MAC Softball Pitcher of the Week
Courtney Vierstra, Miami University
Pitcher, Senior, Thornville, Ohio/Lakewood
For the weekend Courtney Vierstra went 3-0 for the Red and White. The senior pitched 16.1 innings with a 0.00 era, allowed just three hits, one unearned run, no walks and had 32 strikeouts while throwing a perfect game and a no-hitter on the weekend versus Akron. Overall, Akron batters hit just .059 against the senior pitcher. In Friday's game, after hitting the first batter, who would be caught stealing, Vierstra sat down the next fourteen Akron batters en route to a 11-0, no-hit (minimum faced) victory while striking out 12 Zips. On Saturday. Vierstra pitched 4.1 innings, allowing one unearned run and striking out eight Akron batters in a 12-4 victory. In Sunday's series finale, Vierstra threw her second perfect game of the season. This one a seven-inning, 8-0 victory in which Vierstra added 12 strikeouts to her career total while not allowing an Akron base runner. Vierstra also moved into second place all-time in career strikeouts at Miami and now has 692 strikeouts in her career.
MAC Softball Player of the Week
Dayna Denner, Toledo
Third Base, Senior, Toledo
Senior third baseman Dayna Denner was red-hot at the plate last weekend to help the Rockets win three of four games against Ohio last weekend at Scott Park. Denner posted an amazing .800 batting average, .867 on-base percentage and 1.600 slugging percentage with three runs scored, two doubles, two home runs and five RBIs against the Bobcats. She registered eight hits in 10 at-bats and reached base 13 times in 15 plate appearances, as a result of four walks (two intentional) and one hit-by-pitch. After recording a double in her first three at-bats of the series, Denner was not retired by the Bobcats in her next 12 plate appearances. She gave the Rockets an early 1-0 lead in the first inning of Game Two of Friday’s doubleheader before launching a three-run homer over the left-field fence to give UT a 6-1 advantage. Denner was 2-for-2 with a walk and HBP in Saturday’s 5-4 (9 inn.) win in Game One, before going 3-for-3 with a homer in a 9-1 (5 inn.) victory in Game Two. Denner leads the MAC with 12 home runs and is tied for first with a 1.000 slugging percentage. She also ranks third with a .551 on-base percentage and fourth with a .448 batting average.
Other Nominees
Claire Norred, Northern Illinois University
Pitcher, Fr., Tipton, Ind
Claire Norred was very effective in the pitcher's circle for the Huskies last week, particularly against conference foe Western Michigan. The Huskie freshmen held the Broncos to two runs in 14 innings work of helping NIU to wins in her two starts. She allowed four hits, while striking out two in a 2-1 victory for the Huskies in game two of the series. Norred then earned her fifth win of the season as she held the Broncos to four hits, while allowing a run in an 8-1 Huskie win. She recorded four strikeouts and faced the minimum four of her seven innings helping NIU to a series split.
Makenna Durieux, Toledo
Pitcher, Junior, Toledo
Junior Makenna Durieux picked up her first win as a Rocket by allowing just two hits and one unearned run in Saturday's 9-1 (5 inn.) victory Ohio in Game Two of a doubleheader. After giving up a run in the first inning, Durieux didn't allow a Bobcat runner past second base.
Reily Galloway, Western Michigan
Pitcher, Senior, LaPorte, IN / LaPorte
Galloway made three starts on the week, two coming in WMU's split at NIU. In the series with the Huskies, she went 1-1 with a 2.10 ERA. NIU had just seven hits (.159 batting average) and four earned runs in 13.1 innings. In her first start, Galloway held NIU to just two hits, but took a 2-1 loss. She picked up a win in the series finale, again allowing just two earned runs in a complete-game victory. The senior now ranks in the top-10 in the MAC in both innings pitched and strikeouts.
Deborah Jones, Ball State
Pitcher, Sophomore, Unionville, Ind./Bloomington North
Picked up her first complete game shutout of the season in Friday's series opener versus the Golden Flashes, limiting one of the league's top offenses to just four hits over 7.0 innings of work. She also struck out a pair of batters in the game. Followed with her second complete game victory of the weekend in Saturday's series finale, limiting Kent State to three unearned runs over 7.0 innings, while striking out two more batters.
Ally Marcano, Buffalo
Pitcher, Graduate Student, Middletow, NY (Middletown)
Graduate student pitcher Ally Marcano had a great week Buffalo as she went 1-0 in a pair of starts against Bowling Green this weekend. The Middletown, NY native gave up just one earned run and struck out 10 batters nine innings of work. Marcano struck picked up a win and a save in game one of the series on Friday, allowing just one hit and striking out four batters in 4.1 innings of play. She had another solid outing in game three of the series on Saturday, striking out six while giving up just one hit in 4.2 innings of work.
