Softball | 4/16/2019 3:59:08 PM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The MIAA named its softball athletes of the week. Missouri Western’s Morgan Frost was named the hitter of the week for the second time in 2019. Central Oklahoma’s Sydney McLeod was tabbed as the pitcher of the week; it is her third weekly honor from the association this season.
Frost was a crucial part of the Griffons running their winning streak to 12 games. She finished with a .500 batting average over six-straight wins last week. Frost went 13-for-26 at the plate with five doubles. She drove in eight runs and scored six times.
McLeod had two dominating performances in the circle last week as UCO swept a pair of league doubleheaders, going 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 12 innings. She allowed just five hits and no runs while walking only two batters and striking out seven as opponents hit just .119 against her. McLeod threw a complete-game two-hitter in a 6-0 win over Central Missouri, then came back the next day to allow three hits in going the first five innings in an 8-0 run-rule rout of Southwest Baptist.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES - HITTERS
JoBi Heath - Central Oklahoma
Heath hit a blistering .545 at the plate as UCO swept four league games. She had six hits in 11 at-bats with one home run and five RBIs while also scoring three runs. Heath had a .818 slugging percentage and also drew four walks in finishing with a .667 on-base percentage.
Sam Dean - Lindenwood
Dean has recorded a home run in each of her past five games. She was 8-for-14 with a 1.429 slugging percentage and a .571 on-base percentage in four games against Lincoln. Dean also scored seven runs and drove in nine RBIs.
Haley Acrey - Northeastern State
Acrey had a three-run home run in both games of a doubleheader against Central Missouri and left the weekend with a five-game hitting streak. She batted .462 and slugged 1.000, while not striking out in any of her 13 at-bats.
Madison Wegner - Pittsburg State
Wegner collected six hits in 11 at-bats for a .545 average. Of her six hits, she hit three home runs for a 1.364 slugging percentage. She led PSU with six runs batted in and scored five more. Wegner finished her week going 2-for-3 against Northwest Missouri with a game-high four RBIs.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES - PITCHERS
Michaelanne Nelson - Fort Hays State
Nelson threw 13 innings of work over two starts and had nine strikeouts. She allowed just one earned run in both of her outings, which included one complete game.
Taurean Guzman - Missouri Southern
Guzman recorded a .78 ERA with a 1-1 record and pitched 18 innings while allowing two earned runs on 13 hits and striking out two.
Kenzie Hilzer - Missouri Western
Hilzer was one out away from a no-hitter before surrendering Southwest Baptist’s only hit of the game with two outs in the fifth of a run-rule victory. She followed that up with a win at Pittsburg State, holding the Gorillas to two runs.
Gail Young - Northeastern State
Young held batters to a .179 average in 19 innings pitched with 15 strikeouts for the RiverHawks last week, while going 2-1 in the circle. She won in both of her starts and only allowed three total extra-base hits.
Nominations for Hitter of the Week: Hailey Crabtree - Central Missouri, JoBi Heath - Central Oklahoma, Brittanie Shepherd - Emporia State, Allison Jurgensen - Fort Hays State, Camryn Pryor - Lincoln, Sam Dean - Lindenwood, Elizabeth Windsor - Missouri Southern, Morgan Frost - Missouri Western, Carlee Liesch - Nebraska Kearney, Haley Acrey - Northeastern State, Madison Wegner - Pittsburg State, Savannah Moore - Washburn
Nominations for Pitcher of the Week: Shelby Clark - Central Missouri, Sydney McLeod - Central Oklahoma, Kelsey Phillips - Emporia State, Michaelanne Nelson - Fort Hays State, Taurean Guzman - Missouri Southern, Kenzie Hilzer - Missouri Western, Erin Hallman - Nebraska Kearney, Gail Young - Northeastern State