LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Messiah’s Erin Cressman and St. John Fisher’s Lindsey Thayer have been selected as the Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.
Cressman, a freshman first baseman from Stow, Mass., batted .667 (8-for-12) this week for the 16th-ranked Falcons. The Nashoba RegionalHigh graduate scored seven runs, hit two doubles and three homers and drove in eight runs. Four of the eight runs she drove in either tied the game or put Messiah ahead.
Sophomore right-hander Thayer, meanwhile, earned her second honor of the season for the 20th-ranked Cardinals, after a 6-0 week in which she allowed just 10 hits and six walks. The Winthrop, N.Y., native was a strikeout machine, fanning 87 batters over 36 innings for an average of 14.5 per game and 2.42 per inning in the six contests. The St. Lawrence High graduate was previously National Pitcher of the Week on March 9.
Other Selected Top Performances
Farmingdale State senior catcher Meagan Anderson batted .611 (11-for-18) with six runs, two doubles, a triple and three RBI, as she extended her hit streak to nine games. … Wisconsin-Whitewater freshman pitcher Julia Camardo went 4-1 with a 0.68 ERA over six appearances, including four starts. She allowed 14 hits and four walks, while fanning 39 in 30.2 innings. …Moravian sophomore pitcher Amanda Carisone was 3-0 with three complete games, a 0.37 ERA and 10 hits allowed. … Worcester Polytechnic Institute senior pitcher Clare Doolin was 4-0 for the week with an 1.00 ERA, three walks and 23 strikeouts. … Emory junior pitcher Brittany Files was 4-0 with a 0.00 ERA, 12 hits, five walks and 43 strikeouts over 24.2 innings. She fanned 10 or more batters in all four contests. … Otterbein sophomore second baseman Maddie Flasco hit .563 (18-for-32) with 10 runs, six doubles and a homer. … Tufts sophomore catcher Raven Fournier was 4-for-6 (.667) with five runs, a double, homer, five walks and six RBI in three conference contests. … Illinois Wesleyan senior shortstop Sam Gudat batted .583 (14-for-24) with six runs, four doubles and eight RBI. … Simpson senior first baseman Rachel Guessford was 6-for-15 (.400) with three runs, three homers and eight RBI. She hit a game-winning homer versus Coe and two homers in a win at Loras. … Worcester Polytechnic Institute junior catcher Lindsay Gurska batted .500 (15-for-30) with 12 runs, two doubles, two homers and nine RBI. … Penn State Berks junior outfielder Jenna Heffner was 14-for-26 (.538) with 13 runs, a double, four triples, four walks, eight steals and four RBI. She had five multi-hit and multi-run games. … Westminster (Mo.) junior catcher Alyssa Johnson hit .692 (9-for-13) with three runs, a double, two homers and 10 RBI. … Penn State-Altoona senior infielder Clarissa Keller was 11-for-17 (.647) with 10 runs, three doubles, a triple, four RBI and five steals. … Virginia Wesleyan freshman pitcher Kandis Kresinske was 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA, eight hits, three walks and 19 strikeouts. She threw a no-hitter (two walks, seven strikeouts) against Emory & Henry and held opponents for the week to an .119 average. … East Texas Baptist junior first baseman Lacey Lindsey batted .714 (5-for-7) with a run, homer, three RBI and three walks. Her 10th homer of the season gave her the American Southwest Conference record for career homers (41). … D’Youville senior pitcher Kalie McHenry was 5-0 with five complete games, eight earned runs (1.60 ERA), 33 strikeouts in 35 innings and helped herself with a .538 batting average. … Washington (Mo.) junior left fielder Hannah Merhle was 12-for-21 (.571) with six runs, four doubles, three steals and 10 RBI. … Wisconsin-Whitewater freshman catcher Nikki Mikosz hit .571 (12-for-21) with five runs, three doubles, a triple, two homers, three walks, five RBI and just one strikeout to extend her hitting streak to nine games. … Williams freshman pitcher Mackenzie Murphy was 3-1 in four appearances with a 