LSU junior outfielder Rachel Mitchell has been named the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I National Player of the Week for the week of March 16-22, 2009, the NFCA announced on Tuesday. 

Five of Mitchell’s hits last week produced runs for the Tigers as Mitchell racked up 11 RBI on a .353 batting average and a .706 slugging percentage. 

With LSU behind 5-2 in the fifth inning of game two against then-No. 2 Alabama, Mitchell belted a three-run double to tie the score at 5-5. She went ahead to score the game-winning run by using alert base running on a Crimson Tide error after a single from teammate Ashley Applegate. 

Mitchell cranked a three-run home run in the series opener at Mississippi State to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 LSU advantage. She also knocked the go-ahead double during game two. The LaPorte, Texas, native capped the week with a trio of RBI in the series finale against the Bulldogs. 

LSU improved from No. 21 to No. 17 in this week’s USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll.