LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Western Washington’s Emily Benson and North Georgia’s Kylee Smith were named 2019 Louisville/Slugger NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Week honorees for games played March 25-31. 

Benson keyed the Vikings to a 7-1 week, which included an undefeated showing at the Tournament of Champions, by hitting .565 (13-for-23) with four doubles, five home runs, nine runs scored and 14 RBI. The West Richland, Wash. native drew seven free passes, posted a .656 on-base percentage and slugged 1.391. Benson left the yard twice against Simon Fraser and Sonoma State and also went 5-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBI versus Dominican (Calif.). Named tournament MVP, Benson hit .600 (9-for-15) with four doubles and nine RBI over five games. It is the second NFCA weekly nod for Benson, who took home player of the week honors in 2016.

Smith, who hails from Suwanee, Ga., posted a 3-0 mark and twirled 19 scoreless innings last week for the NightHawks. The junior righty recorded three shutouts, struck out 26, walked three and held her opponents to a .095 batting average. Smith fanned 14 in a two-hit shutout of Augusta. She tossed a one-hit blanking of Lander in a five-inning win. The Peach Belt Player of the Week also held Lee to three hits and struck out eight in a 3-0 win. It marks the first weekly award this season and the third in Smith’s career.

2019 Honorees
Date – Player / Pitcher
April 3 – Emily Benson, Western Washington / Kylee Smith, North Georgia
March 27 – Kelly Mix, Ohio Dominican / Mackenzie Ward, Minnesota State
March 20 – Courtney Barnhill, Angelo State / Madyson Barone, Southern New Hampshire
March 13- Bailey Byers, Malone University / Allison Lipovsky, Grand Valley State
March 6- Mary Collins, Trevecca Nazarene / Elisa Favela, Southern Arkansas
Feb. 27 – AnneMarie Torres, Colorado Mesa / Callie Nunes, Concordia Irvine
Feb. 20- Courtney Barnhill, Angelo State / Emily Otto, Texas A&M-Commerce
Feb. 13- Angelique Elemen, Fort Lewis / Caylie Van Auken, Valdosta State
Feb. 6 – Kaylie Upton, Oklahoma Christian / Victoria Taylor, Southern Arkansas

Selected Top Performances

Taylor Stocks, Shepherd– 3-0, 1.00 ERA, 28 K, 4 BB, .129 opp. BA, 18 IP, no-hitter vs. Millersville; Amber Elliott, Augustana– 3-0, 0.47 ERA, 25 K, 3 BB, .118 opp. BA, 15 IP; Cambrie Hazel, Dixie State– 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 25 K, 2 BB, 2 SHO, 12 IP; Kiara Akles, UAH– .636, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 1.727 SLG, no-hitter vs. West Georgia; Alison Nowak, Winona State– .600, 12 H, 2B, 5 HR, 8 R, 9 RBI; Jill Torres Young Harris– .700, 6 2B, 9 RBI, 1.000 SLG; Robyn Wampler, UC San Diego– 3-0, 0.46 ERA, 15 K, 3 BB, 15 IP; Alexa Samuels, Colorado Mesa– .615, 8 H, 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 1.615 SLG; Jenna Witt, Concord– .591, 2 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 9 R, 1.227 SLG, .609 OBP; Christine Carver, Coker– 2-0, 0.00 ERA, SHO, 12 K, BB, 4 H, 12 IP; Elisa Favela, Southern Arkansas– .524, 11 H, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 R, 10 RBI, 3-0, 1.11 ERA, 31 K;  Sable Hankins- East Central– .500, 10 H, 2B, 6 HR, 11 R, 14 RBI, 1.450 SLG, .565 OBP; Ashley Meckley, Coker– .909, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 BB, 0 K; Lindzi Clemmer, Lubbock Christian– .562, 6 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 1.125 SLG, .600 OBP; Jordyn Kleman, Winona State– 4-0, SHO, 3R, 35 K, 23.2 IP; Tara Baney, Bloomsburg– 3-0, SV, 3 SHO, 21 K, .123 opp. BA, 21 IP; Melanie Abzun, Azusa Pacific– .478, 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 6 R; Jordan Davis, Rollins– .750, 9 H, 3 R, 5-5 SB; Maddy Barone, Southern New Hampshire– 3-0, 26 K, 4 BB, 21 IP, 5-for-10, 4 RBI; Marissa Trezza, Georgian Court– .500, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 4 R.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Ten NCAA^® softball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field were selected as finalists today for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award^® in collegiate softball. To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must be classified as NCAA Division I seniors and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of finalists follows this release.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School^®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their athletic platforms to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. 
 
