With one week left in the regular season, UNI has claimed the Regular Season Champion title and No. 1 Seed at the 2022 MVC Softball Championship in Springfield, Mo. Championship host, Missouri State, has locked in their No. 2 Seed as well. This week's Missouri Valley Conference softball players of the week include Madison Ebeling of Loyola, Steffany Dickerson of Missouri State and Delainey Bryant of Illinois State.
Softball Weekly Notebook (PDF)
MVC Player of the Week
Madison Ebeling, Loyola
Sr., SS, Bartlett, Ill.
Madison Ebeling had her best week to date. She finished the weekend with a .727 hitting percentage. Over the course of the four games, she registered 8 hits on 11 at bats, adding in one home run over this time. Her most impressive came against Drake when she hit .778, getting three runs scored on her two at-bats. Along with her performances at the plate, she added on five putouts and seven assists when she was in the field.
MVC Pitcher of the Week
Steffany Dickerson, Missouri State
Sr., P, Oklahoma City, Okla.
Steffany Dickerson collected all three of Missouri State’s win this past week as the Bears went 3-1 overall. Dickerson recorded a 0.37 ERA across after allowing just one earned run across her three appearances. She tossed a team-high 19 innings and threw two complete game shutouts. Dickerson struck out 23 batters, allowed just one free pass and scattered 12 hits. Overall, batters hit just .179 against her. She also tallied her 500
th career strikeout in the weekend series against Bradley. On Wednesday at SIU, Dickerson allowed just two hits and struck out eight in the 1-0 complete game shutout victory against the Salukis to secure the series. In Saturday’s series opener against Bradley, Dickerson allowed one earned run on just three hits while striking out five Braves in the 10-1 run-rule victory. Dickerson was back in the circle for Sunday’s series finale and rubber match. She tossed her second complete game shutout, as she scattered seven hits and struck out 10 in her 19
th victory of the season. Dickerson lowered her season ERA to 1.70 and her MVC ERA to 0.85. She continues to lead the MVC in ERA (0.85), opposing batting average (.188), strikeouts looking (33), wins (13) and saves (2).
MVC Newcomer of the Week
Delainey Bryant, Illinois State
Fr., UT, Mattoon, Ill.
Delainey Bryant was another hot hitter for the Redbirds this week, starting at shortstop in all four games. Bryant registered an RBI in all four games this week, going 5-for-11 with a home run, a triple, three walks, seven runs scored, and six RBI. She drove in one of the Redbirds' two runs against Bradley, hitting a sacrifice fly. In the first game of the Valpo series, Bryant was a perfect 1-for-1 with two walks, two runs scored, and an RBI. Game two of the series, she knocked in three runs, scored three runs, and walked in a 2-for-3 effort, blasting her seventh home run of the season. In the series finale, Bryant was 2-for-4 with an RBI, two runs scored, and recorded her fifth triple of the season to tie her for first in the league in triples. Heading into this week, she tied for 29
th nationally in triples as well as 47
th in triples per game.
Player of the Week - Others Nominated
Abbott Badgley - Bradley
Badgley extended her hit streak to a season-best eight games, hitting .600 (6-for-10) as she helped Bradley split four road games. Boasting a .636 on base percentage and 1.000 slugging percentage for the week, Badgley scored twice and drove in a pair to go with one double and one home run. She went 1-for-2 with a solo homer to help highlight Bradley’s 5-2 win at Illinois State as the Braves claimed the regular-season series against the Redbirds. Badgley opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second inning. She went 5-for-8 in the series at Missouri State, ripping a second-inning double in a 1-for-2 effort in the series opener. Badgley was 2-for-3 in each of the final two games against the Bears as she collected her fourth and fifth multi-hit games in the last seven contests. In Bradley’s 9-1 victory Saturday, she drove in a run with a RBI single in the first and added a single and a run during a seven-run fifth inning. Badgley capped the week with a 2-for-3 effort in the series finale. She also came out of the bullpen to pitch 1.2 innings of scoreless relief in Sunday’s finale, retiring all five batters she faced.
