MVC Softball Weekly Release (PDF)
MVC Player of the Week
Emme Olson, UTL, Sophomore, Hartsburg, Ill. - Illinois State
Emme Olson boasted a .526 batting average in five starts for the Redbirds at Arizona State’s Littlewood Classic. The sophomore finished the weekend with a double, triple and home run to go with a team-best seven RBIs. Her two-RBI triple against Boise State helped break an early tie against the Broncos on Friday, before becoming the only Redbird to register multiple hits against the nationally-ranked Sun Devils. Olson’s 3-for-5 game against Detroit Mercy matched a career-best performance for the Hartsburg, Illinois, native, as she led the team with five RBIs, including the go-ahead three-RBI home run in ISU’s eight run fifth inning against the Titans. Olson turned in four multi-hit games and is currently riding a six-game reached base streak and is on a six-game hitting streak. Olson also tabulated an .842 slugging percentage, .550 on-base percentage and posted a .955 fielding percentage.
MVC Pitcher of the Week
Kelsie Packard, P, R-Jr., Beloit, Wis. - Valparaiso
Packard posted complete-game victories in both her appearances last weekend, finishing with an even 1.00 ERA, a .135 batting average against and a 0.86 WHIP with 22 strikeouts in just 14 innings. In her first start of the weekend, Packard limited a Gardner-Webb team averaging better than 8 runs/game to just 2 earned runs while striking out 11 to earn the win. She then one-hit Colgate - her third career start giving up zero or one hits - surrendering just an unearned run while again striking out 11. After reaching double figures in strikeouts just twice over 29 starts in her first two seasons at Valpo, she now has three games with 10+ K’s in four starts so far this year.
MVC Newcomer of the Week
Dayna Kennedy, UTL, Freshman, Decatur, Ill. - Illinois State
Dayna Kennedy led the way at the plate for the Redbirds this weekend at Arizona State’s Littlewood Classic. The freshman utility player went .556 at the dish, registering a pair of doubles and an RBI, while drawing three walks in ISU’s win over Detroit Mercy. Kennedy provided a key RBI double in the Redbirds’ win over Boise State, giving ISU a two-run cushion before the Redbirds took the game, 12-8. In ISU’s second game against the Broncos, Kennedy stepped into the game as a pinch hitter, before remaining in as the team’s catcher, going a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate. She is currently riding a six-game reached base streak, tied for the best on the team. Kennedy also turned in a .778 slugging percentage, .692 on-base percentage and posted a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage this weekend.
Other notable performances:
PLAYERS
Stacia Seeton - Bradley
Seeton hit .462 at the Golden State Classic in Lake Elsinore, Calif., with three of her six hits going for extra bases. She had two doubles, a homer, four RBI, two runs scored and four walks for the weekend. In Friday’s 6-3 win over UC Davis, she drew a walk and scored a run in a two-run fifth that saw Bradley tie the game at 3-3 in the eventual victory. Seeton helped highlight a 12-2 win over Army Saturday, with a three-run homer and two walks, before going 4-for-4 with two doubles and a RBI in a 6-3 victory against Sacramento State later that day. She was 1-for-3 with a walk in Sunday’s weekend finale against Hawaii. Seeton’s homer Saturday against Army was her team-leading third of the year and pushed her career total to 24.
Sarah Maddox - Drake
Senior Sarah Maddox was one of five Bulldogs who each had at least five hits in the five games at the Stanford Invitational. Maddox blistered the softball in Palo, Alto. with a 5-for-114 (.357) with one home run, one double, three runs and a team-high six runs batted in. She had an impressive five-game hitting streak end in the team’s final game in Palo Alto, Calif. against the hosts. Her 17th career home run, a two-run shot, came in the Bulldogs’ second tournament game against Hofstra. She is just now one away from cracking the program’s all-time list for career home runs. Maddox now has 98 career RBI, which is tied for sixth all-time in program history.