The finalists were chosen by national media from the list of 30 candidates announced earlier this season. Nationwide fan voting begins immediately to help select the winner, and fans are encouraged to submit votes online at the Senior CLASS Award website through May 20. Fan votes will be combined with those of the media and Division I head coaches to determine the winner. The Senior CLASS Award recipient for softball will be announced prior to the 2019 NCAA Women’s College World Series^® in Oklahoma City, May 30 through June 5.

Softball Finalists

Taran Alvelo, Washington
Kelly Barnhill, Florida
Faith Canfield, Michigan
Meghan King, Florida State
Aubrey Leach, Tennessee
Amanda Lorenz, Florida
Riley Randolph, FGCU
Katie Reed, Kentucky
Sydney Romero, Oklahoma
Morgan Turkoly, Louisiana Tech

— Courtesy of Premier Sports Management

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –West Bridgewater’s (Ma.) Colleen O’Toole, Orion’s (Ill.) Jenna Drish, Iowa’s (Miss.) Karagan Howard, Harrisburg’s (Ark.) Jehlian Wright and Benson’s (Ariz.) Emily Darwin were selected MaxPreps / NFCA National High School Players of the Week for their outstanding play during the week of April 1-7.

East Region
O’Toole was a perfect 11-for-11 with 14 RBI in her first two games of the 2019 campaign. She recorded a pair of doubles, two triples and two home runs, attributing to her 2.090 slugging percentage. O’Toole opened the season with a 6-for-6 outing against Bristol-Plymouth RVT in which she tripled twice, homered, drove in four runs and scored three times. O’Toole posted 10 RBI with two doubles and home run and three more runs scored versus Sacred Heart. 

North Region
Drish clubbed five home runs, at least one in each contest, scored 12 times and drove in 16 runs keying the Chargers to four wins last week. She left the yard twice, recorded six RBI and scored four runs in a triumph over Abingdon. Drish drove in four runs versus Morrison and Monmouth-Roseville, scoring four times against the Mustangs. The sophomore finished the week batting .846 (11-for-13), slugged 2.307 and recorded a .875 on-base percentage.

South Region
Howard was 8-for-8 with two doubles, a triple, two home runs, nine RBI, seven runs scored and a 2.250 slugging percentage. Hitting for the cycle versus Lake Arthur, she finished 5-for-5 (two singles, double, triple, home run), driving in five runs and scoring five times. Against Lake Charles College Prep, Howard was a triple short of consecutive cycles. She finished the contest 3-for-3 with four more RBI and two runs scored. 

South Central Region
Wright hit .875 (7-for-8) with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and six runs scored. She slugged 2.250 and drew four walks, attributing to her .917 on-base percentage. Wright homered in each of the Hornets’ three wins. She drove in four runs and scored twice versus Cave City. Wright was 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBI against Newport and also recorded three RBI versus Tuckerman.

West
Benson homered four times, drove in 16 runs and slugged 2.777 in three contests last week. She was 8-for-9 (.889) at the plate with a double, two triples, 10 runs scored, five walks and a .929 on-base percentage. Benson tripled, homered and registered six RBI versus Bisbee. She drove in five and scored five times with two long balls versus Tombstone, while the sophomore was single short of the cycle, which included a grand slam, with five RBI in a win over Santa Cruz Valley. 

2018-19 Players of the Week

MaxPreps.com, the official high school statistical provider of the NFCA, provides all statistics for the NFCA High School Player of the Week award. To nominate a player for the award, the coach must enter his or her athlete’s game stats into MaxPreps.com by Sunday evening to be eligible for that week’s award.

The MaxPreps/NFCA High School Players of the Week are announced on NFCA.orgevery Monday during the spring campaign with a player from each of five separate high school regions being selected. In the fall season, one representative is chosen from the participating regions.

MaxPreps is a free stat tool that is available to high school coaches across the country and is one of the most recognized and respected high school athletics websites on the internet. Coaches who enter their team’s stats on Max Preps will not only be nominating their players for this award, but they will be getting their team’s information out to thousands of high school sports fans, as well as college coaches across the country.

