Weekly NCAA Conference Softball Awards Round-up

In a CSUN-sweep of the softball weekly awards, Taylor Glover and Taylor Troost helped the Matadors go 4-1 to receive Big West Field Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week honors.

Glover Hits .500 at Mizuno Classic

CSUN junior Taylor Glover (Los Angeles, Calif./Mira Costa HS) went 9-18 over five games at the Mizuno Classic to earn her second Big West Field Player of the Week award this season and the fourth of her career.

The center fielder hit a round-tripper in CSUN’s tournament opener versus Idaho State and added three hits, two RBI and two stolen bases in her 2016 Mizuno Classis debut to lead the Matadors to an 8-0 shutout victory.

Over the course of the five games, Glover cracked two doubles and a triple for four extra-base hits while notching a four-hit outing over Idaho State in their first meeting.  Friday marked the fourth time in her career the junior recorded four hits in a single contest.

Going 9-18 over the weekend, the outfielder added five RBI and six runs, contributing to 11 of CSUN’s 31 runs en route to the 4-1 tournament record.  Glover also boasted a .526 on-base percentage with a .889 slugging percentage to help the Matadors improve to 17-13 overall.

Other’s nominated: Makenna Young (Cal Poly), Ariana Williams (Cal State Fullerton), Julia Lombardi (Long Beach State), Maddy Richard (UC Riverside), Breanna Ojala (Hawai‘i)

Troost Throws a No-No Versus Idaho State

CSUN freshman Taylor Troost (San Bernadino, Calif./Citrus Valley HS) had an outstanding week in the circle including a no hitter to earn her first-ever Big West Pitcher of the Week honors.

The pitcher no-hit Idaho State to open the Mizuno Classic and went 3-0 with a 0.68 ERA in 20.1 innings of work.  Troost’s no-no is the first for a Matador since 2008 as the freshman shutout Idaho State in six innings in the circle.

The first year started and won both games Sunday in a sweep of Yale and the Bengals later in the week.  At one point during Sunday’s contests, the rookie had a streak of 15.1 innings without allowing a hit and a 23-inning scoreless streak.

Troost improved to 5-5 on the year with a 3.93 ERA while holding the opposition to a .269 batting average in 67.2 innings of work.

Others nominated:  Sierra Hyland (Cal Poly), Desiree Ybarra (Cal State Fullerton), Christina Clermont (Long Beach State), Tayler Misfeldt (UC Riverside), Jennifer Iseri (Hawai‘i) – See more at: http://www.bigwest.org//story.asp?story_id=19020#sthash.I908nHVg.dpuf

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Michaela Transue • Hofstra
Jr. | SS | Chenango Forks, N.Y./Chenango ForksTransue nearly had a perfect weekend at the plate for the Pride, going a remarkable 9-for-11 for a .818 average. In the team’s first three games of the week, the junior went a combined 9-for-9, accounting for five runs scored, nine RBI and four walks. She also added one double, one triple and one homer as Hofstra lost to Fordham on Wednesday and beat Penn State in a doubleheader on Saturday. Over both wins on Saturday, Transue’s stat line included six hits in six at-bats, eight RBI, four runs, two homers and three walks. Her only strikeout of the week occurred in Sunday’s series finale against Penn State, though she also drew another walk in defeat.PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Peyton Jordan • UNCW
Jr. | P | Waxhaw, N.C./Marvin RidgeJordan’s role in her team’s 5-0 week can’t be overlooked, after the junior right-hander earned a 4-0 record in the circle along with a perfect 0.00 ERA. UNCW improved to 19-9 overall – matching its win total from a year ago – and grabbed wins over Bryant (twice) and Columbia in a three-game series at home. Over 21 innings of total work, she allowed 11 hits, struck out 14 and walked one batter. Not only did Jordan limit opposing hitters to a .159 average, but she gave up just one extra-base hit and moved to 10-2 on the season, becoming the first Seahawk to reach the 10-win plateau in three years.ROOKIE OF THE WEEK:
Bailey Boyd • Towson
Fr. | INF | Silver Spring, Md./James Hubert Blake

For the second time in as many weeks, Boyd impressed for the Tigers (19-5) and picked up the league’s Rookie of the Week award. The freshman collected five hits in 13 at-bats, finishing TU’s 3-1 week with two doubles, four runs and four RBI. Towson beat Pacific to close out a West Coast trip on Tuesday and then went 2-1 at home with wins over Mount St. Mary’s and Fordham, as well as a loss to the Rams on Friday. On Saturday, Boyd had one hit (a solo home run in the second inning) in the Tigers’ eventual, walk-off 8-7 win against Fordham.

