Summit League
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – North Dakota State’s Carley Goetschius and Paige Vargas swept the latest TicketSmarter Summit League Softball Peak Performer and Pitcher of the Week awards, respectively, league officials announced on Monday.
Goetschius went 6-for-12 at the plate (.500) in four games over the week, including three games against Power 5 squads, helping the Bison to a 3-1 week. The Sioux Falls, S.D., native notched a pair of walks, fishing with a .571 on-base percentage, four RBI and three runs scored. She accounted for seven of NDSU’s 14 runs on the week.
In the weekend finale against Samford, Goetschius went 3-for-3 with three doubles and three RBI with one walk. Against Purdue on Wednesday, she went 2-for-4 with two singles and one RBI.
Vargas tossed a pair of complete-game shutouts against Power 5 opponents, including a one-hitter against Mississippi State that featured seven strikeouts and no walks. The Mission Viejo, Calif., native then tossed a six-hit shutout against Purdue two days later and matched a season-high with eight strikeouts.
She had just one walk allowed against Boilermakers and finished the week with 15 strikeouts to just one walk and seven total hits with no runs allowed.
PEAK PERFORMER OF THE WEEK
Carley Goetschius, North Dakota State
Sr. | Third Base | Sioux Falls, S.D.
Also nominated: Rozelyn Carrillo (South Dakota State)
PEAK PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Paige Vargas, North Dakota State
Sr. | Pitcher | Mission Viejo, Calif.
Also nominated: Shannon Lasey (South Dakota State), Clara Edwards (South Dakota)
Northern Sun Conference
NSIC Player of the Week
#18 Jasmin Estrada (IF, 5-9, Gr., L/R, Litchfield, Minn. / Litchfield HS) – St. Cloud State
- Helped the Huskies go 4-1 over the weekend
- Went 8-for-16 through five games with 11 RBIs
- Added seven runs, five extra base hits including three home runs and two doubles
- Went 2-3 with five RBIs, a home run and a double in a win over Parkside
- Added three RBIs, hit a three-run home run and a double in a win over BSU
- Set the all-time record at SCSU for career RBI with 162 after blasting a walk-off three-run home run against CSP
NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#15 Reegan Floyd (LHP, 5-8, So., L/R, Susanville, Calif. / Lassen HS) – Minot State
- Pitcher her first collegiate no-hitter in a 8-0, five inning win over Regina on Saturday
- Struck out a career high 13 of the 17 batters she faced
- Added three more strikeouts in a scoreless inning of relief on Sunday
- Finished the week with 6.0 innings pitched, one hit allowed with 16 strikeouts and two walks
Other Top Performances - Players
Gracey Brink (AUGIE) (Rapid City, SD) batted .571 with eight hits including three home runs over four games. She held a 1.214 slugging percentage and recorded six RBI. In Vikings' run-rule win over Northwest Missouri State, Brink went 2-for-3 and accounted for five RBI in the game. She also recorded a pair of home runs in that win. In Augustana's win over Rockhurst, Brink went 3-for-4 with a home run.
Other Top Performances - Pitcher
Hailey Houston (AUGIE) went 2-1 with a 3.68 ERA. She was stellar in in the Vikings' 8-0 run rule victory, pitching her first-career shutout and giving up just four hits while striking out seven. In AU's win over Rockhurst, she pitched six innings, giving up just four hits and striking out seven.
North Star Conference
North Star Athletic Association Softball Player-of-the-Week
Marissa Hawkins – Valley City State (N.D.) – senior – infielder – St. Paul, Minn. – Hawkins led Valley City State (N.D.) at the plate, going 9-of-16 and posting a batting average of .563 in the Tucson (Ariz.) Invitational. She tallied three doubles, a grand slam, scored four runs and drove in eight runs. Hawkins' grand slam helped send the Vikings to extra innings with Cottey (Mo.). Valley City State (N.D.) went 1-3 record on the week, with two setbacks, going into extra innings.