To obtain a coach’s login, please contact: [email protected] call (800) 329-7324 x1. To enter a team’s stats on the MaxPreps website, please click here.

 

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Western Washington’s Emily Benson and North Georgia’s Kylee Smith were named 2019 Louisville/Slugger NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Week honorees for games played March 25-31. 

Benson keyed the Vikings to a 7-1 week, which included an undefeated showing at the Tournament of Champions, by hitting .565 (13-for-23) with four doubles, five home runs, nine runs scored and 14 RBI. The West Richland, Wash. native drew seven free passes, posted a .656 on-base percentage and slugged 1.391. Benson left the yard twice against Simon Fraser and Sonoma State and also went 5-for-5 with two doubles, a home run and seven RBI versus Dominican (Calif.). Named tournament MVP, Benson hit .600 (9-for-15) with four doubles and nine RBI over five games. It is the second NFCA weekly nod for Benson, who took home player of the week honors in 2016.

Smith, who hails from Suwanee, Ga., posted a 3-0 mark and twirled 19 scoreless innings last week for the NightHawks. The junior righty recorded three shutouts, struck out 26, walked three and held her opponents to a .095 batting average. Smith fanned 14 in a two-hit shutout of Augusta. She tossed a one-hit blanking of Lander in a five-inning win. The Peach Belt Player of the Week also held Lee to three hits and struck out eight in a 3-0 win. It marks the first weekly award this season and the third in Smith’s career.

2019 Honorees
Date – Player / Pitcher
April 3 – Emily Benson, Western Washington / Kylee Smith, North Georgia
March 27 – Kelly Mix, Ohio Dominican / Mackenzie Ward, Minnesota State
March 20 – Courtney Barnhill, Angelo State / Madyson Barone, Southern New Hampshire
March 13- Bailey Byers, Malone University / Allison Lipovsky, Grand Valley State
March 6- Mary Collins, Trevecca Nazarene / Elisa Favela, Southern Arkansas
Feb. 27 – AnneMarie Torres, Colorado Mesa / Callie Nunes, Concordia Irvine
Feb. 20- Courtney Barnhill, Angelo State / Emily Otto, Texas A&M-Commerce
Feb. 13- Angelique Elemen, Fort Lewis / Caylie Van Auken, Valdosta State
Feb. 6 – Kaylie Upton, Oklahoma Christian / Victoria Taylor, Southern Arkansas

Selected Top Performances

Taylor Stocks, Shepherd– 3-0, 1.00 ERA, 28 K, 4 BB, .129 opp. BA, 18 IP, no-hitter vs. Millersville; Amber Elliott, Augustana– 3-0, 0.47 ERA, 25 K, 3 BB, .118 opp. BA, 15 IP; Cambrie Hazel, Dixie State– 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 25 K, 2 BB, 2 SHO, 12 IP; Kiara Akles, UAH– .636, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 1.727 SLG, no-hitter vs. West Georgia; Alison Nowak, Winona State– .600, 12 H, 2B, 5 HR, 8 R, 9 RBI; Jill Torres Young Harris– .700, 6 2B, 9 RBI, 1.000 SLG; Robyn Wampler, UC San Diego– 3-0, 0.46 ERA, 15 K, 3 BB, 15 IP; Alexa Samuels, Colorado Mesa– .615, 8 H, 2 2B, 3B, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 1.615 SLG; Jenna Witt, Concord– .591, 2 2B, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 9 R, 1.227 SLG, .609 OBP; Christine Carver, Coker– 2-0, 0.00 ERA, SHO, 12 K, BB, 4 H, 12 IP; Elisa Favela, Southern Arkansas– .524, 11 H, 2 2B, 3 HR, 10 R, 10 RBI, 3-0, 1.11 ERA, 31 K;  Sable Hankins- East Central– .500, 10 H, 2B, 6 HR, 11 R, 14 RBI, 1.450 SLG, .565 OBP; Ashley Meckley, Coker– .909, 2 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 3 R, 3 BB, 0 K; Lindzi Clemmer, Lubbock Christian– .562, 6 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 1.125 SLG, .600 OBP; Jordyn Kleman, Winona State– 4-0, SHO, 3R, 35 K, 23.2 IP; Tara Baney, Bloomsburg– 3-0, SV, 3 SHO, 21 K, .123 opp. BA, 21 IP; Melanie Abzun, Azusa Pacific– .478, 3 2B, 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 6 R; Jordan Davis, Rollins– .750, 9 H, 3 R, 5-5 SB; Maddy Barone, Southern New Hampshire– 3-0, 26 K, 4 BB, 21 IP, 5-for-10, 4 RBI; Marissa Trezza, Georgian Court– .500, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 4 R.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Illinois Wesleyan University’s Ally Wiegand and Linfield College’s Paige Smotherman claimed Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher and Player of the Week honors on Wednesday.