Jessica Fehr - Evansville
Jessica Fehr continued her outstanding start to the 2020 season, batting .385 in the Jaguar Challenge. Over the course of her four games, Fehr registered five hits in 13 at-bats while finishing with four RBI, three doubles, three runs and two walks. Fehr began the weekend with a 2-3 game in the win over Louisiana Tech. She added a run, RBI and a double. Her single in the fourth inning proved to be the game-winning hit as her knock scored Eryn Gould in a 5-4 win. She got Saturday started with a 1-4 game with an RBI and double in the rematch against the Lady Techsters before going 2-3 with two runs, two RBI, a double and walk versus South Alabama.
Leslie Sims - Indiana State
Leslie batted .647 this weekend going 11-for-17 at the plate. Sims had a season high four hits against Bowling Green helping Indiana State to the win 8-6. Sims also had a season high two stolen bases and a total of four this weekend, bringing her career total to 85.
Allyson Ivey - Loyola
Ivey guided Loyola to a 4-1 record this weekend at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas. In Loyola’s 12-0 victory over George Mason, Ivey batted .500 and picked up her 16th career home run. She also tied her career-high with five RBI in a single game and posted three hits and two runs. The junior finished the weekend with a .385 batting average, .692 slugging percentage, 24 put outs, nine total RBI and zero errors from the field.
Tess Weakly - Missouri State
Weakly batted .364 and drove in 3 runs while blasting her second home run of the season at the North Texas Invitational. Weakly also was perfect on 25 defensive chances, drew 5 walks, scored 3 runs and posted a .563 on-base percentage. Weakly had two multi-hit games in the tournament, and reached base in every game of the four-game event. She was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI in an 8-0 win over UT Martin, including her second home run of the season. She followed that with a 2-for-3 game against North Texas, reaching base three times for the second game in a row.
Adara Opiola - UNI
Opiola had a great weekend in Tucson, Arizona at the Hillenbrand Invitational. Opiola led the Panthers to a big 13-5 win over Bryant University on Saturday. The Senior Third Basemen went 2-2 from the plate, scoring 3 runs, and bringing home 3 RBI’s. Overall Opiola went 4-8 from the plate with 2 doubles, 5 RBI, and 5 runs scored.
Kyleigh Decker - Southern Illinois
Kyleigh Decker slashed .429/.929/.500 as SIU went 3-2 at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Fla. Decker tallied a double, two home runs, three walks, drove in a team-high seven runs and scored a team-best seven runs. The senior first baseman reached base in all five of SIU’s games, which included two multi-hit games and at least one RBI in four of Southern’s five games. She finished the weekend a perfect 4-for-4 when hitting with two outs and in SIU’s win over 2019 NCAA Tournament participant Monmouth, went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI.
PITCHERS
Grace French - Bradley
French went 2-0 with a team-best 2.62 ERA in three outings at the Golden State Classic in Lake Elsinore, Calif., while holding opponents to a .245 average. Against UC Davis, she struck out a season-high five and walked just one in 6.1 innings of work as she scatted seven hits in a 6-3 win. French returned the next afternoon to take a two-hit shutout into the seventh in a 6-3 victory over Sacramento State. She ended up striking out two and walking two, while giving up five hits in 6.1 innings. French came on in relief in Sunday’s game vs. Hawaii to give up one unearned run and a hit in two-thirds of an inning.
Nicole Timmons - Drake
Junior Nicole Timmons, the reigning MVC Pitcher of the Week, went 1-0 with a 2.10 ERA and 10 strikeouts to just threw walks in two appearances in Palo Alto. Timmons started the tournament with 5.2 scoreless innings in the win over Hofstra where she allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out 10. Timmons who took over the ace role for the Bulldogs is 4-1 with a 0.78 ERA with 33 strikeouts and just seven walks.
Mack Leonard - Illinois State
Mack Leonard provided 10.0 innings of relief pitching this weekend for the Redbirds, grabbing her first win of the season – and second of her career – in a 12-8 decision over Boise State, who was receiving votes in the NFCA Top 25 poll. The right-handed hurler turned in a 2.10 ERA while striking out six, including a team-high two against Boise State and No. 23/22 Arizona State. Leonard allowed just three runs this weekend to go with an opponent batting average of .143. Her best outing came against the nationally-ranked Sun Devils, as the sophomore allowed just one hit in 3.0 innings of work.