0.35 ERA, seven hits, one earned run, two complete games, two walks and 20 strikeouts over 20 innings. She only allowed seven baserunners for the week and tossed an one-hitter against Hamilton. … Illinois Wesleyan senior pitcher Jenna Noland was 3-0 with a 0.91 ERA, nine hits, four runs (three earned) seven walks and 35 strikeouts over 23 innings. She had double figures in strikeouts twice and averaged 11.67 per game and 1.52 per inning. … Albright senior pitcher Sammi O’Connor was 5-0 with a 0.59 ERA, three earned runs and 50 strikeouts over 35.2 innings. She recorded double figures in strikeouts in four of her six games. … SUNY Potsdam junior shortstop Jordan Ott was 10-for-17 (.588) with nine runs, eight walks, a homer and eight RBI. Her game-winning homer against SUNY Geneseo gave the Bears their first win over that SUNYAC rival in 12 years. … Washington (Mo.) senior pitcher Annie Pitkin was 3-0 with a 0.00 ERA, four hits, one walk and 19 strikeouts over three starts. She didn’t allow a run in 15 innings and pitched an one-hitter against Greenville and collected two five-inning victories. … Penn State Berks freshman pitcher Jessica Rosick was 4-0 with a 0.54 ERA, 15 hits, four walks and 40 strikeouts in 26 innings. She tossed a five-inning no-hitter versus Lancaster Bible and a three-hit shutout of Gallaudet. … Adrian senior outfielder Jessica Sarch batted .625 (10-for-16) with two doubles, a triple, three RBI and six walks. … Misericordia junior pitcher Bailee Schies was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and two complete-game shutouts. … Moravian junior left fielder Julie Siragusa was 11-for-18 (.611) with three runs, four doubles, and four RBI. … Franklin senior outfielder Katie Struewing hit .611 (11-for-18) with eight runs, three doubles, a triple, homer and eight RBI. … East Texas Baptist sophomore pitcher Raquel Tello was 2-0 for the week, allowing two hits and no walks over two games. She tossed four perfect innings against Sul Ross before being lifted for a reliever, then pitched a five-inning two-hitter to move to 16-2 for the season. … Howard Payne senior pitcher Celese Tirres was 3-0 with just two hits allowed in 22 innings. She tossed an one-hitter among her three complete games. … FDU-Florham sophomore third baseman Taylor Torre was 10-for-20 (.500) with three straight games with two homers. … East Texas Baptist junior center fielder Lindsey Vasquez batted .857 (6-for-7) with eight runs, a double, four RBI and six steals. … SUNY Cortland senior shortstop Erin Wolstenholme was 10-for-24 (.417) with four runs, two doubles, two homers and seven RBI.
The Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player and Pitcher of the Week are selected by Division III head coaches representing the eight NCAA regions.
2016 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player of the Week
April 20 — Erin Cressman, Messiah, Fr., 1B, Stow, Mass.
April 13 — Ashley DeYoung, Rowan, Jr., DP, Oakland, N.J.
April 6 — Kerrigan Dura, Eureka, Fr., INF, Brimfield, Ill.
March 30 — Cassie Ruscz, Tufts, Jr., 1B, Wolcott, Conn.
March 23 — Kristin Lopez, Texas-Tyler, Sr., OF, Houston.
March 16 — Ama Biney, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, So., CF, Worcester, Mass.
March 9 — Jessica Long, Averett, Jr., SS, Prospect Hill, N.C.
March 2 — Cassetty Howerin, Virginia Wesleyan, So., 1B, Dover, Del.
2016 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week
April 20 — Lindsey Thayer, St. John Fisher, So., RHP, Winthrop, N.Y.
April 13 — Madison Leonard, Fontbonne, Sr., RHP, Imperial, Mo.
April 6 — Mackenzie Marquis, Illinois Wesleyan, So., RHP, Herscher, Ill.
March 30 — Julienne Broussard, Belhaven, Jr., RHP, Carencro, La.
March 23 — Annie Pitkin, Washington (Mo.), Sr., RHP, West Springfield, Mass.
March 16 — Alaina Kissinger, Texas-Tyler, Jr., RHP, Telephone, Texas.
March 9 — Lindsey Thayer, St. John Fisher, So., RHP, Winthrop, N.Y.
March 2 — Kelsie Batten, Texas-Tyler, Sr., RHP, Huntington, Texas.
