Softball

MVC Softball Weekly Notebook (4-14-26)

This week's MVC softball players of the week (for games from April 6-12) include Ava Smithson of UNI, Brooklynn Danielson of Southern Illinois, Peyton Johnson of UNI, and Brynn Acton of UNI.

KEY LINKS
NCAA Stats & Ranking Summary
NCAA Softball Records
MVC Softball Record Book
MVC Standings / Stats / Schedule

Player of the Week
OF/C Ava Smithson, UNI, Sr., Granger, Iowa (Johnston HS)
Ava Smithson recorded seven hits and four runs in 11 at-bats for a .636 batting average, leading the Panthers in a 3-0 weekend against the UIC Flames. Smithson slugged 1.636, also leading the Cats, with three home runs, two doubles, and 10 RBIs to go along with 18 total bases.

Pitcher of the Week
Brooklynn Danielson, Southern Illinois, Fr., Kenosha, Wis. (Kenosha Mary D. Bradford)
Danielson went 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA across three appearances. Danielson also registered 13 strikeouts with three walks and two runs allowed in 14.0 innings pitched. Batters hit just .196 against the freshman in the three outings. Danielson started her week with a dominant outing on Tuesday against Evansville where she allowed no runs, three hits, and one walk with two strikeouts to earn her eighth win of the year. In game one at Drake, the freshman had a career-high nine strikeouts in six scoreless innings.

Newcomer of the Week
OF Peyton Johnson, UNI, Jr., Marion, Iowa (Marion HS / Kirkwood CC)
Peyton Johnson batted .571 for UNI in three starts with four hits and two runs in seven at-bats. Johnson slugged 1.286 with one home run and a triple for nine total bases and three RBIs. Johnson walked five times for a .750 on-base percentage.

Freshman of the Week, UNI
DP Brynn Acton, UNI, Fr., Winterset, Iowa (Winterset HS)
Brynn Acton was responsible for UNI's comeback victory in UNI's game three against UIC, as the freshman finished that game with three home runs, including a grand slam, in three at-bats. Acton had her second three home run game of the season, the only player in Division I with multiple three-home run games. Acton finished the weekend with eight runs and four hits in 12 at-bats and three walks. Acton slugged 1.333 with four home runs and 10 RBIs with 16 total bases.


MVC SOFTBALL HEADLINES
  • Bradley earned a 5-3 victory over Murray State in the series opener this past Friday. Hilary Wilson had her first three-hit day in a Bradley uniform, bringing home a pair of RBI. Including Wilson, eight total Braves logged a hit in the contest. Wilson also recorded her first triple of the season. Sophomore Abby Rusher threw a complete game for the Braves, recording a pair of strikeouts.
  • Valpo earned its first win over Notre Dame since 1989 last Wednesday in dramatic fashion, as Sophia Leitzen threw out the potential tying run at the plate from right field to secure the 3-2 win. Valpo snapped a 37-game winning streak in the series for the Fighting Irish. It was the program's first win over a Power Four opponent since a 4-0 win at North Carolina State March 5, 2019. The win over the Irish was the second consecutive outing that Valpo snapped a long winning streak in the series by its opponent, as the Beacons' win at Illinois State April 3 snapped a 20-game ISU winning streak in that series.
  • Evansville did not play over the weekend (faced Southern Illinois in a midweek twinbill in Carbondale). The Aces are back in action with non-league games Tuesday (SEMO) and Wednesday (Western Kentucky). Over the last eight games, Taylor Howe is batting .480 with 12 hits in 25 at-bats
  • Prior to Monday's DH against UNI, Drake rallied to beat Southern Illinois in the series finale against the Salukis. Lydia Olejniczak delivered the go-ahead pinch-hit three-run home run against SIU on Saturday to help the Bulldogs erase a 6-2 deficit. Freshman Kiley Kindelspire had a great performance at the plate in the series finale win over SIU leading the Bulldogs with a 3-for-4 showing collecting a home run, three runs scored and two RBI. Kindelspire currently ranks third on Drake in hitting (.302), second in home runs (5), and second in RBI (22).
  • Belmont's Rylee Spindler hit .459 last week with seven hits, five runs, five RBI, two doubles, a triple, two walks, and a home run. Emily Konz hit .297, with a double, two steals, four runs, four hits, and two walks for the Bruins last week.
  • Hannah Meeks of Illinois State led the Redbirds with a .536 batting average (9-for-16) with three doubles, two home runs, four RBIs and six runs scored. She posted a 1.125 SLG% and .563 OBP% across the five contests. She posted three multi-hit games, including a 3-for-4 performance against the Flames and a 2-for-3 showing with a double and a home run in the second game against the Sycamores.
  • Adison Hicks of Murray State hit .400 on a weekend that saw the Racers pick up a series win over the Bradley Braves. In the second game of Friday's doubleheader, Hicks went 3-for-3 with three RBI and a home run, her third of the season.  The junior also recorded two putouts and five assists with no errors at second base. 
  • SIU's Maleah Blomenkamp posted a .421 batting average with the first two home runs of her collegiate career during SIU's five-game week against Evansville and Drake. Blomenkamp also recorded seven RBI, eight hits, five runs scored, two walks, and a slugging percentage of .737. The redshirt sophomore hit her first-career home run on Friday during SIU's 11-0 win at Drake. One day later, Blomenkamp homered again in game three. The outfielder is now batting a team-leading .492 in conference play.
  • Indiana State’s Sophie Esposito delivered a highly efficient and timely offensive weekend at Illinois State, finishing the series 4-for-8 (.500) with 3 RBI, 1 run scored, and a standout 4–3 performance in Saturday’s comeback win. Esposito opened the finale with a two-run single in the first inning, added another RBI in the fifth, and consistently sparked the Sycamores’ offense in key moments throughout the weekend.
  • Lauren Flowers of Illinois State batted .375 (6-for-16) with two doubles, two home runs, two walks, five runs scored and a team-leading seven RBIs. Flowers hit her first-career homer in game two versus the Sycamores, which gave the Redbirds a 3-1 lead in the eventual 5-3 victory. In the series finale, Flowers hit her second home run in as many games, this time a three-run bomb to put the Redbirds ahead, 5-3, in the bottom of the fifth.
  • UIC's Sophie Gerochi led the Flames for the week with a.583 AVG after going 7-of-12 with six runs and one RBI.
  • Paige McLeod went 2-0 with one save and two complete games this past week for Illinois State. In the Redbirds' 17-2 run rule victory over the Flames, McLeod went the full five innings in the circle, allowing zero earned runs while striking out three. McLeod then pitched a complete game in the series opener against the Sycamores, allowing one earned run on five hits while matching her career-high with eight punchouts. In game two against Indiana State, McLeod entered the game with the tying run at the plate and recorded the final two outs to secure her third save this season. McLeod also started the series finale against the Sycamores, allowing two earned runs while fanning six batters through four innings of work. Overall, McLeod posted a 1.26 ERA over her four appearances with 18 strikeouts.
  • Murray State's Raylee Roby made three appearances and two starts on the weekend for the Racers, collecting one win and recording an ERA of just 1.62.  The junior finished the weekend with seven strikeouts, including five in a complete game shutout on Friday when she allowed just five hits.
  • Belmont's Maya Johnson was dominant again last week, with a 2-0 record. She threw two complete games and recorded 18 strikeouts, hurling a 7-inning, 1-hitter against Valpo with 11 Ks in the opener of that series.