C-USA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JOJO FALLEN | UAB | JR. | PRATTVILLE, ALABAMA
Fallen led the Blazers at the plate during a 3-1 week that included a series victory over West Division foe Southern Miss to kick off Conference USA action. The junior carried the UAB offense with a .500 batting average and 1.000 slugging percentage, including a double, a triple and a home run. Fallen knocked in six hits, four RBI and three extra-base swats on the week, all of which were team highs. Her most impressive performance came in a 3-for-4 outing in a 7-1 victory over the Golden Eagles on Saturday, coming up just a home run short of the cycle. This is the Prattville, Alabama-native’s first career weekly award.C-USA PITCHER OF THE WEEK
KYLEE HANSON | FLORIDA ATLANTIC | JR. | JUPITER, FLORIDA
Hanson, the Preseason C-USA Pitcher of the Year, continued her dominating junior campaign by adding three two-hit, complete game shutout victories to her tally. The Owl ace proved to be pivotal in a 2-0 extra-inning (eight) victory over instate rival and former C-USA member (RV) UCF during midweek non-conference action, going the distance with nine strikeouts. In the series finale against Middle Tennessee on Sunday, Hanson didn’t allow any of her five baserunners to advance past first base. On the week, the junior phenom tossed 21.0 innings of shutout ball, racking up 23 strikeouts and pushing her league-leading ERA to 0.76. The Jupiter, Florida-native currently holds an 11-3 record overall on the season, including 2-0 in C-USA play. This is the junior’s second weekly award of 2016, and fifth in her overall career.

AAC Softball

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Kristen Wyckoff • 2B • Jr. • USF • Plant City, Fla.
Wyckoff has earned Player of the Week honors after she led the Bulls with a .769 average on 10-for-13 hitting over the week. The junior recorded four multi-hit games, scoring nine runs and adding three RBIs from the leadoff spot. Wyckoff was also a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen base attempts. The Plant City, Fla., native led the team with a .824 on-base percentage. Against Lehigh, Wyckoff was 3-for-3 with an RBI, and she went 2-for-2 with two RBIs against Georgia Tech.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Caitlin Sill • Sr. • Tulsa • Tuttle, Okla.
Sill has been named Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season after she went 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA. The senior led Tulsa to a 5-0 week, which included two wins over No. 22/22 Minnesota and a road win at Arkansas. She tallied 17 strikeouts in 18.0 innings and tossed two complete games, including a four-hit shutout of UMKC on Saturday. On Sunday, Sill pitched the final 6.0 innings against Saint Louis and allowed no runs on four hits. In her two outings at the Rock Chalk Challenge, the product of Tuttle, Okla., struck out 15 batters in 11 shutout innings. Sill allowed no runs in her final 13 innings of the week, spanning three games.

WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Kayla Doty • P • Jr. • UConn • Ghent, N.Y.
Threw two complete-game victories, allowing just one run. The junior totaled six strikeouts and gave up just three walks on the weekend.

Dominique Pinto • DH • Jr. • UConn • Newtown, Pa.
Hit .417 over five games, as the junior tallied eight RBIs including a three-run homer against CCSU and two-run homer against Eastern Michigan.

Molly Smith • P • So. • Memphis • Yamhill, Ore.
Recorded her second shutout of the season over Northern Kentucky on Sunday, striking out eight and allowing just four baserunners.

Erica Nunn • P. • Sr. • USF • Apex, N.C.
Posted a 3-0 record, with two saves and a 1.11 ERA. Nunn made five appearances and four starts in the circle, throwing 19 innings and giving up just four runs, three earned, to go with 19 strikeouts. She went 6-for-9 at the plate, with four hits for extra bases including two home runs. Nunn also recorded eight RBIs and scored five runs.

Julia Hollingsworth • DP • Fr. • Tulsa • Ennis, Texas
Hit .583 for the week, including .833 over the weekend, to lead Tulsa to a 5-0 week with two wins over No. 22/22 Minnesota and a road win at Arkansas. She went 5-for-6 with five RBI, five runs, a triple and two walks in three games at the Rock Chalk Challenge in Lawrence, Kan.

