Summit League
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The South Dakota State sophomore duo of infielder Cheyanne Masterson and pitcher Tori Kniesche collected the latest TicketSmarter Summit League Player and Pitcher of the Week accolades, respectively, league officials announced on Monday.
Masterson had quite the hitting display against St. Thomas in a three-game series sweep, as she hit .750 (6-for-8) with a 1.875 slugging percentage and a .778 on-base percentage. The Hartford, S.D., native opened her week going 3-for-3 with two singles and a home run, driving in three runs.
In the second game of the series, she belted a pair of home runs, driving in another trio of runs. The series finale saw Masterson record a single and score a run. Masterson ranks second in the League with 13 home runs behind teammate Cylie Halvorson and ranks first in league play with nine home runs.
Kniesche was lights out in the circle for SDSU, as the Wayne, Neb., native opened her week with a five-inning no-hitter against St. Thomas, striking out 13 batters. She walked two batters and picked up her 14th win of the season.
In her second appearance, she made NCAA Division I softball history, becoming one of two pitchers in the country this season to strikeout 20+ batters in a seven-inning game and one of 14 in NCAA Division I history. She walked just one batter in that game and picked up her second-straight no-hitter. The only ball in play during the game resulted in a foul out to third base. In total, Kniesche fired her third no-hitter of the season and the fifth of her career.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Cheyanne Masterson, South Dakota State
So. | Infield | Hartford, S.D.
Also nominated: Aly Vonfeldt (Kansas City); Jordyn Pender (South Dakota); Lynsey Tucker (Omaha); Madi Moore (North Dakota); Avery Wysong (North Dakota State)
PITCHER OF THE WEEK
Tori Kniesche, South Dakota State
So. | Pitcher | Wayne, Neb.
Also nominated: Clara Edwards (South Dakota); Kamryn Meyer (Omaha); Lainey Lyle (North Dakota State)
Great Plains Athletic Conference
(Sioux City, Iowa) – 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 April 18-24, 2022. Hauff Mid-America Sports is the presenting sponsor of the 2021-22 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 Morningside University is this week's GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports pitcher-of-the-week. Rincon, a sophomore from Granada Hills, California, threw her first collegiate no-hitter on Saturday as she shut out Dordt on the road. In the game, she had 12 strikeouts in the circle. In her other start this week, she threw a one-hitter against Hastings while striking out nine batters.
Player – Elliot Burns, Mount Marty University (Infield)
Elliot Burns of Mount Marty University is this week's GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports softball player-of-the-week. Burns, a junior from Rapid City, South Dakota, hit .500 (7-for-14) in four games last week. She had three home runs, two coming in a 5-4 win over Midland, and a pair of doubles while racking up seven RBI on the week. She also walked once and had three stolen bases and scored four times. 3-of-3 at the plate in the first game, followed by a home run in the second game. McMurtry registered a slugging percentage of 1.167 and an on-base percentage of .667.
NorthStar Athletic Conference
The North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) announced its final edition (No. 11) of the softball Players-of-the-Week Monday. Bellevue (Neb.) swept the weekly. Katie Cunningham was selected as the Pitcher-of-the-Week, while her teammate Liana McMurtry was selected as the Player-of-the-Week.
North Star Athletic Association Softball Pitcher-of-the-Week
Katie Cunningham – Bellevue (Neb.) – Freshman – pitcher – Bellevue, Neb. – Cunningham recorded a victory and a save in relief as Bellevue (Neb.) clinched the North Star Athletic Association softball regular-season title with a doubleheader sweep over Mayville State (N.D.). She tossed a complete game in the first game and recorded four strikeouts in 7-3 victory, limiting the Comets to two hits. Cunningham added a save in the second game of the doubleheader, tossing the final two outs of the game.
North Star Athletic Association Softball Player-of-the-Week
Liana McMurtry – Bellevue (Neb.) – Freshman – utility – Bellevue, Neb. – McMurtry was 4-of-6 at the plate (.667 batting average) to fuel Bellevue (Neb.) to its North Star Athletic Association regular-season title with a doubleheader sweep over Mayville State (N.D.). She was perfect 3-of-3 at the plate in the first game, followed by a home run in the second game. McMurtry registered a slugging percentage of 1.167 and an on-base percentage of .667.
Rocky Mountain Conference
Softball Player of the Week: Peyton Reisman, UCCS – R-Jr. – 1B – Fort Collins, Colo.
Reisman had a stellar weekend at the plate against NMHU, hitting .545 (6-for-11) with one triple and two home runs. The redshirt junior tallied 14 total bases in the series and scored four runs while also driving in four runs of her own. With two hit-by-pitches also to her credit, she reached base in eight of her 13 plate appearances for a .615 on-base percentage. In the field, Reisman posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage while recording 27 putouts at first base.
Softball Pitcher of the Week: Kylie Harpman, Regis – Fr. – RHP – Fort Collins, Colo.
Harpman earned two wins this past weekend as the Rangers won their series versus MSU Denver, taking three out of four games. Harpman pitched two complete games, fanning 10 batters in each contest while allowing nine hits through the weekend. She was credited with just three earned runs for a 1.93 ERA and walked only four batters. She only allowed an extra-base hit on two occasions and limited batters to a .167 average at the plate.
Minnesota Intercollegiate Conference
MIAC Softball Player of the Week
Tarah DeCroock
St. Olaf College
Sr. | Outfield
Farmington, Minn.