Libby Ryan - Drake
Ryan continues to be impactful both offensively and defensively for the Bulldogs. Against UNI, she grabbed a ball that was grounded out to her, did a 360 spin and got the runner out at first. She had six putouts in her four games last week. She also led the team in batting average this week with .583. She tallied seven hits on 12 at bats and added two runs. She recorded her 12th stolen base this season against UNI. She also had an on base percentage of .643 and .583 slugging percentage.
Mackenzie McFeron - Evansville
In four games over the last week, Evansville senior Mackenzie McFeron batted .429 while picking up a hit in each contest. She recorded six hits in 14 at-bats while scoring four runs and stealing two bases. She finished with a .467 on-base percentage and slugged .571. McFeron opened the week with a 2-3 game against Indiana State where she scored a run and added her first steal of the week. Saturday’s opener versus Southern Illinois saw her go 1-3 while scoring three times. Along with her second swipe of the week, McFeron notched a triple and a walk. Game two of the SIU series saw her go 2-4 before she added a hit in four trips to the plate in the finale.
Emme Olson - Illinois State
Senior second baseman Emme Olson had a huge week at the plate for the Redbirds as she slashed .500/1.071/.538 over four games with 15 total bases. She reached base safely in all four contests, collecting a hit in the series finale versus Bradley and drawing a walk in the first game against Valpo. In the doubleheader against the Beacons, Olson was 6-for-8 with two doubles, two home runs, five runs scored, and six RBI. She was a perfect 4-for-4 in the series clinching game, with five RBI and three runs scored in a 17-0 win by the Redbirds, and she was just a triple shy of the cycle. Olson went 2-for-4 in the series finale with another two runs scored and an RBI. She tied a Marian Kneer Stadium record with her four hits, becoming only the fifth Redbird to do so in program history. Her 15 doubles ranks her second in the conference and she is one double shy of breaking into the top five in program history for doubles in a single season.
Annie Tokarek - Indiana State
Tokarek extended her hitting-streak to six games this week while going 5-11 at the plate with two home runs which were solo shots in back-to-back games. She finished the week with three RBIs while also scoring three and raised her batting average above .300 to .304 on the year.
Madison Hunsaker - Missouri State
Madison Hunsaker led the way for the Bears offensively as MSU went 3-1 this past week. She slashed .600/1.300/.667 after going 6-for-10 at the plate with five extra-base hits (four doubles and a home run). Hunsaker recorded a team-leading seven RBI and 13 total bases, while also scoring three runs, drawing a walk and getting hit by a pitch. She was also perfect in the field, committing no errors and tallying 17 putouts for a 1.000 fielding percentage. On Wednesday at SIU, Hunsaker went 1-for-2 and scored the game-winning run with her solo home run in a 1-0 MSU series-clinching victory. In the series-opening game against Bradley, Hunsaker went 2-for-3 with two doubles, four RBI and a run scored as the Bears run-ruled the Braves in five innings, 10-1. In game two, she drew a walk. In the series finale, Hunsaker recorded her second multi-hit game of the week, going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, a single, two RBI and a run scored. She helped lead MSU to two series wins last week, marking the Bears’ 10th and 11th consecutive MVC series wins. In MVC games, Hunsaker now ranks in the top 10 in batting average (5th), slugging percentage (8th), on-base percentage (9th), OPS (8th), hits (8th) and doubles (3rd).
Emmy Wells - UNI
Wells continued to lead the Panthers in conference play at the plate with games over Drake and Indiana State this past week. Wells hit UNI’s program best 61st home run in the 2022 season in the Panthers 6-3 win over the Sycamores on Sunday afternoon while batting .444 in three games with a 1.222 slugging percentage. Along with growing her season home run total to 16, Wells overtook the lead for most RBIs in the MVC with 46 on the season and 7 in the past week alone. The sophomore catcher also excelled in the field with 33 putouts, 1 assist, and no errors in 21 innings of work behind the plate.
