For Immediate Release
Monday, May 3, 2021
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#20 Kendall Cornick (OF, 5-8, Sr., Mason City, Iowa / Mason City HS) - Augustana
- Hit .750 (9-for-12) in doubleheader wins over BSU and UMC
- Scored nine runs with five RBI and two home runs
- Had a 1.250 slugging percentage in the four games
- The NSIC leader in steals went 5-for-5 over the four games
- The NSIC batting-average leader increased her average to .496
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (3/1/21)

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#17 Mackenzie Ward (RHP, Jr., R/R, Clive, Iowa / Valley HS) - Minnesota State
- Pitched a complete game (7.0 inning) four hit shutout against MSU Moorhead
- Struck out 14 batters and improved her season record to 17-3
- Improved her scoreless inning streak to 48 while reducing her season ERA to 0.88
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the fifth time this season (3/8/21, 4/5/21, 4/19/21 & 4/27/21) 

Other Top Performances - Players 
#2 Carly Esselman (MSU) led the Mavericks in their two-game sweep of the Dragons batting 2-3 earning four walks and scoring three runs.

#1 Shay Weber (MSUM) hit .429 for the weekend with a .600 on-base percentage. She had two sacrifice hits and was perfect in the field. 

#13 Jazmin Karunungan (MINOT) hit .533 (8-15) with five runs scored, one RBI, four stolen bases in four attempts while striking out just one time in 15 at-bats. Karunungan’s efforts have helped the Beavers to a three-game winning streak including winning three out of four during the most recent homestand. She recorded a .533 on-base percentage over the last four games.

#7 Kylan Straight (USF) hit .615 with eight hits in 13 at bats with nine total bases and two RBI from the leadoff spot. She had a .643 OBP and a .692 slugging while scoring a pair of runs. She had a career-best four hits in the opener against UMD on Saturday and strung together five straight hits. At a result, she is now hitting .341 for second on the team and has a .405 slugging and .370 OBP for the season. She also has 11 multi-hit games this season.

#24 Bailey Johnson (SMSU) would total five hits on the weekend, two of them being doubles in the sweep on Sunday against UMD, totaling her career doubles to 48. She also recorded six RBI on the weekend.

#14 Megan Conrads (SCSU) led the Huskies to a 3-1 weekend in NSIC by hitting .538 with seven hits in 13 at bats. She scored a team-leading seven runs with two doubles, one home run, five RBI and 12 total bases. She slugged .923 on the week and recorded a .600 OBP. She went 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts and defensively she tallied seven putouts and three assists with no errors. She hit the game-tying single in the top of the sixth in the Huskies comeback win over SMSU on Sunday. She went 3-4 with two runs, an RBI and a double in St. Cloud State’s 8-4 loss to Sioux Falls before going 2-3 in the game two win with two runs, two RBI and a home run.

#22 Sydney Wilcox (UIU) hit 6-14 (.429) over four games with three runs, seven runs batted in, three doubles, and a three-run home run. She went 1-4 with a two-RBI double in a 5-3 win over UMary in game one before going 3-4 with an RBI in game two. She hit a go-ahead three-run home run in game two against Minot State.

#7 Libby Neveau (WSU) was an impressive 10-for-13 over the weekend, earned across four NSIC contests against Minot State and the University of Mary. Neveau had two home runs, a triple and a double in her 10-hit tally. She scored six times and had six RBI over the four games. She also drew a walk and did not commit an error all weekend in the field.

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
Ashley Mickschl (AUGIE) was the only starting pitcher for AU over the 4-0 weekend. She picked up all for wins as she struck out 20 over 18 innings pitched. She scattered six hits over the 18 innings and gave up two earned runs. She pitched to a 0.78 ERA and in two of her three complete games, she pitched one hitters. Mickschl leads the NSIC in innings pitched and wins.

#20 Trinity Valentine (MINOT) struck out ten batters over three games combined against Winona State and Upper Iowa. Valentine allowed three or fewer runs in three straight appearances (11.1 IP). She earned three straight wins and lowered her season ERA from 4.04 to 3.93 after allowing just four earned runs.

#18 Megan Cull (SMSU) would earn both wins on Sunday pitching her third shutout this season in game one. In game two she would relieve Shelby Bloemnedaal and in extra innings to hold off UMD to allow SMSU to score in the bottom of eight to get the win.

#15 Trinity Junker (SCSU) went 2-0 in two starts for the Huskies, leading them to a 3-1 week in NSIC play. She posted a 1.08 ERA on the weekend and pitched the first complete game shutout of her career. She led the staff in innings pitched (13.0) on the weekend and strikeouts (10).  She pitched a complete game in St. Cloud State’s 11-2 win over SMSU. In 6.0 innings, she surrendered two runs on eight hits with five strikeouts and a walk. She went the distance to earn a 4-0 win over Sioux Falls and pitched seven complete innings and surrendered just four hits with five strikeouts and three walks. 

#3 Jordyn Kleman (WSU) picked up two wins over the weekend, moving her season total to 19 on the year, currently second-most in the NSIC. In a 9-3 win over Minot State, Kleman struck out nine batters, did not concede a walk and scattered nine hits over the seven inning game. The next day against University of Mary, the senior standout threw a one-hit shutout, striking out 13 batters along the way. Kleman faced 19 batters in the six-inning game, and did not walk a hitter. The only Marauder to reach base came in the sixth inning on an infield single. With the wins, Kleman moved her ERA to 1.59, the second-best in the NSIC.
  
NSIC Softball Players of the Week
2/16/21
Player:  #14 Megan Conrads - St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #24 Sydney LaPoint - St. Cloud State
2/23/21
Player: #12 Makenzie Merritt  - Northern State
Pitcher: #23 Trinity Valentine - Minot State
3/1/21
Player: #20 Kendall Cornick - Augustana
Pitcher: #16 Alissa Alvarado - University of Mary
3/8/21
Player: #12 Jordyn Thomas - Minnesota Duluth
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward - Minnesota State
3/15/21
Player: #7 Libby Neveau - Winona State
Pitcher: #14 Liz Pautz - Winona State
3/22/21
Player: #10 Torri Chute - Augustana
Pitcher: #20 Stephi Dullum  - Bemidji State
3/29/21
Not Awarded
4/5/21
Player: #20 Grace Beseman - Concordia-St. Paul
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward  - Minnesota State (2)
4/12/21
Player: #22 Lauren Oberle - Minnesota Duluth
Pitcher: #9 Meghan Anderson - Northern State
4/19/21
Player: #30 Mary Pardo - Augustana
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward  - Minnesota State (3)
4/27/21
Player: #36 Amanda Dickmeyer - Augustana
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward  - Minnesota State (4)
5/3/21
Player: #20 Kendall Cornick - Augustana (2)
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward  - Minnesota State (4)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 23 team national championships and crowned 77 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes have the opportunity to earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.