Junior right-hander Wiegand picked up two wins over Lake Forest, including a no-hitter and a successful relief outing, in a 3-0 overall week. In the first game, she fanned a season-high 16 and allowed just two Foresters to reach base on a pair of hit batters. In the nightcap, she entered with the game tied in top of the seventh with no outs and two on, and the score tied at 4-4, and proceeded to allow no runs and no walks while striking out three in a nine-inning victory. In her other game, a 4-1 win over Monmouth, she struck out 10 and allowed just four hits and no walks.

Senior second baseman Smotherman, meanwhile, hit .706 (12-of-17) with a double, two walks, five homers and 11 runs batted in over a six-game stretch. She tied a Linfield single-game record with three homers in consecutive at-bats against three different pitchers to help the Wildcats overcome a 4-0 deficit in a 10-9 win over DePauw. Smotherman had her fourth homer of the day in the second game of the doubleheader, and played flawless defense (nine putouts and four assists) for the week.

Other Top Performances

Saint Benedict freshman designated player Maureen Burns went 5-for-5 with a game-winning three-run homer and seven RBI against St. Catherine. … Lynchburg senior first baseman Mackenzie Chitwood hit .500 (10-for-20) with three doubles, a triple, two homers and nine RBI. … Farmingdale State senior pitcher Jaxie Collard went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, and had a five-hit shutout and four perfect innings of relief. … East Texas Baptist freshman pitcher Preslye Cox went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and had 19 strikeouts and eight hits allowed over 12 innings, including a five-inning relief win and a 5-0 shutout. … Calvin senior third baseman Maddie DeGroot became the school’s career leader in runs scored and at-bats, and hit .400 with five runs, a double, triple and six RBI. … Trinity (Conn.) senior shortstop Courtney Erickson batted .600 (6-for-10) and had three two-hit games, while becoming the school’s career leader in RBI with 104. … East Texas Baptist freshman shortstop Hannah Garcia reached base six times and scored five, while hitting .600 with a double, homer and three RBI. … New York University senior center fielder Diana King was 12-for-23 (.522) with four multi-hit games. … Coe senior shortstop Haley Jones batted .692 (9-for-13) with nine runs, two doubles, two homers, and seven RBI. … Salisbury freshman right fielder Jillian Jones hit her first collegiate homer in the first game and had a sacrifice bunt to help set up the winning run in the second game against Penn State-Harrisburg. For the week, she hit .615 with two doubles, two homers and eight RBI. … Lawrence sophomore catcher Ceara Larson went 8-for-9 with three doubles and three homers in a doubleheader sweep of Beloit. In the first game, she went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two homers (including a grand slam) and six RBI. … Moravian junior pitcher Paige Lesher helped the Greyhounds extend their win streak with a pair of wins and just one walk over 15 innings. …  Farmingdale State junior first baseman Jessica Lombardo hit .636 with six runs, a double, and eight RBI. … Calvin senior shortstop Kristen Newman extended her hit streak to five games, while batting .545 from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. … Salisbury senior pitcher Shannon Powell earned the win in all four of the Sea Gulls’ wins, allowing just one unearned run and two walks over 18 innings. … Eastern Nazarene junior pitcher Elisabeth Schaffer tossed a perfect game (eight strikeouts) against Bay Path and had an one-hitter (11 strikeouts) versus Lasell. …  Moravian junior right fielder Emily Stanilious was 8-for-14 (.571) with three runs, two walks and three RBI. … Central (Iowa) junior center fielder Sara Tallman batted .800 and reached base in all eight plate appearances last week, including four hits, three walks and a bunt that was ruled an error. She singled in the tying run in one game and scored the go-ahead run in another. … Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute freshman center fielder Jessica Torch burned the competition for the red-hot Engineers (14 straight wins) with a .714 average, six runs, and 10 steals in 10 attempts. … New York University senior pitcher Karissa Zubulake went 3-0 with an 1.40 ERA, 20 strikeouts and four earned runs over 20 innings in the circle. She fanned 11 over six innings in a win over Rutgers-Newark.

