USC Upstate’s Oakes, UMBC’s Coppersmith earn 2019 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I weekly honors

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – USC Upstate’s Alyssa Oakes and UMBC’s Courtney Coppersmith were named Louisville/Slugger NFCA Division I National Player and Pitcher of the Week of the Week, respectively, for games played April 1-7.

Oakes slugged her way her first NFCA national honor. The junior catcher hit .500 with four home runs, 15 RBI and a 1.500 slugging percentage helping the Spartans to a 5-0 week. Oakes added two doubles, a triple, seven runs scored and a .556 on-base percentage. She drove in at least one run in all five contests, including five and six RBI outputs during a Big South sweep of Campbell. The Winter Park, Fla. native cracked two homers, including a grand slam in the series finale.

Coppersmith produced four 10-plus strikeout contests, which included 17 punchouts in a no-hitter against Maine. The rookie southpaw finished the week 3-0 with a 0.28 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 25.1 innings of work. She surrendered just six hits and holding the opposition to a .074 batting average. Against the Black Bears, Coppersmith matched her own program record with the 17 strikeouts. On the same day, she fanned 11 more batters in 4.1 innings of shutout relief, finish April 6 with 28 strikeouts and one hit allowed in 11.1 innings. 

She capped off her dominant performance against Maine with a one hit-shutout in which she sat down 13 more Black Bears in the America East series clincher. Earlier in the week, Coppersmith fanned 10 Norfolk State batters and hit the game-winning grand slam in game one of a doubleheader. For the week, she also hit .529 with six RBI and a 1.312 OPS.

2019 Players & Pitcher of the Week

Selected Top Performances
Nicole Newman, Drake – 2-0, SV, 0 R, 0 H, 28 K, BB, 9.1 IP, perfect game vs. Valparaiso; Summer Ellyson, Louisiana – 3-0, SV, 0.32 ERA, 28 K, 5 BB, 9 H, .129 opp. BA, 22 IP; Jessie Harper, Arizona– .667, 2 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 11 R, 3 BB, .722 OBP, 1.600 SLG; Samaria Diaz, New Mexico State– 3-0, 0.30 ERA, 38 K, 4 BB, 23 IP; Taylor Pack, UCLA– .750, 6 H, 3 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 5 R; Caleigh Clifton, Oklahoma-.714, 5 H, 2 3B, HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, .700 OBP; Mya Felder, New Mexico State– .571, 8 H, 2 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, .625 OBP, 1.571 SLG; Briana Marcelino, UConn– .611, 11 H, 2 2B, HR, 7 R, 9 RBI, .650 OBP; Jazlyn Crowder, Louisiana Tech– .750, 12 H, 3 2B, HR, 8 R, 10 RBI, 3-3 SB, 1.125 SLG; Virginia Irby, Colgate– .471, 8 H, 10 R, 4 RBI, 3 2B, HR; Miranda Elish, Texas – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 SHO, 15 K, 7 H, .152 opp. BA, 14 IP; Danielle Williams, Northwestern– 2-0, 0.00 ERA 2 SHO, 22 K, 4 H.