Tarah DeCroock hit .524 (11-for-21) and had at least one hit in all six of the Oles' games during a 6-0 week that locked up a spot in the playoffs. The senior had multiple hits in four of the six games, scoring six runs and driving in seven more. DeCroock started the week by going 3-for-5 with three runs and four RBI in a sweep of Hamline before going 5-for-7 with three runs and one RBI two days later against Macalester. She added three hits and drove home a pair of runs in two games against Gustavus on 5/1.
MIAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Kayla Simacek
Bethel University
Jr. | Right-handed Pitcher
Hastings, Minn.
Kayla Simacek helped lead the Royals to their second-ever MIAC regular-season title by going 4-1 in the circle where she tied the single-season conference record for league wins at 18. Simacek tossed four complete games including a five-inning perfect game on 4/29 against Augsburg where she struck out nine of the 15 batters faced in game one. In game two, she helped BU secure the regular-season title by striking out 13 and walking none while allowing one run on five hits. For the week, she worked 32 innings, striking out 48, walking none, and posting a 0.88 ERA.
Big 10 Conference
Player of the Week
Hannah Cady, Northwestern
So. – 3B – Clarkston, Mich. – Clarkston – Major: Biology
• Posted a .556 batting average, 1.222 slugging percentage and .714 on-base percentage in a 4-0 week for Northwestern, including a Big Ten weekend series sweep of visiting Iowa
• Collected two home runs, six RBI and scored five runs in four games last week, recording a hit, run and RBI in all three conference games over the weekend
• Homered in the final two games of the Iowa series, including her first career grand slam in Sunday’s finale
• Secures her first career Player of the Week citation
• Last Northwestern Player of the Week: Nikki Cuchran (April 25, 2022)
Pitcher of the Week
Maddie Schwartz, Wisconsin
Sr. – RHP – Chanhassen, Minn. – Chanhassen – Major: Consumer Behavior & Marketplace Studies
• Went 2-1 with a 0.34 ERA and two complete games in 20.2 innings last weekend at Penn State, registering 14 strikeouts and holding the Nittany Lions to a .099 batting average
• Tossed a complete-game, 10-inning, one-hit shutout in the April 29 series opener at PSU, carrying a perfect game through 8.2 innings while striking out eight
• Started and earned the win in the opener of an April 30 doubleheader, allowing just one hit over four innings, before going the distance in the nightcap and giving up just one earned run and fanning five in 6.2 innings
• Twice earned Academic All-Big Ten honors (2020, 2021)
• Garners her first career Pitcher of the Week plaudit
• Last Wisconsin Pitcher of the Week: Kirsten Stevens (Feb. 27, 2017)
Freshman of the Week
Ellie Hubbard, Wisconsin
2B – Wheaton, Ill. – Wheaton North – Major: Undeclared
• Batted .545 with a .727 slugging percentage and .583 on-base percentage in Wisconsin’s series win at Penn State last weekend
• Led the Badgers with six hits in the series (at least one in all three games), including a career-high three hits in the opener of an April 30 doubleheader
• Also had two hits in Wisconsin’s 1-0, 10-inning win over PSU on April 29
• Receives her first career Freshman of the Week award
• Last Wisconsin Freshman of the Week: Molly Schlosser (March 14, 2022)
Minnesota College Athletic Conference
Itasca Community College athletes sweep the MCAC North Division awards this week and continue their undefeated record in divisional play. Pitcher Izzy Clark earns the week's MCAC North Division Pitcher-of-the-Week award with her 1.11 ERA over 19 innings. She struck out 24 while walking only 3, and hit .400 scoring 7 runs for her Vikings. Emma Hurd, catcher/shortstop, hit .692 with 3 doubles and a home run to earn the MCAC North Division Player-of-the-Week.
Molly Gross, Anoka-Ramsey Community College pitcher, won her 9th and 10th games of the season without giving up an earned run and striking out 18. She picks up the MCAC South Division Pitcher-of-the-Week honor with her performances through the week. Teammate Emma Bright, centerfielder for the Golden Rams, went 11 for 13 at the plate with a double, a home run, and 8 stolen bases to earn this week's MCAC South Division Player-of-the-Week award.
Lone Star Atheltic Conference
HITTER
Kasey Flores, Lubbock Christian, SR, Humanities, Infield, El Paso, Texas, Eastlake
Flores helped LCU claim their fourth win of the season against a top-10 program, which is the most in a single season since 2013. She went 2-for-3 with two home runs and five RBI in the 9-4 win over Angelo State. Flores’ first home run helped LCU regain the lead and it came on the ninth pitch of a two-out at-bat. Flores was 2-for-4 with runners on base and 1-for-2 with the bases empty. The pair of blasts, her second multi-homer game of the season, has her with 17 home runs on the season. Seven of the homers have come with two outs and eight have come when LCU has either trailed or were tied at the time of the home run. Flores also surpassed 50 RBI (52) this season, with her five RBI Saturday.
PITCHER
Jacey Henry, UT Tyler, SR, Business Administration, RHP, Marietta, Okla., Turner HS
Henry tossed a complete game against #20 Texas A&M-Commerce in game two on Saturday afternoon, enduring a nearly four-hour weather delay to close out the Patriots 40th victory of the season with the 4-1 decision. She kept the Lion offense in check through the first three innings prior to the delay entering the top of the fourth inning. Henry returned to the circle to finish the game and help UT Tyler hold onto their 4-0 lead. The Marietta, Okla. native struck out nine batters in 7.0 innings, and stranded four runners in scoring position. She allowed just six hits and conceded her only run on an unearned run in the top of the seventh inning.
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----- USA Softball of South Dakota State Commissioner |