Winners are selected by the NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee, which has a representative for each of the eight NCAA regions.

2019 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week

April 3 — Ally Wiegand, Illinois Wesleyan University, Jr., RHP, Downs, Ill.

March 27 — Hadley Decker, Anderson (Ind.) University, Jr., RHP, New Haven, Ind.

March 20 — Candace Whittemore, Randolph-Macon College, Sr., RHP, Montpelier, Va.

March 13 — Alyssa Olson, Coe College, Sr., RHP, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

March 6 — Hanna Hull, Virginia Wesleyan University, Jr., LHP, Chesterfield, Va.

Feb. 27 — Beatriz Lara, East Texas Baptist University, Fr., RHP, Orange Grove, Texas

2019 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player of the Week

April 3 — Paige Smotherman, Linfield College, Sr., 2B, Hillsboro, Ore.

March 27 — Krissy Hughes, Muskingum University, Sr., CF, Newark, Ohio

March 20 — Kaitlyn Hasty, Christopher Newport University, Fr., UTIL, Chesapeake, Va.

March 13 — Kendall Marinesi, California Lutheran University, Jr., 3B, Santee, Calif.

March 6 — Kelsey Hora, Coe College, So., CF, Ainsworth, Iowa

Feb. 27 — Chase Shortly, University of St. Thomas, Sr., C/INF, Forest Lake, Minn.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –While the top three remained the same, including unanimous No. 1 UCLA, and no team moved in or out of the rankings, there was some shuffling amongst teams up and down this week’s 2019 USA Today / NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. 

The Bruins (35-1), No. 1 for the fifth straight week, ran their winning streak to 19 games following a dominating Pac-12 road sweep of then-No. 21 Arizona State. UCLA posted three run-rule victories, outscoring the Sun Devils (25-14), 35-5.

No. 2 Oklahoma swept Baylor in Big 12 play, extending the Sooners (35-2) winning streak to 25 contests. No. 3 Florida State went 2-1 last week, picking up a, 2-0, road win at then-No. 8 Florida before splitting an ACC doubleheader at Louisville.

Washington elevated two spots to No. 4. The Huskies (32-6) captured their third consecutive Pac-12 sweep, defeating California on the road and pushing their winning streak to 10 games.

No. 6 Florida and No. 8 Arizona each moved up in the poll, while No. 5 Alabama and No. 9 Tennessee fell. The Gators (32-9) bounced back from their loss to FSU by surrendering just one run in a three-game SEC sweep of then-No. 14 Arkansas. Extending their winning streak to 14 games, the Wildcats (32-7) set a program record by scoring 48 runs in a three-game Pac-12 sweep of Utah. Arizona outscored the Utes, 48-3, posting at least 13 runs in each of the three contests.

The Crimson Tide (38-4) suffered their first back-to-back defeats of the season, dropping games two and three in SEC play at then-No. 17 South Carolina. Alabama opened the week with run-rule wins over UAB and the Gamecocks (28-11) before their setbacks in Columbia, S.C. The Lady Vols (29-8) fell four positions after a 2-2 week. UT sandwiched two SEC wins over RV Missouri and then-No. 13 Auburn around a pair of home defeats to the Tigers (32-8).

No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Louisiana maintained their rankings. The Tigers (33-8) won their SEC series at Mississippi State, capturing the final two contests after a game one defeat. The Ragin’ Cajuns (33-4) picked up four more victories and ran their win steak to 10 after trumping McNeese State on the road and sweeping UT Arlington in Sun Belt Conference play.

The 2019 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. The records reflect games played through April 7, 2019.

2019 USA Today / NFCA Division I
Top 25 Coaches Poll – April 9 (Week 9)

Rank

School

Totals

2019

Record

Prev. Ranking

1

UCLA (32)

800

35-1

1

2

Oklahoma

766

35-2

2

3

Florida State

727

37-4

3

4

Washington

705

32-6

6

5

Alabama

639

38-4

4

6

Florida

610

32-9

8

7

LSU

590

33-8

7

8

Arizona

582

32-7

9

9

Tennessee

579

29-8

5

10

Louisiana

520

33-4

10

11

Texas

474

34-9

11

12

Auburn

416

32-8

13

13

Georgia

393

30-11

12

14

Oklahoma State

329

29-11

16

15

Texas Tech

326

30-8

15

16

South Carolina

321

28-11

17

17

Ole Miss

309

27-10

18

18

Arkansas

263

26-14

14

19

Minnesota

236

27-10

19

20

James Madison

224

27-6

20

21

Michigan

136

27-10

23

22

Virginia Tech

114

33-5

24

23

Kentucky

89

24-15

22

24

Arizona State

74

25-14

21

25

Wisconsin

70

30-5

25

New to Poll: None.