Carley Goetschius, Northern Illinois University
C/INF, Junior, Souix Falls, S.D./Washington
Carley Goetchius was the catalyst for the Huskie offense last week with a team-high six runs batted in, five hits and four runs scored in five starts. Of her five hits, three went for extra bases including a pair of home runs. After beginning the week with a 2-for-2, including a home run, two-RBI performance at DePaul, Goetschius gave NIU its first W of the week when she hit a walk-off two-run homer in game two of Friday's doubleheader with Western Michigan. With a runner at second with one out and NIU down, 1-0, the Huskie junior deposited the Reily Galloway offering over the left field fence to give NIU the 2-1 win. In the first game of Sunday's double dip, Goetschius once again paced the NIU offense, going 2-for-3 on the day with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored in the Huskies' 8-1 win over the Broncos.
Mackenzie Moore, Miami
Infielder, Senior, Phoenix, Arizona/Desert Vista
Mackenzie Moore had a strong week at the plate for Miami hitting .500 over the five wins for the RedHawks. For the week, the senior from Phoenix, Ariz. went 8-for-16 with a home run, two doubles and nine RBIs. Her slugging percentage for the week was .875 and Moore's on-base percentage was .556. In addition, Moore scored three runs and stole two bases on two attempts.
Mikenzie Vaughn, Ohio
Second Base, Graduate Student, Kennesaw, Ga.
Graduate student Mikenzie Vaughn led Ohio last week at Toledo, Vaughn hit .333 with three homeruns, four RBI, five hits and four runs scored. Vaughn recorded a slugging percentage of .933 and a .333 on base percentage while tallying 14 total bases. Vaughn's best day came on April 9 against Toledo. In the first game of the doubleheader, Vaughn hit two homeruns and recorded three RBI. Meanwhile, later in the day, Vaughn hit her third homerun of the weekend and recorded two more hits, recorded one RBI and scored one run in the Bobcats 10-7 come-from-behind victory.
Jordyn Swinehart, Western Michigan
2B, Senior, Kalamazoo, MI / Mattawan
Swinehart hit .400 over five games on the week, including .417 (5-for-12) in WMU's series split at Northern Illinois. She doubled home a pair of runs in an 8-5 victory to open the series and went 3-for-4 with an RBI in a 10-2 victory in the series finale.
Nikki Sorgi, Bowling Green
OF / 1BR, Junior, Shelby Township, Mich. (Henry Ford II)
Bowling Green’s Nikki Sorgi reached base at least twice in every BGSU game last week. She hit a team-leading .500 with an on-base percentage of .643 in the Falcons’ four-game series at Buffalo. Sorgi led the team with four runs scored in the series, and reached base a total of nine times, walking three times and being hit by a pitch in addition to her five hits. She had at least one hit in each of the four games. In Friday’s opener, Sorgi walked, singled and scored a run. Then, in game two, she was 1-for-2 with a HBP and two more runs. On Saturday, Sorgi had two hits in the opener, then went 1-for-1 with two walks, a run and a sac bunt. She raised her overall season batting average 31 points on the week-end, and she is now hitting .381 in the Falcons’ 16 MAC games to date.
Delanie Johnson, Ball State
Designated Player, Senior, Streator, Ill./Streator
Delanie Johnson led the Ball State offense in Friday's doubleheader sweep over Kent State, going 5-for-6 with two home runs and a team-high four RBI ... She was almost a perfect 6-for-6 were it not for a miraculous home run robing snow cone catch from KSU's left fielder in her final at bat ... She went on to add another crucial hit in the series finale Saturday, with a perfectly executed bunt single, slicing it between the pitcher and first baseman in the seventh-inning rally ... It was so well executed in fact, that Johnson was able to advance to second as Kent State focused on holding Hensley at third ... It was crucial as she ended up scoring what proved to be the game-winning run later in the inning.
Brooklyn Whitt, Kent State
Outfield, Junior, Mount Gilead, Ohio / Cardington-Lincoln
Brooklyn Whitt batted .500 and extended her reached base streak to 15 games during Kent State’s three-game series at first-place Ball State. Whitt had a pair of multi-hit games and gave the Golden Flashes an early 1-0 lead on Saturday with a RBI double in the top of the first inning. For the week, she went 5-for-10 at the plate and drew two walks for a .583 on-base percentage and also had two RBIs.
Alexis Lucyshyn, Buffalo
P/1B, Sophomore, Calgary, AB, Canada (Bishop Grandin)
Sophomore Alexis Lucyshyn had a fantastic weekend at the plate to lead Buffalo to a series win against Bowling Green. Lucyshyn batted .455 with five hits, two home runs, five RBI and four runs scored while recording a 1.000 slugging percentage and .500 on base percentage in four games. After going 2-for-3 at the plate in game one, Lucyshyn provided the game-winning blast, a three-run home run, in the third inning to lift the Bulls to a win in game two and came up big once again in the series finale blasting a two-run home run to put UB on the board. The Calgary native is currently riding a 10-game hit streak, dating back to April 2nd. On the season, Lucyshyn is batting .293 with 24 hits and a team-best seven home runs and 21 RBI, 13 runs scored while recording a .561 slugging percentage.