Elisabeth Huckleberry - Southern Illinois
Elisabeth Huckleberry slashed .400/1.000/.462 as SIU won three of its four games last week. The sophomore infielder tallied two home runs, two walks, three runs scored and four RBI. She recorded a hit in all four of SIU’s games which included at least one RBI in all three of its wins over Evansville. Huckleberry went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a home run in Southern’s series-opening win over the Aces, and followed with a RBI-single in its 6-0 win in game two. In SIU’s 5-0 win on Sunday, Huckleberry was 1-for-2 with a home run and a walk.
Pitcher of the Week - Others Nominated
Amanda Fox - Illinois State
Amanda Fox made two appearances with one start for the Redbirds this week. She entered in relief against Bradley, giving up just two runs in 4.0 innings of work while striking out four and only allowing four hits. Her next appearance was a complete game effort as she scattered two hits in the five-inning shutout of the Beacons. She collected seven strikeouts in that game. Fox held opponent batters to .200 average across 9.0 innings of work. She ranks in the top ten in the league in ERA (3.12), opposing batting average (.244), strikeouts (128), strikeouts looking (24), and innings pitched (145.2)
Kailyn Packard - UNI
Packard continued her conference best ERA over the week with two performances against Drake and Indiana State. Through 14 innings of work, Packard picked up her 17th and 18th wins along with 20 strikeouts. Packard’s 2.50 ERA for the week brings her season total to 1.62, which puts her in the Top 40 pitchers in the nation. Packard was in control in the circle all week, not allowing a single wild pitch and only allowing 3 walks through 60 batters faced. Packard particularly shined against Drake on Tuesday, allowing just 5 hits and 1 earned run to help the Panthers grab the series victory against their in-state rivals.
Madi Eberle - Southern Illinois
Madi Eberle went 2-0 with a 0.69 earned run average in three appearances last week. The Gibson City, Ill. native allowed just one earned run in 13 innings of work, and gave up 10 total hits, of which just one went for extra bases. She also struck out four. She appeared in all three wins over Evansville, which included a 12-inning scoreless streak to close out the weekend. In SIU’s 6-0 win over Evansville in game two, Eberle threw a complete game five-hitter. She then earned the win in game three with five shutout innings in which she surrendered just four hits.
Newcomer of the Week - Others Nominated
Abbott Badgley - Bradley
Badgley extended her hit streak to a season-best eight games, hitting .600 (6-for-10) as she helped Bradley split four road games. Boasting a .636 on base percentage and 1.000 slugging percentage for the week, Badgley scored twice and drove in a pair to go with one double and one home run. She went 1-for-2 with a solo homer to help highlight Bradley’s 5-2 win at Illinois State as the Braves claimed the regular-season series against the Redbirds. Badgley opened the scoring with a solo homer in the second inning. She went 5-for-8 in the series at Missouri State, ripping a second-inning double in a 1-for-2 effort in the series opener. Badgley was 2-for-3 in each of the final two games against the Bears as she collected her fourth and fifth multi-hit games in the last seven contests. In Bradley’s 9-1 victory Saturday, she drove in a run with a RBI single in the first and added a single and a run during a seven-run fifth inning. Badgley capped the week with a 2-for-3 effort in the series finale. She also came out of the bullpen to pitch 1.2 innings of scoreless relief in Sunday’s finale, retiring all five batters she faced.
Mya Dodge - UNI
Dodge continues to be the freshman standout for UNI, picking up a nomination from the NFCA for the Top 25 Freshman of the Year. In games against Drake and Indiana State, Dodge continued her offensive ways with 4 hits, 2 RBIs, and 1 double. While slashing .364/.455/.333, Dodge did not strikeout once in 11 at bats with the 4 hits, one sacrifice fly, and 6 putouts.
Addi Weaver - Valparaiso
Weaver continued her recent hot streak for the Beacons over their four games last week, reaching base in over half her plate appearances to extend her on-base streak to 10 games - matching Valpo’s season best. She reached three times in Valpo’s mid-week win over Loyola which clinched the series victory, walking and scoring a run in the key four-run sixth inning and then adding an insurance RBI in the seventh.