Southern Softball

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Mercer outfielder Taylor Miller and UNCG pitcher Alicia Bazonski garnered Southern Conference Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for games played March 14-20, the league office announced Monday.

Miller, a junior, was an efficient 7-for-11 (.636) at the plate and recorded one RBI in all four of the Bears’ wins at the Mercer Bears Classic. The Lawrenceville, Ga., native posted a pair of multi-hit performances on Friday, going 2-for-2 in an 11-2 rout of Seton Hall and 3-for-4 in a 5-2 win over Oakland. On Saturday, Miller added a hit in both games as the Bears earned a weekend sweep of Oakland and Seton Hall. She was also a terror on the base paths, notching three steals and crossing the plate four times at the tournament.

Miller has a SoCon-best 17 steals on the season and leads in the Bears in batting average (.410), hits (41), total bases (43) and on-base percentage (.449).

Bazonski collected her second consecutive pitcher of the week honor and third of the season after compiling a 3-0 record in the circle at the Blue/Gold Invitational. The sophomore right-hander totaled 21 1/3 innings over four starts, registering a 1.64 ERA and limiting opposing hitters to a .259 batting average. Bazonski began the week on Tuesday by throwing six innings, allowing one earned run and fanning six batters in an 11-3 blowout of Bryant. Two days later, she tossed five shutout innings as the Spartans blanked George Washington, 6-0. After putting in 5 1/3 innings of work against Robert Morris on Friday, the Sheffield, Mass., product closed out the week on Saturday by hurling five shutout innings as the Spartans beat the Colonials, 8-0.

Bazonski is 11-2 on the season and boasts a 0.91 ERA in March.

SoCon softball action resumes Tuesday when Samford hosts Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. (EST).

Other nominees for player of the week: Hagan Kiser (UNCG), Hannah Trombley (Samford) and Criket Blanco (Chattanooga).

Atlantic Sun Softball

Atlantic Sun Softball Co-Player of the Week – March 21, 2016
Ryan Rector, USC Upstate
Senior | Outfielder | Belton, S.C. | Elementary Education
– Second Career Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honor; second this season
– Hit three home runs to lift Upstate to series win at Lipscomb
– Tallied 12 total bases with slugging percentage of 1.000
– Hit go-ahead homer in game one for a 3-2 victory
– Followed with HRs, six RBI in game three rubber match
– Won the game on a two out grand slam in 11th inning

Atlantic Sun Softball Co-Player of the Week – March 21, 2016
Ashly Smith, Stetson
Freshman | Infielder | Port Orange, Fla. | Discovery
– First Career Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honor
– Batted .538 and slugged .846 in five games for Hatters
– Went 5-for-9 in opening A-Sun series at North Florida
– In 8-3 win on Saturday, hit two-run single and RBI triple
– In Sunday’s 8-0 victory, hit bases-clearing triple for second three-bagger of the weekend
– Recorded perfect weekend at first base with no errors

Other Nominees: Racquel Fournet, FGCU; Victoria Brown, Jacksonville; Kara Chambers, Kennesaw State; Sarah Higgins, Lipscomb; Shelby Duncan, North Florida.

Atlantic Sun Softball Pitcher the Week – March 21, 2016
Holly McKinnon, USC Upstate
Junior | Pitcher | Ocala, Fla.
– Third Career Atlantic Sun Pitcher of the Week honor
– Picked up both conference wins for Upstate last week
– Pitched 18.0 total innings, including all 11 in extra innings series clincher
– Finished the week with 17 strikeouts and only three walks
– Limited opponents to .215 batting average
– Allowed only four runs in two appearances against Lipscomb

Other Nominees: Paige Curtis, Jacksonville; Kelly Young, Lipscomb; Janet Snipe, North Florida; Tori Perkins, Stetson.

WAC Softball

DENVER – Grand Canyon’s Shea Smith and Missouri-Kansas City’s Katie Kelley have been named the Western Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for March 14-20. This is the first-ever honor Smith and the second of the season (first pitcher) and sixth of her career (four hitter, two pitcher) for Kelley.

