OUTSTANDING DIVISION I PERFORMANCES (Week of April 16-22)

Kelli Lightner, Pitcher, Stetson

Lightner was dominate on the mound last week as she posted a 3-0 record, one save, and a 0.32 ERA. She struck out 29 batters in 22 innings, and opponents batted just .097 against her. Lightner tossed a one-hit complete game victory over Webber College on Monday, she threw a two-hit shutout over South Florida, a team receiving votes in the NFCA Top 25 Poll, on Wednesday, and she pitched a three-hit shutout over Mercer on Saturday for her 20th win of the season. She also picked up the save in game two against Mercer to extended her consecutive scoreless innings streak to 21 in a row. Lightner becomes just the third Stetson pitcher to record 20 wins in one season. For the week she allowed only seven hits (all singles) and just two runners to reach as far as third base.

Tiffany Cooley, First Base, Long Island University

Cooley went 10-for-22 at the plate with four home runs and 12 RBI in six games. She hit four consecutive home runs against St. Peter's on April 19, spanning her last at-bat of game one and her first three at-bats of game two. Her three homers in game two ties a national record, and of course, sets a school record. Currently, she leads the team in batting (359) with six HR and 36 RBI. She also has 11 doubles and has stolen six bases.

Sara Carlson, Outfield, Villanova

When it was time for a clutch hit VillanovaÕs Sara Carlson delivered four different times. Carlson blasted three crucial home runs and a triple last week, helping Villanova to 7-1 record and 3-1 conference mark. Against La Salle, Carlson crushed the game-winning home run to right field in the top of the sixth. With the score tied 1-1 in the top of the eighth inning against Seton Hall, Carlson again unloaded by hammering a walk-off two-run home run to right center to give Villanova a 3-1 conference win. For the week, Carlson was 8-for-19 with a .421 batting average. She tallied eight hits, four runs, five RBI, three home runs, one triple and one walk.

Stefanie Christoferson, Catcher, University of Illinois-Chicago

Christoferson helped pace the Flames to a 5-1 week, including an upset win over No. 10 DePaul, by hitting .556 (10-for-18) with five home runs, three doubles and 10 RBI. In UIC's 4-0 triumph over the Blue Demons on Wednesday, the senior broke the game open with a two-run shot off Sarah Martz in the sixth inning. Christoferson then really kicked it into gear on Saturday, paving the way to a doulbleheader sweep at Detroit by going 5-for-8 at the plate with three home runs, two doubles, and six RBI. Her first home run of the day proved to be especially meaningful as it was career hit No. 284 for the senior, setting the new UIC all-time hits record. Christoferson then capped the weekend with her fifth home run, a two-run blast, in a 3-1 victory at Cleveland State on Sunday. For the season, Christoferson, who is on pace to break the NCAA record for career games played, is batting .360 (59-for-164) with 10 home runs, 20 doubles and 36 RBI.

Becky Witt, Outfield, Fresno State

Witt led all Bulldogs in batting, runs, hits and stolen bases in the four games lastweekend. She committed one error in eight total chances (7-0-1). Against No. 2 Arizona, Witt hit .429 (3-for-7) with three runs and three total bases. In the nightcap, Witt went 3-for-5 with three runs. Against the Top 25 teams played this season, Witt is batting .400 (22-55) with 10 runs, two doubles, five walks, 3-for-3 in stolen bases, and 24 total bases in 16 games. Against LMU,Witt batted .667 (4-for-6) with two runs, an RBI, a walk, 3-for-3 stolen bases and four total bases. In the first game vs. LMU, Witt was perfect at the plate after going 3-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases. Witt, who ranks in seven Fresno State and WAC career records, has posted 20 multiple-hit games and has scored two or more runs in a game eight times as the leadoff batter. In her last 25 games, Witt is batting .380 (30-79) with 15 runs, three doubles, five RBI, and 7-for-7 stolen bases.

Jessica Mendoza, Stanford

Mendoza hit .467 (7-for-15) in five games last week as the Cardinal went 4-1. She hit her team-leading 13th home run of the year on Sunday in a 7-2 win over No. 8 Arizona State. In a non-conference doubleheader at Cal Poly, she went 6-for-8 with two doubles, two runs and three RBI. On the week, she had four RBI and was a perfect 3-for-3 on stolen bases. She also had a .800 slugging percentage. Mendoza continues to lead the Cardinal with her .428 batting average and .790 slugging percentage.

Lauren Bauer, University of Arizona

Bauer had a batting average of .444 for five games, including three home runs and seven RBI. She had eight hits, scored seven runs and had two doubles. Her stolen base tied her for second in Arizona history with 129. On the season, Bauer is leading the team with an .439 average. She has 10 home runs and leads Arizona with 75 hits.

Jenny Topping, Cal State Fullerton, Catcher, Cal State Fullerton

Topping, already a four-time Big West Player of the Week, took it to UC Santa Barbara last weekend, hitting a robust .625 (5-for-8) with five runs scored, a double, three home runs, and seven RBI while slugging 1.875 and walking twice. On Saturday in the double header against the Gauchos, Topping was 3-for-5 on the afternoon with three runs scored, two home runs, and five RBI. In game number one, she was 1-for-1 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI while walking twice. With the two walks, Topping set a Big West Conference single-season record for walks with 44, passing Fresno State's Gina LoPiccolo, who had 43 in 1991. Game two saw Topping go 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored and three RBI. Topping had an RBI single in the second inning and a two-run home run in the fourth. In game three, Topping was 2-for-3 at the plate, slamming a solo shot in the first and an RBI double in the third. She also scored twice on the day. Topping is now tied with teammate Yasmin Mossadeghi for the Big West lead with 13 home runs on the year. The duo is tied for third all-time on the Big West single season home run list, trailing only UNLV's Kim Rodina (15 home runs) and Cal State Fullerton's Stephenie Little (23 home runs) in that category.

