LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Concordia’s (Wis.) Gina Followell and Case Western Reserve’s Sarah Miller scored the seventh Division III Wilson/NFCA Pitcher and Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week honors of the 2021 season on Wednesday.
Followell, a junior right-hander from Romeoville, Ill., threw three no-hitters and a perfect game in a remarkable week. Over those 21 innings, the Plainfield East High product fanned 56 batters and walked only one, collecting two wins apiece against Marian and Alverno.
She struck out at least 12 in every game, and collected 18 last Tuesday in the first of her two victories over Marian. Followell notched 12 more on Saturday, then had 14 on Saturday and 12 on Sunday against Alverno.
Miller, meanwhile, hit five home runs in three games, batting .615, slugging 1.769 and driving in nine. The senior shortstop from Lorain, Ohio, had three of her homers in a 5-4, 11-inning loss at Division I Kent State on Sunday, going 3-for-5 with four runs batted in. Miller’s three homers tied a single-game school record accomplished twice in 2015 by two-time NFCA All-American Annie Wennerberg.
Other Top Performances
Husson sophomore pitcher Sydney Ames tossed her first career no-hitter and helped herself at the plate with a .571 average, three runs, two doubles and four RBI. … Rowan senior pitcher Emily August held opponents to a .167 mark, while going 4-0 with 12 strikeouts, five walks and a 0.88 ERA over 24 innings. … Belhaven sophomore pitcher Kennedy Carruth struck out at least two batters in each of her last nine innings, and collected 23 strikeouts and allowed just five hits over her 14.1 innings last week. … Emmanuel (Mass.) freshman shortstop Olivia Conti hit .692 with a double, two homers and six RBI. … East Texas Baptist junior pitcher Presyle Cox earned a pair of wins — a two-hit shutout and a relief victory. … Muskingum senior pitcher Hannah Duff went 2-0 with a 0.80 ERA, 10 strikeouts and 12 hits allowed. … Brandeis junior pitcher Sydney Goldman earned half of the wins in her team’s 6-0 week, with two shutouts, 36 strikeouts and just three walks over 20 innings. … St. Olaf senior pitcher Julie Graf threw all 14 innings in a pair of one-run triumphs against Bethel, including her sixth career no-hitter in the nightcap. Last Thursday, she fanned 16 in a one-hitter against Saint Mary’s. … Mount Union senior outfielder Brooklyn Hellman batted .800 with four doubles, four steals and five RBI. … St. Catherine junior first baseman Angela Huepfel hit four homers to tie the program’s single-season mark (10) and batted .591 with nine runs, 13 hits, a double and 11 RBI. … College of New Jersey senior outfielder Allie Immerso hit her first career homer to put the cap on a run-rule victory and batted .500 (6-for12) with three runs, two doubles and six RBI for the week. … Wooster senior pitcher Olivia Johnson batted .500 and tied a school record with five runs in a single game, while also going 2-0 in the circle with 15 strikeouts and six hits allowed. … Rochester sophomore first baseman Hannah Keiper hit two homers in each game of a doubleheader sweep and five homers overall for the week, while batting .435 with 10 RBI. … Wooster junior third baseman Molly Likins hit three homers in a weekend series for the second time this season, and tallied seven runs and seven RBI while batting .471. … Emmanuel (Mass.) senior pitcher Megan Long had a perfect game and allowed just four hits over two wins. … East Texas Baptist freshman shortstop Tristen Maddox had three of six hits for extra bases, including a double, triple and homer, plus five RBI. … Oswego junior catcher Zoe Mennig hit three homers and batted .466 with a triple and six RBI over four games. … Mount St. Joseph senior pitcher/utility player Sarah Miller hit three homers in a series sweep, plus collected two run-rule wins in the circle. … College of New Jersey senior pitcher Alanna Namit scored two complete-game wins