Smith, a freshman shortstop from Waddle, Ariz., hit .533 (8-of-15) with two runs scored and three RBIs at the Easton Tournament in Fullerton, Calif., last week. She posted a .533 slugging percentage and a .625 on-base percentage with a hit in four of five games, including a 4-for-4 game against UNLV. She also recorded hits against No. 6 Alabama and No. 13 Oklahoma and was responsible for the lone RBI against the Sooners. In the team’s shutout victory over UNLV, Smith was perfect on the night going 4-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. She currently leads the WAC in batting average (.430), on-base percentage (.523), runs (36) and doubles (12).

Kelley, a senior from Coweta, Okla., went 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in two appearances last week, holding opponents to a .111 batting average. She gave up just four hits over 11.0 innings, striking out 10. Kelley recorded a season-high seven strikeouts in a complete-game shutout victory over Saint Louis, allowing just two hits in the contest. She also came in for a relief appearance against No. 17 Minnesota, down 2-0, and pitched four innings of shutout ball, striking out three batters and allowing just two hits.

Other Hitter of the Week nominees included: CSU Bakersfield’s Sydney Raeber hit .417 with a double, a stolen base and two RBIs over four games … Kendra Leach of Missouri-Kansas City hit .556 with a triple and two RBIs over three games last week … NM State’s Amy Bergeson hit .400 with four walks over six games last week … Paige Bouska of Seattle U hit .474 with a pair of doubles and two RBIs in five games last week.

Other Pitcher of the Week nominees included: CSU Bakersfield’s Amber Mills went 1-0 with a 0.84 ERA and four strikeouts in two appearances last week … Taylor Nowlin of Grand Canyon posted a 2.72 ERA and went 2-0 with a save and 19 strikeouts over 18.0 innings last week.

WCC Softball

SAN BRUNO, Calif. – Loyola Marymount sophomore third baseman Alicia Brown and BYU junior pitcher McKenna Bull have been named the West Coast Conference Softball Players and Pitcher of the Week, the conference office announced Monday.

Brown earned her second career WCC Player of the Week honor after she hit .464 with a .531 on base percentage and 1.036 slugging percentage in nine games last week for the Lions. Brown went 13-for-28 at the plate, including four doubles and four home runs. She knocked in seven runs and scored eight times. She also drew four walks and made 13 putouts with 25 assists and zero errors in the field. Brown finished with multi-hit games against Harvard, Princeton, Yale, UNLV and UC Riverside with her best performance coming on a 2-for-3 day against Yale when she knocked in a three-run home run. She also hit her team-leading 10^th double of the season against UC Riverside with her 10 doubles and seven home runs through 31 games this season matching her totals through 51 games one year ago. She now leads the Lions in doubles (10), home runs (7), RBI (21), runs (27) and slugging percentage (.753), while ranking second in batting average (.404) and hits (36).

Bull threw her second-career no-hitter against UC Santa Barbara in an 8-0 shutout in five innings. She threw seven strikeouts and just one walk in the win. One day prior, Bull also got the save in the upset of No. 24 Fresno State. On the week, Bull totaled 25 strikeouts and 12 walks in six games with a 1.82 ERA. She also moved into second place in BYU career victories, innings pitched and shutouts. This season, she has 168 strikeouts, notching double-digit strikeouts in five games.

It is the first honor this season for Brown and the fourth of the year for Bull.

Player of the Week Also Nominated: Lauren Bell, BYU; Kailey Hill, San Diego
Pitcher of the Week Also Nominated: Megan Sabbatini, San Diego 

MVC Softball

MVC Player of the Week
Shaye Harre, Junior, Nashville, Ill. – Southern Illinois
Shaye Harre hit three home runs and had nine RBIs in SIU’s 3-0 week. Harre went 5-for-8 with a double, three home runs, nine RBIs, three walks and four runs scored in three games. Her slugging percentage was 1.875 and her on-base percentage was .727 (8-for-11) while playing perfect defense. Harre led SIU to a 2-0 start to MVC play, and the 3-0 week makes Southern 8-1 in its last nine games.

MVC Pitcher of the Week
Nicole Newman, Sophomore, Madison, Wis. – Drake
Newman had a great week in the circle going 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA with 30 strikeouts to just eight walks. She allowed just eight earned runs on 17 hits in 26.2 innings of work while allowing hitters to hit just .181. Newman started the week pitching 8.1 innings in a tough loss to SIUE, but bounced back with a pair of complete game wins over Evansville and she added another win with a dominate relief appearance in another game vs. Evansville. On the season, Newman is 10-5 with a 2.46 ERA with 111 strikeouts.

