STARKVILLE, Miss. – Pittsburgh junior Kelly Hmiel has been named as the NFCA Division I National Player of the Week for games played from March 7-13, 2011. Hmiel was nearly flawless at the plate on the week, going 14-for-17 with 11 runs, 16 RBI, two doubles, six home runs, three stolen bases and a walk, as the Panthers went 5-0 at East Tennessee’s Buccaneer Challenge. The tournament MVP ended her five-game stretch with a .824 batting average, a .789 on-base percentage and a whopping 2.000 slugging percentage.
The York, Pa., native turned in three perfect performances at the plate on the week, going 2-for-2 against South Carolina State and 4-for-4 against St. Bonaventure and North Carolina A&T. On Friday against St. Bonaventure, Hmiel hit three home runs and recorded six RBI in the Panther’s 10-1 win. On Saturday, Hmiel once again recorded six RBI, this time off of two home runs in a 15-0 win over North Carolina A&T.
After the five-game sweep of the Buccaneer Classic, Pittsburgh is now 13-5 on the year. This week, the Panthers will travel to Botetourt, Va., where they will play in their final regular-season tournament, the Radford Invitational.
Other Top Performances
Massachusetts’ Sara Plourde struck out an astonishing 57 batters while allowing just two earned runs over a 4-0 week… Alisa Goler of Georgia went 5-for-9 with two homeruns as the Bulldogs swept then No. 21 LSU… Oklahoma’s Keilani Ricketts finished the week with 0.00 ERA, while striking out 35 and allowing just thee walks… Rhi Kliesing of Texas A&M batted .667 on the week, while smacking five home runs and driving in 8 RBI… Boise State’s Allie Crump fanned 28 batters while allowing just one unearned run to finish the week at 3-0…
NFCA DI National Player of the Week
Mar. 15 – Kelly Hmiel – Pittsburgh – Jr. – 3B – York, Pa.
Mar. 8 – Chelsea Thomas – Missouri – So. – P – Pleasantville, Iowa
Mar. 1 – Lori Spignola – North Carolina – Fr. – P – Atlanta, Ga.
Feb. 22 – Stephanie Brombacher – Florida – Sr. – P – Pembroke Pine, Fla.
Feb. 15 – Gabrielle Bridges – La-Lafayette – Sr. – 1B – Lafitte, La.
