STARKVILLE, Miss. – Augustana (SD) junior Traci Fransen and Dixie State junior Brittnie Whipple have been named Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, for games played between April 19 and April 25, 2010. 

Fransen went 9-for-13 last week with six runs, 13 RBIs, three doubles, four home runs and a walk. For the week, she batted .692, had a 1.769 slugging percentage and a 0.857 on-base percentage. 

The Jackson, Minn., native had three multi-hit and multi-RBI games last week and recorded at least one hit, one run, one RBI and one home run in each of her four contests. Seven of Fransen’s nine hits on the week went for extra bases and she ended the week with no strikeouts. 

Heading into the weekend, the 12th-ranked Vikings are 37-8 overall and 19-1 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. With just six games left before the conference tournament, Augustana is currently in first place and has a one-game lead over second place Concordia-St. Paul. 

Whipple went 4-0 last week allowing just eight hits, three walks and one run over 25.0 innings while striking out 33. She finished the week with a 0.28 ERA, while limiting her opponents to a miniscule .094 batting average. 

The Moab, Utah native threw two complete game shutouts on the week, including a no-hitter against Dominican (CA). In the series finale, Whipple was once again on point and allowed just one hit while fanning 11 Penguins to give Dixie the four-game sweep. 

The Red Storm is currently 35-12 on the year and finished its PacWest schedule with a record of 24-6. While Dixie State must wait until May 9 to find out if it earned a spot in the NCAA Regionals, it will close out the regular season on Friday with a doubleheader against Division I Southern Utah. 

Other Top Performances 
Kayla Jackson of Arkansas-Monticello helped lead her team to four-game sweep of Arkansas Tech with four home runs on six hits… Quincy’s Torie Bunzell limited opponents to a .085 batting average and tossed a not hitter during a 4-0 week… C.W. Post’s Christy Softy had six home runs and 17 RBIs as the Pioneers went 5-1… Kirsten Frame of Rollins went 4-0 with 49 strikeouts including 20 in a 1-0 extra inning win over Florida Tech. 

2010 Louisville Slugger/NFCA DII National Player of the Week 
April 28 – Traci Fransen – Augustana (SD) – IF – Jackson, Minn. 
April 21 – Morgan Johnson – Valdosta St. – OF – Macon, Ga. 
April 14 – Tiffani Rodd – Concordia-St. Paul – OF – Sr. – Cloquet, Minn. 
April 7 – Miranda Campbell – Emporia State – Sr. – 3B – Bogota, Texas 
March 31 – Nicole Downs – New Haven – Sr. – 3B – Seymour, Conn. 
March 23 – Jessica Kortz – Slippery Rock – Sr. – C – Charleston, W.Va. 
March 17 – Hayley Chambers – Ouachita Baptist – Sr. – SS/C – Booneville, Ark. 
March 10 – Christine Roser – Rollins – Jr. – C/3B – Winter Springs, Fla. 
March 3 – Kelsey Mendenhall – Dixie St. – So. – 3B – Tooele, Utah 
Feb. 24 – Katie Bartlett – Missouri-St Louis – Sr. – C 
– Des Moines, Iowa 
Feb. 17 – Melissa Martinez – New Mexico Highlands – Fr. – P/1B – Albuquerque, N.M. 

2010 Louisville Slugger/NFCA DII National Pitcher of the Week 
April 28 – Brittnie Whipple – Dixie State – Jr. – P – Moab, Utah 
April 21 – Katie Goetzinger – Wayne St. – Jr. – P – Harlan, Iowa 
April 14 – Casey Hanes – Wayne St. (MI) – Sr. – P – Richmond, Va. 
April 7 – Torie Bunzell – Quincy – Sr. – P – Utica, Ill. 
March 31 – Diana Sansevera – Georgian Court – Jr. – P – Manalapan, N.J. 
March 24 – Kaitlin Carey – West Virginia Wesleyan – Fr. – P – Orlando, Fla. 
March 17 – Amber Waracka – Hawaii-Hilo – So. – P – Kahuluu, Hawaii 
March 10 – Stacey Struzynski – Winona St. – Jr. – P – Homewood, Ill. 
March 3 – Ashley Jones – Palm Beach Atlantic – Sr. – P 
– Jensen Beach, Fla. 
Feb. 24 – Katie Petersen – Midwestern St. – Sr. – P 
– Plano, Texas 
Feb. 17 – Melissa Martinez – New Mexico Highlands – Fr. – P/1B – Albuquerque, N.M.