MVC Newcomer of the Week
Kennedy Frank, Freshman, Infielder, Chesterfield, Mo. – Drake
Kennedy Frank batted .421 with eight hits, five stolen bases, four runs scored, three runs batted in, one home run and one double with a .632 slugging percentage and .450 on-base percentage in helping Drake go 4-1, including a three-game sweep of Evansville to start MVC play, this past week. She started the week with three hits in a win over Saint Louis followed that with a home run and a double in a loss to SIUE. In the win over Evansville in game two on Saturday she had three hits again along with one run scored and one RBI along with two stolen bases. On the season, Frank is hitting .297 and leads the team in home runs with five and is second in RBI with 14.

Big South Softball

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Liberty first baseman Madison Kotchey (Hummelstown, Pa.) has been selected as the Big South Conference Softball Player of the Week, while Radford’s Kayla Huffman (King William, Va.) has been named The Crons Brand Pitcher of the Week for games played March 14-20, it was announced today by the conference office.

Kotchey averaged .500 at the plate last week to lead Liberty to a 3-0 start in conference play as the Lady Flames swept Winthrop in Lynchburg, Va. In 10 at-bats, the sophomore tallied five hits, five RBI, four runs scored, two home runs and doubled in all three games. Kotchey slugged 1.400, posted an on-base percentage of .583 and did not strike out in her 12 plate appearances.

Huffman went 2-0 on the week, allowing only one earned run in 14.0 innings against East Carolina and Charleston Southern. On Wednesday, she struck out nine batters, surrendered five hits and held ECU hitters to .185 in her complete game to lead the Highlanders to a 6-1 victory over East Carolina. In the second game of Radford’s doubleheader against Charleston Southern, Huffman tossed a one-hit complete game shutout with four strikeouts to give Radford their 16th win of the season.

Also nominated for Player of the Week: Morgan Noad (Coastal Carolina), Carly Adams (Longwood), Blaire Miller (Presbyterian) and Whitney Davis (Radford).

Also nominated for Pitcher of the Week: Kelsey Dominik (Coastal Carolina), Julia DeMartino (Liberty), Sydney Gay (Longwood) and Katie Brown (Presbyterian).

MAC Softball

MAC East Player of the Week:
Michaela Schlattman / Miami / Shortstop
Fr. / Plainfield, Ill. / Plainfield
Schlattman continued her incredible freshman year in leading Miami to a 5-1 record on the week. She hit .421 with a home run and a team leading 6 RBIs. With five walks and two hit by pitches she had an on base percentage of .577 for the week. She also finished with a team-leading .684 slugging percentage. Defensively, she had 15 assists and 11 putouts on the week.

Schlattman had a triple and home run in a 2-for-4 performance with a career-high 4 RBIs in a win over Butler on March 15. She went 2-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored in the nightcap.

Schlattman also had two hits in the RedHawks come from behind victory against Central Connecticut State, starting Miami’s sixth inning three-run rally with a single up the middle to lead off. She also drove in a RBI against Eastern Michigan and had three walks and a hit by pitch in the win over Brown. Schlattman is now batting .296 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs as Miami’s leadoff hitter this season.

MAC East Pitcher of the Week:
Savannah Jo Dorsey / Ohio / Pitcher
R-Jr. / Grove City, Ohio / Central Crossing
Redshirt junior Savannah Jo Dorsey led Ohio in the circle at the NC State DoubleTree RDU Invite, where the Bobcats went 5-0 and came away tournament champions.

Overall, Dorsey went 4-0 in four appearances with two starts and registered a 0.00 ERA in 23.2 innings. She allowed no earned runs on five hits (all base hits), walked two and struck out 39. On the weekend, opponents batted .066 against Dorsey.

On March 18 against IUPUI, Dorsey came in relief and pitched 3.1 innings, allowing no runs on one hit and striking out seven to help Ohio win 2-1 in nine innings. In the game, Dorsey recorded her 600th career strikeout, the first Bobcat ever to do so. In the next game against NC State, Dorsey allowed no runs on one hit in seven innings of work. She did not walk a batter and struck out 12 in the 2-0 shutout victory.

