LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Missouri S&T’s Taylor Nelson and Shepherd’s Madelayne Ruffner were named Division II Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player and Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week for contests played April 13-19. It marks Ruffner’s second honor over the last three weeks.
Nelson was nearly perfect at the plate during a record-breaking weekend for the Hailey, Idaho native. Reaching base safely in all four contests, she hit .917 (11-for-12), with two doubles, four home runs, 12 RBI, 14 runs scored and four walks. Nelson posted back-to-back 3-for-3 outings in a doubleheader against Upper Iowa, highlighted by a game-one grand slam and two more long balls in game two. She scored four times in each contest, collecting four and three RBI, respectively. Nelson continued her dominance against Quincy, homering in game one and posting a 4-for-4, four RBI performance with two doubles in game two. The redshirt junior set the school’s single-season record for home runs, finishing the weekend with 16, which also ranks her tied for fifth in NCAA Division II.
Ruffner, DII’s leader in strikeouts, fanned 46 more batters in 21.2 innings of work for the Rams. She posted a 3-0 mark, earned a save and did not surrender a run or issue a walk during her time in the circle. Ruffner, who scattered just six hits in four appearances, twirled a no-hitter against Kutztown and added three more shutouts to her ledger. The junior hurler struck out 16 against Lock Haven and 14 twice versus Kutztown and Mansfield. Ruffner has fanned 12.8 batters per seven innings and has a total of 215 punchouts and is second in DII with a 15.36 strikeout to walk ratio.
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 Nominated Performances
Macey Clark, St. Cloud State – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 SHO, 8 K, 4 BB, 14 IP, .067 opp. BA, 0.57 WHIP; Sarah Davenport, East Stroudsburg – 2-1, 1.11 ERA, 12 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 27 K, 3 BB, .174 opp. BA; Nellie Donahue, Queens College – 2-1, 2.10 ERA, 24 K, 5 BB, 3 CG, 20 IP; Jordyn Foley, Drury – 2-0, 2 CG, 5 H, R, 2 BB, 14 K, 0.50 ERA, 14 IP, no-hitter vs. Quincy (11 K); Kinsley Hall, Holy Family – 2-0, 0.58 ERA, 8 K, 6 H, ER, 2 CG, 12 IP; Dani Hayward, Shippensburg – 4-0, 0.64 ERA, 2 ER, 4 BB, 11 K, 14 H, 22 IP, perfect game vs. Mansfield (6 K); Carson Hobbs, Anderson - .583, 2 2B, 2 HR, 10 RBI, BB, 1.250 SLG, 2-0, 1.45 ERA, 6 K, BB, 5 H, 2 R, 9.2 IP; Tierney Hocquard, Saint Leo – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 14 K, 0 BB, 9.2 IP, CG, SHO; Abby Howell, West Texas A&M - .750, 3 H, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 3.000 SLG, .833 OBP; Sydney Long, Wayne State University – 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 K, 7 IP, SHO; Abbi Markus, Western New Mexico - .857, 7 H, 2B, 3 HR, BB, 5 RBI; Kendal Nakano, Biola - .550, 11 H, HR, 8 RBI; Emily Perry Missouri Southern - .571, 1.286 SLG, .750 OBP, 4 H, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 4 BB, HBP, 2 CG; Kiki Pickens, Missouri Southern – 2-1, SV, 0.58 ERA, 13 K, 5 BB, CG, SHO, .150 opp. BA, 12 IP, no-hitter vs. Rogers State (7 K); Emily Reed, Ouachita Baptist - .444, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 5 R, 1.788 SLG; Brandilyn Reymer, Eckerd – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 SHO, .108 opp. BA; Delaney Ridgell, East Stroudsburg - .563, 9 , 2 2B, HR, 4 R, 5 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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