Dropped Out: None.

Receiving Votes: Northwestern (49), Colorado State (33), Boise State (7), Ohio State (4), Stanford (4), Illinois (3), Missouri (3), Liberty (1), Tulsa (1).

The 2019 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. Record reflect games played through April 7, 2019.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Illinois Wesleyan University’s Ally Wiegand and Linfield College’s Paige Smotherman claimed Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher and Player of the Week honors on Wednesday.

Junior right-hander Wiegand picked up two wins over Lake Forest, including a no-hitter and a successful relief outing, in a 3-0 overall week. In the first game, she fanned a season-high 16 and allowed just two Foresters to reach base on a pair of hit batters. In the nightcap, she entered with the game tied in top of the seventh with no outs and two on, and the score tied at 4-4, and proceeded to allow no runs and no walks while striking out three in a nine-inning victory. In her other game, a 4-1 win over Monmouth, she struck out 10 and allowed just four hits and no walks.

Senior second baseman Smotherman, meanwhile, hit .706 (12-of-17) with a double, two walks, five homers and 11 runs batted in over a six-game stretch. She tied a Linfield single-game record with three homers in consecutive at-bats against three different pitchers to help the Wildcats overcome a 4-0 deficit in a 10-9 win over DePauw. Smotherman had her fourth homer of the day in the second game of the doubleheader, and played flawless defense (nine putouts and four assists) for the week.

Other Top Performances

Saint Benedict freshman designated player Maureen Burns went 5-for-5 with a game-winning three-run homer and seven RBI against St. Catherine. … Lynchburg senior first baseman Mackenzie Chitwood hit .500 (10-for-20) with three doubles, a triple, two homers and nine RBI. … Farmingdale State senior pitcher Jaxie Collard went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, and had a five-hit shutout and four perfect innings of relief. … East Texas Baptist freshman pitcher Preslye Cox went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA and had 19 strikeouts and eight hits allowed over 12 innings, including a five-inning relief win and a 5-0 shutout. … Calvin senior third baseman Maddie DeGroot became the school’s career leader in runs scored and at-bats, and hit .400 with five runs, a double, triple and six RBI. … Trinity (Conn.) senior shortstop Courtney Erickson batted .600 (6-for-10) and had three two-hit games, while becoming the school’s career leader in RBI with 104. … East Texas Baptist freshman shortstop Hannah Garcia reached base six times and scored five, while hitting .600 with a double, homer and three RBI. … New York University senior center fielder Diana King was 12-for-23 (.522) with four multi-hit games. … Coe senior shortstop Haley Jones batted .692 (9-for-13) with nine runs, two doubles, two homers, and seven RBI. … Salisbury freshman right fielder Jillian Jones hit her first collegiate homer in the first game and had a sacrifice bunt to help set up the winning run in the second game against Penn State-Harrisburg. For the week, she hit .615 with two doubles, two homers and eight RBI. … Lawrence sophomore catcher Ceara Larson went 8-for-9 with three doubles and three homers in a doubleheader sweep of Beloit. In the first game, she went 5-for-5 with two doubles, two homers (including a grand slam) and six RBI. … Moravian junior pitcher Paige Lesher helped the Greyhounds extend their win streak with a pair of wins and just one walk over 15 innings. …  Farmingdale State junior first baseman Jessica Lombardo hit .636 with six runs, a double, and eight RBI. … Calvin senior shortstop Kristen Newman extended her hit streak to five games, while batting .545 from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. … Salisbury senior pitcher Shannon Powell earned the win in all four of the Sea Gulls’ wins, allowing just one unearned run and two walks over 18 innings. … Eastern Nazarene junior pitcher Elisabeth Schaffer tossed a perfect game (eight strikeouts) against Bay Path and had an one-hitter (11 strikeouts) versus Lasell. …  Moravian junior right fielder Emily Stanilious was 8-for-14 (.571) with three runs, two walks and three RBI. … Central (Iowa) junior center fielder Sara Tallman batted .800 and reached base in all eight plate appearances last week, including four hits, three walks and a bunt that was ruled an error. She singled in the tying run in one game and scored the go-ahead run in another. … Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute freshman center fielder Jessica Torch burned the competition for the red-hot Engineers (14 straight wins) with a .714 average, six runs, and 10 steals in 10 attempts. … New York University senior pitcher Karissa Zubulake went 3-0 with an 1.40 ERA, 20 strikeouts and four earned runs over 20 innings in the circle. She fanned 11 over six innings in a win over Rutgers-Newark.