On March 19 against Bryant, Dorsey came in relief once again and earned the 3-2 walk-off win. Dorsey pitched 5.1 innings, allowed no runs on no hits and struck out 10.

In the championship game on March 20 against Bryant, Dorsey pitched eight innings, allowing one run (unearned) on three hits and struck out 10 in the 2-1 walk off win in the eighth inning.

MAC West Player of the Week:
Emily Naegele / Northern Illinois / Catcher
Sr. / Oak Forest, Ill. / Oak Forest
Emily Naegele continued her outstanding season with a monster week at the plate during the NIU’s spring break trip. The Huskie senior posted a batting average of .421, while slugging 1.105 in seven games. Naegele went 8-for-19, with five extra base hits, including four home runs, while driving in 13 runs and scoring six. She kicked off her incredible week with a 3-for-4, four RBI performance in 10-1 victory over Campbell. The Oak Forest, Ill. native opened play in the Blue/Gold Challenge with a 2-for-2, with a home run, five-RBI, two-runs scored performance in a 13-9 win over Elon. Naegele turned in another multi-RBI game when she recorded a 1-for-3, two RBI game in a 5-0 victory over host UNC Greensboro. She hit her 10th homer of the season and fourth of the week in an 8-0 victory over Robert Morris on the final day of the tournament.

MAC West Picther of the Week:
Nicole Steinbach / Ball State / Pitcher
Sr. / Merrillville, Ind. / Andrean
Ball State senior pitcher Nicole Steinbach turned in another solid week of play, earning a pair of wins in the circle for the Cardinals while posting a 1.27 ERA and holding the opposition to a .205 batting average.

In Friday’s 2-0 win over UMass, Steinbach notched her third complete game shutout victory of the season by limiting the Mintuewomen to four hits and a pair of walks over 7.0 innings of work. She also struck out five batters in the contest.

In Sunday’s 5-4 win over Boston, Steinbach entered the game in relief in the bottom of the fourth inning and held the Terriers to just four hits and a pair of earned runs over 4.0 innings of work. She also struck out four in the contest, including the final batter of the game.

Atlantic 10 Softball

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The Atlantic 10 Conference has named Fordham junior Sydney Canessa and Dayton sophomore Manda Cash the Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively. Fordham’s Jessica Hughes earned Rookie of the Week honors. The awards were for games played Mar. 14-20.

Canessa, a native of Wall, N.J.,  batted .500 (9-for-18) with a home run, two doubles, a triple, 11 RBI, six runs scored, four walks, and five stolen bases in five attempts, as the Rams went 4-1 during the week. She recorded three multi-hit games and four games with two or more RBI.

Cash, a native of Columbus, Ohio, shut down an Akron team that had won 11-of-12 games including seven in a row, to earn her second win of the season. The sophomore tossed a complete game, three-hit performance against the Zips, striking out nine batters along the way. She then came back in the second game of the double header to slam the door on Akron’s offense and pick up her third save of the season.

Hughes recorded 10 hits in 17 at-bats (.588) with 11 runs scored, four RBI, a double, six walks, and four stolen bases in four attempts. The Sewell, N.J., native posted an on-base percentage of .696 last week raised her average from .315 to .371 over five games last week.

Big East Softball

BIG EAST Player of the Week
Kaitlyn Wilkens, St. John’s, Jr., C
Wilkens batted .545 across five games, with two multi-hit performances over the Red Storm’s five-game home stand. The junior went 2-for-3 with two RBI against Stony Brook, belting the first home run of her career. She finished the week with a slugging percentage of .818 to go along with four RBI and three runs scored and threw out four base runners from behind the plate.

BIG EAST Pitcher of the Week
Madison Morris, St. John’s, Fr.
Morris was a force in the circle all week for the Red Storm, going 3-0 in four appearances. The freshman struck out 23 and finished with a 1.46 ERA in 24.0 innings as she allowed only 13 total hits. Morris surpassed her career high in strikeouts twice this week, first in a complete game, 3-hitter against Stony Brook where she totaled seven strikeouts. She then fanned eight and allowed only two hits in a complete game win over Howard to close out the St. John’s Invitational.

Summit League Softball

PLAYER OF THE WEEK
KOURTNEY POCK, OMAHA
Fr.  // C/OF // Scottsdale, Ariz.

