LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Two perfect games and a 16-hit week land Minnesota State senior Coley Ries and Cedarville junior Brianne O’DellLouisville Slugger / NFCA Division II National Pitcher and Player of the Week honors, respectively, for games played April 17-23.
Ries was nearly perfect in three starts, not allowing a base runner over the final 17.1 innings of the week. The right-hander from Eagle Lake, Minn. fanned 44 in 20 innings, did not issue a walk and allowed just two hits for a .032 opponent’s batting average. Those two hits came in the second and third frame of a six-inning shutout over Southwest Minnesota State. She struck out 11 and did not allow a base runner over the final 3.1 innings. Carrying that momentum into the weekend, Ries was perfect in her next two starts against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes Northern State and Minnesota State Moorhead. She struck out 15 in a 4-0 triumph over the Wolves and then sat down 18 of 21 Dragons she faced in a 7-0 victory. This marks Ries’ second NFCA weekly honor, earning her first in 2016.
O’Dell extended her hitting streak to 18 games as she recorded at least one hit in all six contests, including a pair of four-hit outings, helping the Yellow Jackets to a 4-2 week. She finished 16-for-21 (.762) with six doubles, a triple, 11 RBI, seven runs and a 1.143 slugging percentage. O’Dell was a perfect 7-for-7 in a mid-week sweep of Ohio Valley, recording four RBI in game one and posting four hits, two doubles and three RBI in the nightcap. In games two and three of a Great Midwest Athletic series against Kentucky Wesleyan, O’Dell was 7-for-8 with three doubles, four runs and three RBI. The Goshen, Ind. native added a triple, RBI and run scored in game one.
Player of the Week
April 26 – Brianne O’Dell (Cedarville)
April 19 – Kylee Moore (West Texas A&M)
April 12 – Shea Ibrahim (West Texas A&M)
April 5 – Taylor Luzzi (University of New Haven)
March 29 – Mariah Jameyson (Texas A&M University-Commerce)
March 22 – Natalie Lalich (Indianapolis)
March 15 – Kailey Green (Missouri Western)
March 8 – Lyndsay Butler (Wayne State University)
March 1 – Ashley Hardin (West Texas A&M)
Feb. 22 – Erika Lutgen (Missouri Southern)
Feb. 15 – Abbey Walters (UNC Pembroke)
Feb. 8 – Tiffany Hollingsworth (Humboldt State)
Pitcher of the Week
April 19 – Taylor Brandts (UVa-Wise)
April 12 – Jayden Chestnut (University of Central Oklahoma)
April 5 – Bridgette Sappington (Rockhurst) & Jessica Yost (Bemidji State)
March 29 – Amanda Houck (West Chester University)
March 22 – Michelle Sorensen (Henderson State)
March 15 – Brandy Marlett (Angelo State)
March 8 – Anna Kasner (Western Washington)
March 1 – Kylee Smith (North Georgia)
Feb. 22 – Ally Marcano (Flagler)
Feb. 15 – Rachel Pence (Florida Tech)
Feb. 8 – Anna Kasner (Western Washington)
Selected Top Performances
Chelsea Hawks, Molloy (ECC Pitcher of the Week)- 3-0, 1.38 ERA, 37 K, 3 BB, .141 opp. BA, Program’s first-ever perfect game against Dominican (14 K); Sydney Ponto, Caldwell- 4-0, 0.23 ERA, 48 K, 5 BB, 30 IP, 2 SHO, .137 opp. BA, Perfect game vs. Goldey-Beacom (9 K); Makinlee Sellevold, Western Washington (GNAC Player of the Week)- .588 (10-for-17), 3 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 6 R, 1.118 SLG; Brandy Marlett, Angelo State (Lone Star Pitcher of the Week)- 3-0, 1.00 ERA, SHO, 37 K, 3 BB, .176 opp. BA; Jenna Lenza, Grand Valley State (GLIAC Player of the Week)- .529 (9-for-17), 3 2B, HR, 8 R, 5 BB, .636 OBP; Samantha Waskowitz, Merrimack (NE 10 Player of the Week)- .588 (10-for-17), 2B, 3 HR (Grand Slam), 7 RBI, 6 R, 4 SB; Allison Lipovsky, Grand Valley State (GLIAC Pitcher of the Week)- 3-0, 2 SHO, 0.64 ERA, 8 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 34 K, .108 opp. BA; Cassidy Wootten, Mercy (ECC Player of the Week)- .571, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 6 R; Chandler Walker, Pfeiffer (Conference Carolina’s Player of the Week)- .462, 2 2B, HR, 9 RBI; Jasmine Harris, Barry (Sunshine State Player of the Week)- .500, 9 H, 5 XBH, 9 RBI, 8 R, 3 BB; Nikole Van Gennep, Eckerd (Sunshine State Pitcher of the Week)- 2-0, 1.00 ERA, SHO, 2 CG, 12 K , 2 BB, 6 H, 14 IP; Ashley Mills, St. Mary’s (Heartland Pitcher of the Week)- 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 R, 5 H, 11 K, 16.1 IP.