Lone Star Conference
HITTER
Alyssa LeBlanc, Texas Woman’s, JR, Sport Management, RHP, Katy, Texas, KHS
LeBlanc went 10-for-13 with five home runs, two doubles and 10 RBIs to lead the Pioneers to a road sweep of UT Permian Basin. LeBlanc also went 2-0 with 25 strikeouts over 13 innings in the circle, including a no-hitter. At the plate, LeBlanc scored eight runs, walked once and did not strike out. She also stole a base. LeBlanc, who leads the LSC with 13 home runs, had a 5-for-5 and 4-for-4 game.
CO-PITCHER
Tatum Goff, UT Tyler, JR, Nursing, LHP, Rusk, Texas, RHS
Goff went 2-0 with 17 strikeouts over 10 1/3 innings and recorded a no-hitter to lead the nationally-ranked Patriots to a sweep of Midwestern State. Goff did not allow a run and issued just one walk. She carried a perfect game into the fifth inning of her no-hitter. The left-hander is now 18-0 with a 1.20 ERA – both top marks in the LSC.
Maxine Valdez, Lubbock Christian, SR, Exercise Science, RHP, Buda Hays, HHS
Valdez recorded her second no-hitter of the season and fourth of her career to helping lead the nationally-ranked Lady Chaps to a series sweep of St. Mary’s. In the series, she went 2-0 – one win coming in relief during a 2-2 game that eventually turned into a 7-3 win – with 11 strikeouts and only two hits and one walk allowed over eight innings of work. Opponents were 0-for-8 with two outs against the right-hander.
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
Player of the Week: Shelby Robb, MSU Denver – Jr. – OF – Arvada, Colo.
Robb claimed two doubles, one triple and three stolen bases while securing a 1.091 slugging percentage and a 1.591 OPS. In addition to her 11-for-16 outing at the plate in a series sweep of Black Hills State, Robb homered in each of the first three games against the Yellow Jackets. She fell one triple shy of the cycle in Sunday’s opening game of and one home run short of the cycle in the series finale. After missing the first nine games of the season, she has played in the last 22 contests and is batting .437 with 28 RBI, 10 doubles, five triples and four homers. She also holds an .887 slugging percentage and a .481 on-base percentage for an OPS of 1.368.
Pitcher of the Week: Sadriena Rodriguez, Colorado School of Mines – Sr. – LHP – Imperial, Calif.
Rodriguez boosted the Orediggers to a 3-1 series win over Chadron State Sunday and Monday with a pair of complete-game victories. On Saturday, she worked a complete game seven-hitter while striking out six and allowing a pair of unearned runs in a 4-2 win. On Monday, Rodriguez worked another complete game effort with a one-hit shutout where she tied a season-high 10 strikeouts for a 7-0 win. For the weekend, the senior went 2-0 with two complete games, 16 strikeouts, six walks, eight hits allowed with two unearned runs for a perfect 0.00 earned-run average (ERA). The lefty now stands 5-2 on the season with a 2.61 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 67 innings of work.
GPAC Conference
The Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and Hauff Mid-America Sports are proud to announce the softball player and pitcher-of-the-week for contests played March 13-19, 2023. Hauff Mid-America Sports is the presenting sponsor of the 2022-2023 GPAC Players-of-the-Week and Players and Coaches-of-the-Year awards program.
Hauff Mid-America Sports/GPAC Softball Weekly Honors
Pitcher – Aliyah Rincon, Midland University
Aliyah Rincon of Midland University is this week's GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports pitcher-of-the-week. Rincon, a junior from Granada Hills, California, came out of the bullpen for her lone appearance this week. She struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced and didn't allow a hit as she earned the win in for innings. As a hitter, she went 1-for-2 with an RBI double in the 6th inning that tied the game.
Player – Camry Moore, Doane University (1st Base/Pitcher)
Camry Moore of Doane University is this week's GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports softball player-of-the-week. Moore, a senior from Crete, Nebraska, hit .500 on the week with 5 RBI and 4 runs scored. At the plate she was 6-for-12 and she also picked up a pair of wins in the pitcher's circle, both complete game performances with nine strikeouts in all.