Winners are selected by the NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee, which has a representative for each of the eight NCAA regions.

2019 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week

April 3 — Ally Wiegand, Illinois Wesleyan University, Jr., RHP, Downs, Ill.

March 27 — Hadley Decker, Anderson (Ind.) University, Jr., RHP, New Haven, Ind.

March 20 — Candace Whittemore, Randolph-Macon College, Sr., RHP, Montpelier, Va.

March 13 — Alyssa Olson, Coe College, Sr., RHP, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

March 6 — Hanna Hull, Virginia Wesleyan University, Jr., LHP, Chesterfield, Va.

Feb. 27 — Beatriz Lara, East Texas Baptist University, Fr., RHP, Orange Grove, Texas

2019 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player of the Week

April 3 — Paige Smotherman, Linfield College, Sr., 2B, Hillsboro, Ore.

March 27 — Krissy Hughes, Muskingum University, Sr., CF, Newark, Ohio

March 20 — Kaitlyn Hasty, Christopher Newport University, Fr., UTIL, Chesapeake, Va.

March 13 — Kendall Marinesi, California Lutheran University, Jr., 3B, Santee, Calif.

March 6 — Kelsey Hora, Coe College, So., CF, Ainsworth, Iowa

Feb. 27 — Chase Shortly, University of St. Thomas, Sr., C/INF, Forest Lake, Minn.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. –While the top three remained the same, including unanimous No. 1 UCLA, and no team moved in or out of the rankings, there was some shuffling amongst teams up and down this week’s 2019 USA Today / NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll. 

The Bruins (35-1), No. 1 for the fifth straight week, ran their winning streak to 19 games following a dominating Pac-12 road sweep of then-No. 21 Arizona State. UCLA posted three run-rule victories, outscoring the Sun Devils (25-14), 35-5.

No. 2 Oklahoma swept Baylor in Big 12 play, extending the Sooners (35-2) winning streak to 25 contests. No. 3 Florida State went 2-1 last week, picking up a, 2-0, road win at then-No. 8 Florida before splitting an ACC doubleheader at Louisville.

Washington elevated two spots to No. 4. The Huskies (32-6) captured their third consecutive Pac-12 sweep, defeating California on the road and pushing their winning streak to 10 games.

No. 6 Florida and No. 8 Arizona each moved up in the poll, while No. 5 Alabama and No. 9 Tennessee fell. The Gators (32-9) bounced back from their loss to FSU by surrendering just one run in a three-game SEC sweep of then-No. 14 Arkansas. Extending their winning streak to 14 games, the Wildcats (32-7) set a program record by scoring 48 runs in a three-game Pac-12 sweep of Utah. Arizona outscored the Utes, 48-3, posting at least 13 runs in each of the three contests.

The Crimson Tide (38-4) suffered their first back-to-back defeats of the season, dropping games two and three in SEC play at then-No. 17 South Carolina. Alabama opened the week with run-rule wins over UAB and the Gamecocks (28-11) before their setbacks in Columbia, S.C. The Lady Vols (29-8) fell four positions after a 2-2 week. UT sandwiched two SEC wins over RV Missouri and then-No. 13 Auburn around a pair of home defeats to the Tigers (32-8).

No. 7 LSU and No. 10 Louisiana maintained their rankings. The Tigers (33-8) won their SEC series at Mississippi State, capturing the final two contests after a game one defeat. The Ragin’ Cajuns (33-4) picked up four more victories and ran their win steak to 10 after trumping McNeese State on the road and sweeping UT Arlington in Sun Belt Conference play.

The 2019 USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches, one representing each conference. The records reflect games played through April 7, 2019.