Madison Veres - Loyola
Veres threw an impressive combined no-hitter in Loyola’s 12-0 victory over George Mason at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas. The junior pitched two of five innings, only allowing one walk. Veres continued to shine over the weekend, picking up another 7-0 shutout victory over Sam Houston State. She pitched all seven innings, only allowing four hits and one walk.
Steffany Dickerson - Missouri State
The MSU junior was 1-1 in the circle with a 1.62 ERA in a pair of starts in the North Texas Invitational. She allowed just one run in a 3-1 victory over former Valley rival Creighton on Friday night, surrendering just 6 hits (all singles) while walking just ONE against the Bluejays. She followed that effort by going 7+ strong innings against host North Texas in Saturday’s finale, striking out four Mean Green hitters in a 2-1 extra-inning loss.
Sarah Harness - Southern Illinois
Harness went 2-1 with a save in 19 and two-third innings of work at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Fla. The Bowling Green, Mo. native posted a 2.85 ERA, surrendered just eight earned runs in four appearances and had a 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (15:3). The freshman hurler threw her first collegiate complete game against 2019 NISC participant Middle Tennessee and gave up just three earned runs on five hits. She earned the save in SIU’s win over South Dakota after she threw five and a third innings and struck out a career-high seven. She later recorded her first collegiate win in the circle after she allowed just one earned run across four and two-third innings against 2019 NCAA Tournament participant Monmouth.
NEWCOMERS
Emily Valtman - Drake
Freshman Emily Valtman was one of the other Bulldogs with five hits at the Stanford Invitational. Valtman, the reigning MVC Newcomer of the Week, finished 5-for-13 (.385) with one run scored, three doubles and three RBI. Valtman went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in Drake’s win over Hofstra. In her first season, the Newton, Iowa, native is batting .409 (2nd on team) with a team-leading two home runs, tied for team lead with four doubles and second on the team in RBI with 11.
Alyssa Barela - Evansville
The bat of sophomore Alyssa Barela continued to come alive at the Jaguar Challenge as she finished the weekend batting .417 while reaching base 53.3% of the time. She had five hits, four RBI and three walks. Friday’s second game saw her go 2-4 against Austin Peay while the opener on Saturday had her check in with two more hits in three at-bats along with a RBI. In the weekend finale against South Alabama, Barela add three RBI and her third walk of the weekend.
Dani Brown - Loyola
In just her third game pitching for the Ramblers, Brown threw a combined no-hitter in Loyola’s 12-0 victory over George Mason at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas. Brown entered the game to relieve Veres and pitched three innings, only allowing two walks.
Tess Weakly - Missouri State
Weakly batted .364 and drove in 3 runs while blasting her second home run of the season at the North Texas Invitational. Weakly also was perfect on 25 defensive chances, drew 5 walks, scored 3 runs and posted a .563 on-base percentage. Weakly had two multi-hit games in the tournament, and reached base in every game of the four-game event. She was 2-for-3 with 3 RBI in an 8-0 win over UT Martin, including her second home run of the season. She followed that with a 2-for-3 game against North Texas, reaching base three times for the second game in a row.
Sarah Harness - Southern Illinois
Harness went 2-1 with a save in 19 and two-third innings of work at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Fla. The Bowling Green, Mo. native posted a 3.66 ERA, surrendered just eight earned runs in four appearances and had a 5:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio (15:3). The freshman hurler earned the save in SIU’s win over South Dakota after she threw five and a third innings and struck out a career-high seven. She later recorded her first collegiate win in the circle after she allowed just one earned run across four and two-third innings against 2019 NCAA Tournament participant Monmouth. Harness leads all Valley freshmen pitchers in innings pitched (29.0) and is tied for the MVC lead among freshmen in both wins (2) and appearances (6). She also has the lowest ERA among Valley first-year pitchers (mini. 20 innings pitched).
Easton Seib - Valparasio
Seib posted a 1.75 ERA in three appearances in the circle last weekend, holding opponents to a .222 batting average and a 0.92 WHIP over 12 innings of work. The freshman kept Robert Morris off the board in 2.1 innings of relief work. She then made her first career start against a Gardner-Webb team which entered the weekend averaging better than 8 runs/game and limited the Bulldogs to two runs through seven innings before suffering a tough-luck loss in the international tiebreak, giving up just five hits while striking out six.