LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Colorado Mesa’s Myah Arrieta and Southern Arkansas’ Brinson Rogers captured the Division II Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player and Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week honors for contests played March 10-16. It is the second straight accolade and third this season for Rogers.
Arrieta was nearly perfect at the plate, going 12-for-13 (.923) and reaching base safely in 17 of 18 plate appearances (five walks). She posted a 2.000 slugging percentage and .944 on-base percentage with two doubles, four home runs and 10 RBI during CMU’s four-game sweep of Adams State, running its win streak to 12 games. The senior from Grand Junction, Colo. opened the series with consecutive four-hit games (8-for-9) with both doubles and three long balls. She homered twice, drove in four and scored four runs in game two. The following day, Arrieta was 5-for-5 with five walks in the doubleheader, posting her fourth long ball and three RBI in the series finale.
Rogers twirled 24 shutout innings, struck out 41, walked four and held her opponents to a .143 batting average. She recorded five wins, three of which were complete game shutouts. Two of her shutouts came in a three-game Great American Conference sweep of Northwestern Oklahoma State. She fanned 28 batters over 13 innings, allowing three hits in each contest. Rogers’ other shutout came earlier in the week at Arkansas-Monticello when she fanned six, walked one and surrendered two hits in the five-inning victory.
The awards are voted on by the NFCA Division II Top 25 Poll Committee, which features two member coaches from each of the NCAA’s eight regions.
Selected Top Performances
Finley Anderson, Minnesota State - .520, 13 H, 5 2B, 4 3B, HR, 10 RBI, 9R, 1.160 SLG; Maddie Antioco, Saint Leo - .500, 4 2B, 10 RBI, 6 R, BB, SB, .556 OBP; Heather Arnett, Pittsburg State - .714, 15 H, 3 2B, 3B, 14 R, 8 RBI, 6 SB; Jessie Baughan, West Florida - .556, 5 H, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 2.156 OPS; Emilee Boyer, West Texas A&M - .692, 2B, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB, 17-game hitting streak, 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 18 K, 2 BB, SHO, 13 IP; Caitlyn Burch, Goldey-Beacom – 4 App/2 GS, 2-0, 1.07 ERA, 40 K, 6 BB, .040 opp. BA, 0.76 WHIP, 19.2 IP; Randi Crawford, Texas Woman’s – 2-0, 1.50 ERA, 19 K, 3 BB, 14 IP; Sarah Davenport, East Stroudsburg – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 27 K, 2 BB, H, 14 IP, perfect game vs. Dominican, career strikeouts leader (441); Kaylee Davis, UT Tyler – 2 APP, 1-0, SV, 0.00 ERA, 7 K, 0 BB, 2 H; Aniston Gano, Valdosta State - .429, 3 H, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1.286 SLG, .692 OBP, 6 BB, reached base safely in 19 straight games; Katie Gray, Missouri Southern - .625, 3 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI; Tierney Hocquard, Saint Leo – 2-0, 1.50 ERA, 11 K, 4 BB, 14 IP; Abby McGlynn, Simon Fraser - .846, 11 H, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1.846 SLG, 2.703 OPS; Jenna Medhus, MSU Denver - .692, 4 HR, 11 RBI, 8 R, SB, 1-0, 2.33 ERA, 7 K, 0 BB, 7 IP; Chelisa Newsome, AUM – 2-0, 15 K, 5 H, 10 IP; Kiki Pickens, Missouri Southern – 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 R, SHO, 18 K, 4 H, 2 BB, 16 IP; Hailey Rath, Western Washington - .533, 8 H, 3 2B, 5 R, 10 RBI, .933 SLG, .533 OBP, single-game record (tie) with 7 RBI; Delaney Ridgell, East Stroudsburg - .400, HR, 4 RBI, SB; Joni Russell, Hillsdale – 4-0, 0.27 ERA, 41 K, 9 BB, 26 IP, .174 opp. BA, 2 SHO, broke program’s career shutouts (19) record; Brooke Smith, Tusculum - .615, 8 H, RBI, 5 R, 5 SB, 3 BB, .688 OBP; JT Smith, UT Tyler - .600, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 5 R, 2 HBP, 1.200 SLG; Natalie Spaitis, Tusculum – 2 app, 2 SV, 0.00 ERA, 2 K, 2 BB, H, 5 IP, .067 opp BA, new single-season (5) and career saves (9) leader; Mari Takeda Bajan, San Francisco State – 2-0, 0.50 ERA, 8 K, 14 IP, SHO; Maddy Ybarra, Jessup - .700, 7 H, 3B, HR (Grand Slam), 7 RBI.
The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded Louisville Slugger/Player & Wilson/Pitcher of the Week awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from webinars to legal counsel, to in-person events and the National Convention.
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