ASC – Sports

 

 

AMERICAN SOUTHWEST CONFERENCE SOFTBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Games: April 10-15, 2018

HITTER OF THE WEEK – Lynsey Mitchell, DP, Jr., UT Tyler

University of Texas at Tyler junior designated player Lynsey Mitchell (Liberty Hill, Texas) won Hitter of the Week for the second straight week after an incredible weekend where she went 8-for-9 with three home runs and 14 RBI to lead the No. 3 Patriots to a three-game sweep of UT Dallas over the weekend in Richardson. Mitchell started the series by going 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBI in the opener, followed by going 3-for-4 with a double and four RBI in the second game. Having already put up an astonishing weekend, Mitchell completed the series by going 3-for-3 with two home runs and six RBI in the finale.

PITCHER OF THE WEEK – Jorden Russell, RHP, Jr., Concordia Texas
Concordia Texas junior righty Jorden Russell (Leander, Texas) earned her second Pitcher of the Week award of the year after throwing her first career no-hitter in a 2-0 win against Dallas on Wednesday. Russell struck out four over seven innings, allowing no hits against the Crusaders. It is the second no-hitter for the Tornados this season. In a 3-1 win over the Howard Payne on Friday, Russell would strike out a career-high nine hitters and provided the game-winning two-run double in extra innings.

PERFORMANCES AT THE PLATE
East Texas Baptist University sophomore first baseman Sabrina Salts (Houston, Texas) had an excellent week at the plate with two home runs, including a grand slam, and hitting .556 with eight RBI. She drove in four runs in game two against McMurry and recorded three more in the finale. Four of Salts’ five hits were for extra bases.

Concordia Texas sophomore first baseman Summer Harper (Cypress, Texas) batted .500 over five games as the Tornados swept Dallas in a doubleheader on Wednesday and completed a three-game sweep of Howard Payne on Saturday and Sunday. Harper would homer in the Tornados’ extra-inning win over the Yellow Jackets on Friday and followed it up with a two-homer game in the series finale as CTX racked up 20 hits in a 12-3 win.

University of Mary Hardin-Baylor senior outfielder Devon Walter (Southlake, Texas) had a .363 performance at the plate for the Cru, slamming three extra-base hits and driving in three runs. She went 4-for-11 on the road against Louisiana College, scoring two runs with two doubles and one home run. Walter did not strike out in 11 at-bats.

LeTourneau University freshman center fielder Katelyn Trombley (Tyler, Texas) would be responsible for a total of 12 runs scored in a doubleheader split against Centenary, driving in eight runs while scoring four times. In game two of the doubleheader, Trombley would collect six of her eight RBI and two doubles.

Howard Payne University junior third baseman Gabrielle Roque (Pasadena, Texas) led the Lady Jackets at the plate versus Concordia Texas, going 4-for-6 with a double and five total bases.

The University of Texas at Dallas senior center fielder Stefanie Polderman (West Vancouver, B.C.) went 8-for-17 from the plate as the Comets posted a 2-4 record last week. Polderman scored five runs and picked up four RBI over the Comets’ six games, adding five stolen bases. In the midweek three-game set at Belhaven, Polderman was 5-for-10 with three runs scored and four RBI. She was then 3-for-7 with a run scored and an RBI in a three-game weekend series with No. 3 Texas-Tyler.

Belhaven University sophomore catcher Cassidy Blount (Decatur, Miss.) hit .424 (8-for-19) with two home runs, seven RBI and five runs scored as the Blazers went 3-3 in conference play.

University of the Ozarks senior designated player Katie Ventress (Oklahoma City, Okla.) blasted two home runs, including a grand slam, over three games to push Ozarks to a sweep against Hardin-Simmons. In game one, Ventress homered and had two hits in a tight 2-1 win. In game three, Ventress hit a grand slam as part of a big second inning, helping the Eagles complete the sweep.

PERFORMANCES IN THE CIRCLE
East Texas Baptist senior right-handed hurler Rocki Tello (Katy, Texas) stayed perfect on the year with two more wins, moving to 11-0 in a pair of five-inning, run-rule wins over McMurry. She collected 11 strikeouts in two games with seven in game two of the series.

Mary Hardin-Baylor sophomore right-hander Hannah Halepaska (Orange Grove, Texas) had a solid week in the circle for the Cru, throwing 7.2 innings with a 0.00 ERA. She took a 1-0 loss on Thursday, allowing just three hits in a six-inning contest. She then threw in relief on Friday, pitching 1.2 shutout innings. Halepaska limited the Wildcats to a .172 batting average over two games.

UT Tyler junior left-hander Colleen Bentke (Brenham, Texas) improved to 15-1 on the season after earning two wins in the Patriots’ three-game sweep of UT Dallas over the weekend in Richardson. Bentke was dominant throughout, striking out 11 and limiting the Comets to a .162 batting average in 11 innings. Bentke struck out six in the opener and five in the finale and completed the weekend with a 0.64 ERA.

Belhaven senior righty Jordan Herring (Forest, Miss.) went 3-1 in the circle with a 2.20 ERA and nine strikeouts over 26 innings.

Ozark’s senior left-hander Hannah Oler (Needville, Texas) posted two wins to help Ozarks to a three-game sweep against Hardin-Simmons. Oler threw a complete game in the opener of the series, fanning five and allowing just one run earned. She tossed four innings in game three to collect another win while allowing one run.

Cody Usher
Assistant Commissioner
American Southwest Conference