South East Conference
Skylar Wallace, Florida
Wallace, a redshirt junior infielder from Woodstock, Ga., batted .545 with six hits, six runs scored and six RBI in the win over Bucknell and the series win over Missouri. In the Gators' come-from-behind win over Missouri, Wallace drove in the game-tying RBI in the bottom of the seventh inning, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error, and then scored on a wild pitch. Defensively, she posted three putouts and 12 assists, including a season-high five assists in the series finale win over the Tigers.
Pitcher of the Week
Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee
Pickens, a freshman right-hander from Weaverville, N.C., collected a pair of wins at No. 10 LSU to help the Lady Vols to their first sweep of a top-10 team since 2015. On Saturday, Pickens fanned nine batters in the complete-game one-hit shutout, her second in SEC play. She also appeared in the series finale on Sunday, striking out three batters in 1.2 innings of work to earn the win.
Freshman of the Week
Reis Beuerlein, Mississippi State
Beuerlein, a right-handed pitcher from Cave Creek, Ariz., tossed her first career complete game and MSU's fifth of the season in the mid-week win over Purdue. Beuerlein broke the MSU freshman record with 14 strikeouts against the Boilermakers. She also fanned five batters over five innings of work during the series sweep over South Carolina.
Big Ten Conference
Co-Player AND Freshman of the Week
Taryn Kern, Indiana
Fr. – 2B – San Jose, Calif. – Archbishop Mitty – Major: Undeclared
• Batted .667 with a 1.917 slugging percentage and .818 on-base percentage last week as Indiana extended its current winning streak to 12 games with five victories in as many tries
• Collected four home runs and six extra-base hits, along with 11 RBI and 10 runs scored
• Had at least one hit, one run and one RBI in all five games, including two home runs on March 18 against Northwestern State and four RBI on March 17 at Memphis
• Earns her second career Big Ten Player of the Week award
• Last Indiana Player of the Week: Taryn Kern (March 13, 2023)
• Captures her second Big Ten Freshman of the Week award
• Last Indiana Freshman of the Week: Taryn Kern (March 13, 2023)
Co-Player of the Week
Melina Wilkinson, Ohio State
So. – OF – Greensburg, Ind. – Greensburg – Major: Sport Industry
• Posted a .581 batting average, .806 slugging percentage and .563 on-base percentage last week to help Ohio State sweep all eight of its contests
• Registered 18 hits, 11 RBI, 11 runs scored and five stolen bases during the week
• Had at least one hit in all eight games, including a Big Ten record-tying five hits on March 14 against Charleston Southern and four hits on March 18 against East Carolina
• Captures her first Big Ten Player of the Week award
• Last Ohio State Player of the Week: Sam Hackenbracht (March 21, 2022)
Pitcher of the Week
Danielle Williams, Northwestern
Grad. – LHP – Pleasanton, Calif. – Amador Valley – Major: Human Development in Context
• Went 2-0 with a 0.55 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 12.2 innings last week to help Northwestern go 4-1 at the Omni Hall of Fame Classic in Oklahoma City
• Tossed a complete-game five-hit victory over No. 19 Auburn on March 17, striking out seven and allowing just one earned run
• Fanned a season-high 10 batters and allowed only three hits in 5.2 innings in a combined shutout victory over Weber State on March 18
• Two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten selection (2021, 2022)
• Collects her 10th career Big Ten Pitcher of the Week award (fifth-most in conference history) and first this season
• Last Northwestern Pitcher of the Week: Danielle Williams (April 25, 2022)
Big 12 Conference
Oklahoma’s Jayda Coleman (Player) and Baylor’s Dariana Orme (Pitcher) secured Big 12 softball awards for the final full week of non-conference play. Coleman led the top-ranked Sooners to three ranked wins while Orme guided No. 20 Baylor to a 4-1 week.