Christi Musser, left field, Kansas

Musser went 3-for-3 with an NCAA Division I record-tying three home runs, six RBI and three runs scored in game one of a doubleheader against Iowa State on April 21. She followed that performance with a 2-for-5, two run, one RBI game in the nightcap against the Cyclones. Also went 1-for-2 in game two of a twin bill with Oklahoma City on April 17, and 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored versus Missouri on April 19.

Shelley Laird, Pitcher, Alabama

Laird threw two one-hitters last week, one against Auburn and one against Mississippi State. For the week, she was , and has allowed only one run in her last 36 innings pitched. Her 28 wins leads the SEC. For the week, she was 5-0 with one save. In 28 innings, she posted a 0.25 ERA with three shutouts, eight walks and 32 strikeouts.

Stacey Nuveman, Catcher, UCLA

Nuveman hit .500 for the weekend, going 3-for-6 with one run scored, one home run, two RBIs and five walks (three intentional walks). She finished the weekend with a .727 on-base percentage and a 1.000 slugging percentage, and was perfect defensively on 25 chances with 23 putouts and two assists.

OUTSTANDING DIVISION II PERFORMANCES (Week of April 16-22)

Jennifer Carson, DP/Catcher, Nebraska-Omaha

Carson went 13-for-17 at the plate (.765 batting average) with seven runs, four RBIs, one double, one walk and an .882 on base percentage. Carson has hit successfully in her last 13 games and leads the Mavericks with a .458 batting average.

Melanie Carter, Alabama-Huntsville

In six games last week, Carter batted .500 (10-for-20) with eight runs, nine RBI, two doubles, one triple, three home runs. She was errorless in the field (15 putouts, 13 assists). She drove in at least one run in five of the six games, including a 2-for-3, four-RBI performance in the first game of a doubleheader against West Georgia.

Erica Holstein, Pitcher/OutfielderCoker

Holstein was named Most Valuable Player of the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference Tournament, leading Coker to a tournament championship. She posted a 2-0 record with one save and pitched 14.1 scoreless innings, holding opponents to a .080 batting average and averaging 10.26 strikeouts per seven innings. Prior to the tournament, she was named CVAC Player of the Year. For the season, she is 17-1 (15 consecutive wins) with a 0.83 ERA. Coker has won its last 37 games in a row.

Kelly Kashmerick, Outfield, Wayne State (MI)

Kashmerick hit .500 for the week with one double, one triple and one homer with seven RBI. Had a slugging percentage of .781 for the week with an on base percentage of .500. She leads the Warriors in batting average (.371), hits (59), doubles (12), total bases (82) and stolen bases (2). She did not strike out once last week in 32 at bats. She has only seven strikeouts on the season in 159 at bats. Helped Wayne State to 6-3 record last week.

OUTSTANDING DIVISION III PLAYER PERFORMANCES

Rita Horning, Catcher, Cabrini College (PA)

In four conference games she was 8 for 12 (.667) with 2 doubles, 2 homeruns, including a grandslam vs. Immaculata during a 2-1 game in the 6th inning to break the game open, went on to win 6-1. She had 11 RBIs in the four games.scored 5 runs. Rita had 2 hits in every game this week. (She had both homeruns in one game vs. immaculata) Cabrini was 4-0 on the week with wins over Alvernia and Immaculata.

Megan Bumann, Pitcher, William Penn College (IA)

Bumann went 5-1 in a tough week against Iowa Conference opponents Simpson, Central and Luther. She is 18-4 for the season with an ERA of 0.91. Penn is 25-10 for the year. Penn beat Simpson 7-0 and 3-2, split with No. 4 Central 0-4, 5-4 and swept Luther 1-0 and 7-2.

Jill Hocking, Pitcher/First Base, St. Mary's University (MN)

Hocking started three of the Cardinals' four games last week, throwing 16 innings, while not allowing a run, including a complete-game one-hitter against Carleton (a 3-0 win) and nine innings of three-hit ball in Saint Mary's sweep of Gustavus, as SMU improved to 11-1 in the conference and 21-5 overall with a perfect 4-0 record last week. In her three appearances, Hocking walked three and struck out 16, while opponents managed a meager .080 batting average. The senior helped her own cause at the plate as well, collecting five hits in 12 at-bats (.417). She belted a pair of triples, scored twice and drove in a team-leading six runs.

Amy Kueker, Catcher, Wartburg (IA)

Kueker was 8-for-14 at the plate in conference doubleheader sweeps of Buena Vista and Loras, leading Wartburg (29-5 overall, 11-1 IIAC) into first place in the conference.. For the week, she had a.571 batting average with five RBIs, six runs scored, a triple and a home run, increasing her batting average by 23 points. She had three consecutive multiple-hit games to end the week. She hit a grand slam home run in an 8-7, eight-inning win over Buena Vista last Tuesday.She caught one runner ste She has caught two of five potential baserunners stealing during conference play.

Katie Waldron , Catcher, Univ. of Redlands

In four gameslast week. Waldron was 5-for-14 (.357) with nine RBI. She got seven of those RBI in one game with a 3-for-4 performance that included a grand slam home run..