2019 USA Today / NFCA Division I
Top 25 Coaches Poll – April 9 (Week 9)

Rank

School

Totals

2019

Record

Prev. Ranking

1

UCLA (32)

800

35-1

1

2

Oklahoma

766

35-2

2

3

Florida State

727

37-4

3

4

Washington

705

32-6

6

5

Alabama

639

38-4

4

6

Florida

610

32-9

8

7

LSU

590

33-8

7

8

Arizona

582

32-7

9

9

Tennessee

579

29-8

5

10

Louisiana

520

33-4

10

11

Texas

474

34-9

11

12

Auburn

416

32-8

13

13

Georgia

393

30-11

12

14

Oklahoma State

329

29-11

16

15

Texas Tech

326

30-8

15

16

South Carolina

321

28-11

17

17

Ole Miss

309

27-10

18

18

Arkansas

263

26-14

14

19

Minnesota

236

27-10

19

20

James Madison

224

27-6

20

21

Michigan

136

27-10

23

22

Virginia Tech

114

33-5

24

23

Kentucky

89

24-15

22

24

Arizona State

74

25-14

21

25

Wisconsin

70

30-5

25

New to Poll: None.

Dropped Out: None.

Receiving Votes: Northwestern (49), Colorado State (33), Boise State (7), Ohio State (4), Stanford (4), Illinois (3), Missouri (3), Liberty (1), Tulsa (1).

The 2019 USA Today / NFCA Division I Top 25 Coaches Poll is voted on by 32 NCAA Division I head coaches with one representing each of the NCAA’s Division I Conferences. Record reflect games played through April 7, 2019.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Neshoba Central’s win streak reached 60 games this week to solidify its hold on the top spot in the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 poll.

The (21-0) Rockets, fresh off Tuesday’s 6-0 victory over Choctaw Central, have outscored their last six opponents 40-0, and have now been the nation’s No. 1-ranked team for 13 weeks. Meanwhile, the nine teams below them also kept up their winning ways to maintain an unchanged top 10.

The first change this week occurs at No. 11, as Kentucky’s unbeaten Louisville Male (8-0) moved up three more spots after collecting three wins, including Wednesday night’s 15-1 victory over fellow ranked squad Spain Park (25-5) in Alabama. The Bulldogs have now outscored their opponents this season 107-5. After suffering its third-straight loss, Spain Park fell to 25th.

Elsewhere, Illinois’ Marist (8-2) rebounded with four consecutive triumphs to get back eight of the 10 places it lost two weeks ago, when the Redhawks fell from 15th to 25th.

Florida’s Apopka (13-1) and Texas’ Keller (21-3-1) are new to the rankings this week at No. 15 and No. 19, respectively. Apopka was edged 2-1 by Lake Brantley on Tuesday to snap a 13-game win streak to start its season, while Keller has now won nine straight.

State rankings submitted by NFCA member coaches are used to compile the USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25. Teams are chosen based on performance, roster quality and strength of schedule.

USA TODAY Sports/NFCA High School Super 25 Poll – April 4, 2019

Rank

Team

2019 Record

Previous

1

Neshoba Central (Miss.)

21-0

1

2

Norco (Calif.)

18-0

2

3

Cedar Ridge (Texas)

23-0

3

4

James Madison (Va.)

3-0

4

5

Shawnee Heights (Kan.)

2-0

5

6

Angleton (Texas)

22-0

6

7

Estero (Fla.)

16-0

7

8

New Palestine (Ind.)

1-0

8

9

Barbers Hill (Texas)

27-1

9

10

Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.)

9-0

10

11

Louisville Male (Ky.)

8-0

14

12

Winter Springs (Fla.)

17-0

11

13

Oakleaf (Fla.)

14-1

13

14

South Granville (N.C.)

7-0

15

15

Apopka (Fla.)

13-1

NR

16

Fairhope (Ala.)

26-3

17

17

Marist (Ill.)

8-2

25

18

Forney (Texas)

13-2

12

19

Keller (Texas)

21-3-1

NR

20

Center Grove (Ind.)

2-1

16

21

Donovan Catholic (N.J.)

1-0

21

22

Immaculate Heart Acad. (N.J.)

1-0

22

23

Wachusett Regional (Mass.)

0-0

24

24

Los Alamitos (Calif.)

11-4

23

25

Spain Park (Ala.)

25-5

19

Dropped out: Huntington Beach (Calif.) and Orange Lutheran (Calif.).