Coleman powered Oklahoma to a seven-win week including a 5-0 mark at the Omni Hall of Fame Classic where she batted .600 (9-15) with two home runs, two doubles, one triple and nine RBIs. The 2022 USA Softball Women’s National Team outfielder helped lift the Sooners to a 5-4 win over No. 6 Florida State and a pair of victories against No. 19 Auburn. Coleman led the Big 12 in total hits (11) and ranked second in runs (8) and total bases (21) last week. This is the two-time NFCA First Team All-American’s first weekly award this season and the second of her career.
Orme picked up three wins in the circle during the week while posting a 0.91 ERA. The native of Vacaville, California started four games, pitching 23.0 innings and striking out 27 while only allowing three earned runs with three complete games and two shutouts. The 2022 All-Big 12 Second Team member ranked first in innings pitched (23), complete games (3) and shutouts (2) while ranking second in opposing batting average (.128) and third in strikeouts (27). This is Orme’s second weekly league honor this season and of her career.
A full list of the season’s honors can be found here.
Minnesota College Athletic Conference
Emma Tautges, first baseman for Central Lakes College, earned this week's MCAC North Division Softball Position Player of the Week award. Tautges went 8 for 12 from the plate, hitting .667, with a double and 3 runs in her four games.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College catcher, Emma Hurd, went 10 for 18 from the plate with 4 doubles, 5 RBI, 3 runs, and 2 stolen bases in her 5 games this week to earn the MCAC South Division Softball Position Player of the Week award.
Mid America Conference
MAC Softball Player of the Week
Anna Dixon, Senior, Toledo
Anna Dixon led the Rockets offensively in the Battle of I-75 presented by Cooper Tires, going 7-for-11, hitting .636 over three games, with a triple, two doubles, six RBIs, and four runs scored. The Toledo softball team opened Mid-American Conference play as well as its home season going 2-1 over Bowling Green in its annual Battle of I-75 presented by Cooper Tires. In Game 1, her RBI single increased the Rockets' lead to 5-0 in the fourth inning . In Game 2, Dixon's triple to center field doubled Toledo's margin to 4-0 over the Falcons. Toledo won 6-1 and 7-3 on Friday. The Rockets rallied against the Falcons on Sunday evening in the series finale of the Battle of I-75 presented by Cooper Tires, but fell 9-8.
MAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Bridie Murphy, Freshman, Ball State
Bridie Murphy picked up the pitching win for Ball State in Friday’s 15-9 victory over Kent State. In 6.0 innings of relief work, she limited the Golden Flashes to four hits and four unearned runs. She struck out four of the 24 batters she faced and held KSU to a .190 batting average during her time in the circle.
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Cassie Cunniff
Carleton College
Sr. | Second Base
Mt. Prospect, Ill. | Prospect
Cassie Cunniff batted .714 with a .733 on-base percentage and 1.429 slugging percentage for an OPS of 2.162 in four games for the Knights last week. Cunniff hit safely in all four games and totaled two doubles, a triple, two home runs, two stolen bases, and seven runs batted in while crossing home plate seven times herself from the leadoff position. She registered a trio of three-hit games, including a two-home run performance against Oswego State on 3/17.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Kayla Simacek
Bethel University
Sr. | Right-handed Pitcher
Hastings, Minn.
Kayla Simacek went 7-1 in the circle for the Royals last week with a combined 87 strikeouts, two walks and five earned runs allowed in 52.1 innings of work. Teams hit .128 against Simacek while she averaged 11.6 Ks, throwing five complete game efforts and two shutouts. Her shutout wins came against Southern Maine (3/14) and Meredith (3/16) against whom she threw a combined 24 strikeouts. In a pitcher's duel loss to Loras on 3/17, Simacek struck out a season-high 16 batters while giving up one run on three hits.
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference
Softball Player of the Week
Softball Pitcher of the Week
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----- USA Softball of South Dakota State Commissioner |
