MVC Softball Weekly Release (PDF)

MVC Player of the Week
Alyssa Wiebel, OF, Senior, Van Horne, Iowa - Illinois State
Alyssa Wiebel led the way at the dish this weekend for Illinois State, as the Redbirds went undefeated at FAU’s “Strike-Out Cancer” Tournament. The senior went .500 (5-for-10) at the plate, with a pair of runs, four doubles, four RBIs, one walk and a home run. In ISU’s tournament-opening game against LIU, Wiebel recorded a double and a home run – her third of the season, before returning to the field 30 minutes later and delivering two more doubles (in the same inning). Wiebel’s game-winning RBI double in the bottom of the eighth against North Florida on Sunday helped the Redbirds close the weather-shortened weekend with their fourth-straight win. The starting outfielder turned in a pair of multi-hit games and extended her reached base streak to five games.

MVC Pitcher of the Week
Morgan Day, RHP, Junior, Tuscola, Ill. - Illinois State
Morgan Day went 2-0 in the circle this weekend for Illinois State at FAU’s “Strike-Out Cancer” Tournament. The right-handed hurler pitched a complete-game shutout against Long Island to open the tournament, carrying a one-hitter to the seventh inning, allowing just two hits overall, while striking out 10 batters – her third double-digit strikeout performance of the season. Day returned to the circle in relief on Sunday, helping the Redbirds escape a bases-loaded jam in the fifth. The junior didn’t give up a hit, run or walk, while striking out six, in 3.2 innings of relief work to secure her second win of the weekend. Day finished the weekend with a 0.00 ERA, allowing just two hits in 10.2 innings of work, while holding her opponents to a .065 batting average.

MVC Newcomer of the Week
Sarah Harness, P, Fr., Bowling Green, Mo. - Southern Illinois
Freshman pitcher Sarah Harness was dominant in the circle in her three appearances at the Florida Gulf Coast Spring Break Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. The Bowling Green, Mo. native earned back-to-back complete game wins against Fordham and Michigan State. In the win over Fordham, the freshman hurler allowed just one run on four hits and struck out a career-high 13. The following day, she scattered six hits and gave up just one earned run while striking out seven to lead SIU to its first win over a Big Ten opponent since 2017. Harness produced a 1.26 earned run average in 16 and two third innings over the weekend with an over 7:1 (23:3) strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Other notable performances:
PLAYERS
Sydney Young - Bradley
Young hit .500 with three runs scored, two stolen bases and a walk in all three games of the Charleston Classic, helping Bradley to a 2-1 record.  In Friday’s 11-0 victory over North Carolina A&T, Young scored twice, drawing a walk and getting hit by a pitch.  She helped highlight a 2-0 victory over Appalachian State, by scoring or driving in both Bradley runs in a 3-for-3 effort at the plate.  Young also swiped a pair of bases in the victory.  She had one plate appearance in Saturday’s game against Virginia Tech before leaving the game with an injury.  

Macy Johnson - Drake
Junior Macy Johnson compiled a blistering .533 (8-for-12) batting average in the Bulldogs’ four games at the GCU Purple Classic. Johnson, who hit safely in all four games in Phoenix, had two three-hit games and now has three on the young season. She drove in four runs, scored two runs, stole two bases and took two walks as well. Johnson, who has recorded at least one hit in 13 of the team’s 14 games this season, leads the team with a .467 batting average,  a .571 on-base percentage and six stolen bases. She has 10 stolen bases, which ranks second in the MVC and she ranks sixth all-time at Drake in career walks with 81.

Jessica Fehr - Evansville
University of Evansville sophomore Jessica Fehr batted .467 with two home runs and seven RBI at the Eagle Round Robin.  Fehr notched seven hits and 14 total bases while going 2-for-2 in stolen bases.  She got off to a strong start on Friday against Georgia Southern, going 3-5 with four RBI and her first home run of the season.  She added a 3-4 effort against Furman, picking up three more RBI and another run scored.  Fehr picked up her seventh hit of the weekend against Big Ten squad Maryland.

Susie Baranski - Southern Illinois
Susie Baranski hit a team-best .385 (5-for-13) at the plate to help SIU to a 3-1 record at the FGCU Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. The senior doubled in the game-winning run in SIU’s 2-1 victory over Big Ten foe Michigan State. She collected at least one hit in three of SIU’s four games, which included back-to-back multi-hit games. The senior from Chicago Heights, Ill. posted an on-base percentage of .429 for the weekend and didn’t record an error in the field.

PITCHERS
Grace French - Bradley
French tossed the first complete game shutout of her career, blanking Appalachian State in a three-hit shutout Friday at the Charleston Classic.  She struck out four and walked three in her lone outing of the rain-shortened tournament.  The Mountaineers stranded five against French as Bradley posted back-to-back shutouts for the first time since 2015.  In fact, the Braves had a pair of shutouts on the same day for the first time dating back to April 2009.  

Sarah Harness - Southern Illinois
Freshman pitcher Sarah Harness was dominant in the circle in her three appearances at the Florida Gulf Coast Spring Break Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. The Bowling Green, Mo. native earned back-to-back complete game wins against Fordham and Michigan State. In the win over Fordham, the freshman hurler allowed just one run on four hits and struck out a career-high 13. The following day, she scattered six hits and gave up just one earned run while striking out seven to lead SIU to its first win over a Big Ten opponent since 2017. Harness produced a 1.26 earned run average in 16 and two third innings over the weekend with an over 7:1 (23:3) strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

NEWCOMERS
Aubree Beitzinger - Drake
Freshman Aubree Beitzinger led the Bulldogs with a .556 (5-for-9) batting average in Phoenix. Beitzinger, who played in all four games and made three starts, also scored four runs, drove in two and stole two bases. Her best game was the 8-0 win over Utah State where she had two hits and drove in two. In her first season, she is batting .346 with nine runs scored and three RBI.

Hannah Hood - Evansville
The strong freshman campaign for Hannah Hood continued over the weekend at the Eagle Round Robin.  Hood picked up four hits in 10 trips to the plate while scoring five runs and knocking in two runs.  She added a successful steal in her one attempt.  In a 14-8 win over Georgia Southern, Hood went 2-3 while scoring three times.  Hood added two more hits in three at-bats while knocking in two runs and scoring twice in a win over Furman.