and allowed just two runs and five hits over 13 innings. … Saint Benedict sophomore pitcher Elly Novak fanned 29 over four starts and 23 innings. … Piedmont junior left fielder Katelyn Perry batted .600 (6-for-10) with three runs, two doubles, a triple, homer and eight RBI. … Manhattanville freshman pitcher Kylie Pester tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts in a four-inning one-hitter. … Bridgewater State (Mass.) junior pitcher Kelley Reichert tossed a three-hitter and a four-hitter during the week. … LeTourneau junior pitcher Bailey Richey struck out 14 over 12.1 innings. … Benedictine (Ill.) junior shortstop Asia Robinette collected four multi-hit games, and fell a homer short of a cycle in a 5-for-5 game against Rockford. … Tufts junior first baseman Nicole Russo had 11 RBI in a doubleheader against Bowdoin, including seven in the second game. She had a double and triple in the first game and a three-run homer in the nightcap. … Hiram freshman pitcher Angel Santellan compiled a 0.84 ERA and picked up three victories while helping herself with a .538 average, double, triple, two homers and four RBI. … Hiram freshman shortstop Abriana Schwartz hit .714 with two doubles, two homers and four RBI. … Rochester sophomore pitcher Emily Sharlach tossed a two-hit shutout against Ithaca one day after a tough loss. … Manhattanville sophomore pitcher Charli Shinstine combined with Jasmine Feliciano on a no-hitter for her third win of the season. … Eastern Connecticut State junior pitcher Carley Stoker pitched the 39th no-hitter in the program’s storied history, facing two batters over the minimum and playing a direct role in 11 outs herself, with six strikeouts and five assists. … Central freshman first baseman Megan Stuhr is making up for lost time coming over from the basketball squad, batting .542 with two doubles and a homer. … Manhattanville sophomore left fielder Jayleen Torres went 5-for-6 with a career-high five RBI in one game, then was 2-for-2 in the second game, with two doubles in each contest. … Simmons senior outfielder Ivy Vann notched her 100th career hit in a 3-for-6 week. … Washington (Md.) junior left fielder Alyssa Vieira went 6-for-9 (.667) with two doubles, including a game-winner. … Moravian senior catcher Brooke Wehr was 6-for-7 (.857) with three runs, a double, triple, homer and five RBI. … Eastern Connecticut State graduate center fielder Cassie Woods extended her hitting streak to 18 games, going 4-for-7 with four runs scored in a doubleheader sweep. … Rowan junior left fielder Morgan Zane hit .400 with a double, homer and 10 RBI.
Winners are selected by the NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee, which has a representative for each of the eight NCAA regions.
2021 Wilson/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week
April 21 — Gina Followell, Concordia University (Wis.), Jr., RHP, Romeoville, Ill.
April 14 — Julie Graf, St. Olaf College, Sr., RHP, Sammamish, Wash.
April 7 — Lorrin Pondo, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Jr., RHP, Bolingbrook, Ill.
March 31 — Megan Gavin, Concordia College-Moorhead, Sr., RHP, Cold Spring, Minn.
March 24 — Cami Henry, DePauw University, Jr., RHP, Camby, Ind.
March 17 — Kennedy Carruth, Belhaven University, So., RHP, St. Francisville, La.
March 10 — Ashley Croft, East Texas Baptist University, Fr., RHP, Cypress, Texas
2021 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player of the Week
April 21 — Sarah Miller, Case Western Reserve University, Sr., SS, Lorain, Ohio
April 14 — Elizabeth Taggard, Belhaven University, Jr., 1B, Picayune, Miss.
April 7 — Allie Gordon, Belhaven University, So., 3B, Macon, Ga.
March 31 — Julia Loffredo, Ithaca College, Jr., RF, Skillman, N.J.
March 24 — Brooke Wehr, Moravian College, Sr., C, Orefield, Pa.
March 17 — Jessica Goldyn, Virginia Wesleyan University, Sr., C, Virginia Beach, Va.
March 10 — Marin Musicant, East Texas Baptist University, Jr., DP, San Diego, Calif.