• Named Summit League Player of the Week for the second straight week
• Belted her first two career grand slams during the week, including one against No. 23 Nebraska
• Racked up 10 RBI and 14 total bases while slugging .875 with a .412 on-base percentage
• Freshman has hit in five straight games and reached base safely in 11 straight

Also nominated: Jenna Balthazor, IPFW; Taylor Chitwood, IUPUI; Jackie Stifter, North Dakota State; Kelsey Marlow, Western Illinois

Previous honorees: Feb. 15 – Sydney Hames, Omaha; Feb. 22 – Payton Abbott, Western Illinois; Feb 29 – Jackie Stifter, North Dakota State; March 7 – Tierney Bottino, Western Illinois; March 14 – Kourtney Pock, Omaha

PITCHER OF THE WEEK
JACQUELYN SERTIC, NORTH DAKOTA STATE
So. // RHP // Sparks, Nev.

• Earned her fourth Summit League Pitcher of the Week award this season
• Contributed in all three wins for NDSU (3-0) over the week, going 2-0 in the circle with a save
• Tossed a complete game vs. Maryland, racking up seven strikeouts and allowing only one earned run
• For the week, posted a 0.58 ERA with 14 strikeouts and only giving up five hits in 12.0 innings pitched
• Currently leads The Summit League in wins (12), ERA (2.05) and strikeouts (91)

Also nominated: Demitra Burns, IPFW; Kaitlynn Moody, IUPUI

Southland Softball

FRISCO, Texas – McNeese State sophomore Erika Piancastelli was selected Southland Conference Softball Hitter of the Week while Southeastern Louisiana senior Taylor Bishop was named pitcher of the week, the league office announced Tuesday.

Hitter of the Week – Erika Piancastelli, McNeese State
Piancastelli had another big week in helping the Cowgirls to a 3-1 record with their loss coming in extra inning at UL-Lafayette. For the week, the Carlsbad, Calif. (Carlsbad H.S.), native was 5-for-9 from the plate with a .556 average and a 1.556 slugging percent. During the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi series, she produced a .800 average (4-for-5) and a 2.400 slugging percent. All four of her hits in the series were extra base hits including two home runs in the second game of the series. She also had two doubles in the series, five RBIs, including four in the opening game. This is her second consecutive weekly award.

Honorable Mention: Brianna Barnhill, Abilene Christian; Sable Hankins, Lamar; Brittany Lewis, Stephen F. Austin.

Pitcher of the Week – Taylor Bishop, Southeastern Louisiana
Bishop was dominant in three relief efforts this week, helping the Lady Lions to a 5-0 week. The Sugar Land, Texas (Travis H.S.), native struck out six in 4.2 innings of shutout relief, allowing the Lady Lions to rally for a 4-3 win over Southeast Missouri on Wednesday. She preserved a 2-0 lead with 2.1 hitless shutout innings in Saturday’s 2-0 series opening win over Northwestern State. She came in two batters into the game on Sunday and held UIW in check, allowing Southeastern to rally for a 4-2 win to complete the series sweep.

Honorable Mention: Shivan Landeros, Central Arkansas; Emily Vincent, McNeese State; Hannah Haydel, Nicholls.

American East Softball

BOSTON  – League play begins this weekend with three series. UMBC hosts Stony Brook, Albany visits Hartford and reigning champion Binghamton visits UMass Lowell. Read about this week’s award winners below:

Player of the Week
Bridget O’Malley, UMBC – Sr., SS, Baltimore, Md.

• Hit .700 (7-for-10) and racked up a .727 on-base percentage in three games last week.
• Slugged 1.300, clubbing a pair of home runs. 
• Drove in seven runs and scored five.

Pitcher of the Week
Devin Durando, Albany – So., Pitcher, Oakland, N.J.

• Went 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA, allowing just two earned runs in 18 innings of work.
• Allowed just 11 hits and struck out 14.

Rookie of the Week
Alyssa Derrick, Maine – Fr., Util., Coventry, R.I.

• Hit .379/.406/.862 in nine games last week.
• Smacked six extra-base hits, including four homers and two doubles.
• Drove in 15 runs and scored five. 

OVC Softball

Adidas® OVC Players of the Week – March 21

PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Karly Thompson, SS, Jr., 5-7, Blue Ridge, Ga. – Morehead State
Thompson hit .529 for the week as she led the Eagles to a 4-1 record. She finished the week with a team-high 9 hits, two doubles, 11 RBI, 14 total bases and a .824 slugging percentage. She belted the team’s lone home run of the week. In the sweep of Belmont, Thompson went 7-for-11 with eight RBI.

