LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Concordia-Moorhead’s Megan Gavin and Ithaca’s Julia Loffredo scored the fourth Division III Wilson/NFCA Pitcher and Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player of the Week honors of the 2021 season on Wednesday.
Gavin, a senior right-hander from Cold Spring, Minn., became the first pitcher in school history to toss a five-inning no-hitter and record all 15 outs via strikeout on Saturday against North Central. It was the fifth time this season she has reached double-digits in strikeouts. The next day, she fanned 14 of 20 batters in a six-inning one-hitter versus Minnesota-Morris.
Of the 52 outs Gavin recorded during the week, 36 were by strikeout. She had two wins, a save, just five hits, five walks, and no runs allowed across 17.1 innings.
Meanwhile, junior right fielder Loffredo opened her season with a bang for the Bombers, going 7-for-7 with three homers, eight runs batted in, and six runs scored in a twinbill sweep of Elmira. Over four games last week, the Skillman, N.J., native hit .615 with nine runs, three homers, 10 RBI and a 1.385 slugging percentage.
Other Top Performances
Rowan senior pitcher Emily August tossed a perfect game and had a career-high eight strikeouts against Stockton, then came on in relief to get the final two outs for the save in the nightcap. … Westminster (Pa.) senior outfielder Haley Bedalota hit .538 with three doubles and 10 RBI. … Franklin & Marshall junior left fielder Jamie Belfer was 3-for-4 (.750) with three runs, two steals and a walk. … Rochester senior outfielder Jen Carson hit .583 (7-for-12) with eight runs, a double, three homers, and 13 RBI. … Kean senior pitcher Taryn DiGiacomo tossed two shutouts with five hits allowed, 10 strikeouts and no walks, while also helping herself at the plate with a .571 average, three runs, two doubles and an RBI. … Husson freshman third baseman Kenzie Dore had six hits in 15 at-bats (.400), with four runs, two walks and a stolen base. … Ithaca senior pitcher Beth Fleming recorded 18 strikeouts over 10 innings and allowed just six hits in a pair of victories. … Illinois Wesleyan sophomore pitcher Natalie Grubczak tossed a pair of complete games, including the first shutout of her career, with 14 strikeouts over 16 innings, and also batted .500 with two walks. … Rowan junior catcher Korie Hague hit .600 and had two doubles and five RBI in a doubleheader against Stockton. … Bridgewater (Va.) freshman first baseman Samantha Hensley was 8-for-15 (.533) with three doubles and four RBI. … Franklin & Marshall sophomore pitcher/utility player Jill Holoboski gave up one hit, walked one and fanned two across 14 at-bats in an innings-restricted four innings, while also batting .571 with two doubles and five RBI. … Defiance junior third baseman Kalin Hubble batted .643 with three doubles, three homers and 10 RBI. … Carnegie Mellon sophomore designated player Piper Johnson hit .600 and had three extra-base hits (two doubles and a triple) and five RBI. … Husson graduate pitcher Jen Jones became the first player in school history to surpass 500 strikeouts, while going 2-0 with two complete games, and also hitting .333 at the plate. … Eastern Connecticut State junior utility player Brooke Matyasovski hit .545 (12-for-22) with four doubles, a homer, seven runs and seven RBI, while striking out just once, and also went 2-0 with a complete-game shutout and 1.83 ERA in the circle. … Carnegie Mellon junior pitcher Scotty McGee fanned 15 over 10.2 innings. … Wesley junior third baseman Gab Monzo was 12-for-13 (.923) with three doubles, two homers, seven runs, a walk, and eight RBI. She was retired just one time in four games. … Illinois Wesleyan sophomore outfielder Madison Moore hit the first home run of her career in a 3-for-4 performance against Carroll (Wis.) and scored seven runs, tripled, and drove in two while batting .500 for the week. … Wisconsin-Whitewater senior first baseman Kaleigh O’Brien helped fuel the Warhawks’ 6-0 week with a .867 average (13-for-15), six runs, three walks, four doubles, two homers and four RBI. … Westminster (Pa.) sophomore catcher Leah Pancake hit .500 with six runs, three homers and seven RBI. … Linfield senior pitcher Maddy Podnar fashioned a 1.50 ERA and fanned six over 12 innings in a pair of wins. … Milwaukee School of Engineering junior pitcher Lorrin Pondo went 3-0 with two runs allowed and 21 strikeouts over 20 innings of action. … Wisconsin-Oshkosh freshman catcher Hannah Ritter went 13-for-22 (.591) with two doubles, four runs, and three RBI. … Defiance sophomore left fielder Marissa Roberts batted .857 with seven runs, and a double. … Rochester sophomore pitcher Emily Sharlach had two complete-game victories and a save, collecting 15 strikeouts and allowing just one run on six hits over 12 innings. … Babson graduate pitcher Brooke Stock allowed four singles and fanned 12 in a complete-game shutout of Worcester Polytechnic Institute. … Pittsburgh-Bradford senior pitcher Jordan Uhing had two wins, a 1.00 ERA, 19 strikeouts and one walk in 14 innings in the circle. … Cortland senior pitcher Karlee Weeden four-hit No. 11 St. John Fisher in her season debut. … Bridgewater (Va.) junior catcher Sarah Wimer had two doubles, two homers, two steals, eight RBI and a .467 average. … Salisbury sophomore pitcher/utility player Lindsey Windsor one-hit Mary Washington, allowing just a walk after the first inning.
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
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
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.
