Sturm improved to 13-11 going 2-1 in three appearances over the weekend. She posted a 2.10 ERA allowing six runs, four earned, in 13.1 innings of work. She was solid in the pitcher’s circle in a 4-1 victory over Central Michigan in the series opener. She allowed one run while scattering five hits and three base on balls. She was effective in relief in the Huskies’ 8-6 11-inning victory over Eastern Michigan Saturday. She allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits and two walks in three-and-a-third innings of work.

Amanda Dalton, Ohio University, INF

So., Salem, Va./Salem

Dalton led the Ohio University softball team (25-19, 10-4 MAC) with four hits and a .308 batting average on the fourth weekend of Mid-American Conference play. The junior helped the Bobcats sweep the Battle of the Bricks over archrival Miami for the first time since 2009 last Friday (April 18) in Oxford Ohio, She recorded her team-high 15th multi-hit game of the 2014 season, leading Ohio with two hits as the ‘Cats posted a 1-0 victory in nine innings in game one of the twin bill. Dalton has hit safely in 27 of Ohio’s 44 games in 2014. She leads the squad with a .333 batting average and is tied for the team lead with 44 hits. Dalton is batting a team-best .409 with a team-high 18 hits  — including three doubles – over 14 league games.

Savannah Jo Dorsey, Ohio University, Pitcher

So., Grove City, Ohio/Central Crossing

Dorsey went 1-1 with a save on the fourth weekend of Mid-American Conference play for the Ohio University softball team (25-19, 10-4 MAC), striking out 19 over 21.0 innings of work to up her season total to 202 – the second-most strikeouts in a single season in Ohio history. The sophomore helped the Bobcats sweep the Battle of the Bricks over archrival Miami for the first time since 2009 last Friday (April 18) in Oxford Ohio, and secured the program’s best start to league play (10-2) in program history. Dorsey dominated in the circle in game one of the twin bill, tallying nine strikeouts over nine frames of work while shutting out the RedHawks and limiting Miami to just six hits and a walk in a 1-0 victory. Dorsey, who started the game in the circle for Ohio and worked the first four frames, came back out in the home half of the seventh and retired the side to record her second save of the season in a 4-3 come-from-behind win in game two. On the season, Dorsey is 18-13 with two saves and has thrown 188.2 innings.

Melissa Palmer, Western Michigan

Sophomore, Troy, Mich./Athens

Melissa Palmer hit .357 this past week (5-for-14) with the second home run of her career (both coming this season).  Palmer’s highlight game of the week came in WMU’s 4-1 win at EMU where she had a 3-for-5 performance, including the home run that led off the game.  Palmer hit safely in three of four games and reached base safely in all four games of the weekend.