Others Nominated: Kacy Acree, Austin Peay; Jessica Wilson, Belmont; April Markowski, Eastern Illinois; Rachel Minogue, Eastern Kentucky; Emily Woodruff, Jacksonville State; Cayla Levins, Murray State; Savannah Carpenter, Southeast Missouri; Rachel Keller, SIUE; Jessie Lowery, Tennessee Tech

PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Jessica Wireman, P, So., 5-8, Louisville, Ky. – Eastern Illinois
Wireman went 4-0 in the circle, including recording three wins to open up OVC play against UT Martin. She threw three complete games, including an 8-0 shutout in the first game against the Skyhawks. She struck out eight batters in game one. She fanned 26 batters and give up just four earned runs in 21.1 innings of work last week.

Others Nominated: Autumn Hanners, Austin Peay; Hayley Flynn, Eastern Kentucky; Whitney Gillespie, Jacksonville State; Allison Rager, Morehead State; Madeline Krumrey, Southeast Missouri; Baylee Douglass, SIUE; Danielle Liberatore

Big Sky Softball

OGDEN, Utah (March 22, 2016) – The University of North Dakota is riding its longest winning streak since moving to Division I and to cap a great week, the Fighting Hawks swept the Big Sky Conference weekly softball awards. Sophomore Kaylin VanDomelen earned Pitcher of the Week while senior Taylor Hansen was named Player of the Week.

Hansen, a native of Chelsea Mich., helped lead the Fighting Hawks to a five-game winning streak. Last week she recorded a .471 batting average with seven RBI and two doubles. In UND’s 4-2 win over Iona on Sunday, the senior recorded a career-high four RBI.

For the season, Hansen holds a .333 batting average in 19 appearances. She currently leads the Hawks with 14 RBI and is second on the team in doubles with four.

VanDomelen, a native of Banks, Ore., went 3-0 in three complete-games last week. She struck out 24 opposing batters while allowing just four walks over the course of 21 innings. She conceded just two earned runs, finishing the week with a 0.67 ERA.

She also helped her team offensively, recording a .471 batting average with eight hits, five runs, and three doubles.

UND begins Big Sky Conference play with a double-header on Friday at Sacramento State. The Hawks and Hornets round out the series on Saturday at 12 p.m. Pacific.

Others Nominated

Player: Rachel Johnson (UNC); Alyson Kulp (WSU; Zamari Hinton (SAC); Ashlyn Ames (ISU); Delene Colburn (UM)

Pitcher: Kirtlyn Bohling (WSU); Taylor Tessier (SAC); Sara Stephenson (UM); Bailey Foster (ISU)

NEC Softball

NEC SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Madison Cabell, Saint Francis U
So., 1B, Ivor, VA/Southampton
Cabell came up big as the Red Flash swept three games this past weekend at the Cherry Blossom Classic in Fairfax, VA. In a 9-1 mercy-rule win over Canisius on Saturday, the sophomore went 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Cabell had RBI doubles in the first and fifth innings sandwiched around an RBI single in the third. The Ivor, VA native was also a force at the plate in Saturday’s doubleheader sweep of Cornell. In the opener, she singled in a run in the first inning before delivering in a big way in the bottom of the seventh with the Red Flash trailing by a run. After a one-out walk, Cabell stepped up to plate and launched a walk-off homer over the leftfield fence as SFU claimed a 5-4 win. Cabell finished her week with six RBIs, a .667 batting average, .700 on-base percentage and 1.222 slugging percentage.

NEC SOFTBALL PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Ketarah DeVries, Saint Francis U
Jr., P, Forreston, IL/Forreston
DeVries ended SFU’s 3-0 weekend at the Cherry Blossom Classic on a high note. In the Red Flash’s 13-0 victory over Cornell on Saturday, the junior tossed a five-inning no-hitter. The Forreston, IL, product allowed just one baserunner on a one-out walk in the first inning, before retiring the next 14 batters. This marks SFU’s second no-hitter this season, the first coming against UNC Wilmington in February when  Ethel Santai and DeVries combined for the win. DeVries also recorded the first individual no-hitter for the Red Flash since 2008.