For Immediate Release
Monday, March 14, 2022
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#12 Delaney Young (INF, 5-8, Sr., R/R, Cottage Grove, Minn. /Park Cottage Grove HS) – Augustana
- Batted .440 (11-of-25) over eight games at The Spring Games in Florida
- Recorded a .533 on-base percentage and led AU with 11 RBI as the Vikings went 7-1
- Added four walks and a HBP for a .533 on base percentage
- Cracked two home runs for a .720 slugging percentage
- Added 50 putouts from her first base position along with one assist

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#17 Mackenzie Ward (RHP, Sr., R/R, Clive, Iowa / Valley HS) – Minnesota State
- DId not allow an earned run over 21.1 innings pitched last week
- Allowed only 8 hits in four appearances
- Had  27 strikeouts and a shutout in the 4 appearances as she held opponents to a .118 batting average and allowed just one unearned run
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the second week in a row

Other Top Performances - Players
#6 Alexus Houston (CSP) slashed .421/.476/.895 (8-for-19) to lead CSP to a 5-1-1 record in Florida last week. She led the team in home runs (3), RBI (6) and stolen bases (3-3). She closed out the week going 2-3 with 2 homeruns and 4 RBI in a 4-3 win over St. Thomas Aquinas on Sunday. She also homered in a 9-1 win over Lewis, going 2-4 with 2 runs and a steal. She leads a 13-2-1 CSP squad on the year with 4 homeruns, a .778 slugging pct. and 5 stolen bases.
Kylie Sullivan (MSU) batted .500 going 7-14 in 5 games played. She had 7 runs on 7 hits and 4 RBI with an on-base percentage of .563 and a slugging percentage of .786. She also had a home run and 3 stolen bases.
#7 Kylan Straight (USF) hit .625 with five hits in eight at bats as the Cougars were 2-0 this week to complete play at The Spring Games in Florida. Straight, who has helped lead USF on a nine-game winning streak, by recording multi-hit game twice, registering a .625 OBP and .750 slugging with six total bases, two steals and three runs scored. She was 2-of-3 with a run scored in a 10-2 win over Salem (WV) and was 3-of-5 with a pair of runs scored, two stolen bases and two RBI in a 7-2 win over Ferris State. During USF's nine-game winning streak - longest at USF since 2018 (15 games), she has hit .412 with a .441 slugging and had 14 hits.
#4 Katie Crogan (UIU) hit 8-16 (.500) with 12 runs batted in, seven runs, three doubles, and two home runs to help UIU go 3-3 over their final six contests at The Spring Games. She went 3-5 (.600) with three runs, five RBI, one homer, and three walks over two games on March 7 against Lewis and Edinboro. She hit a combined 4-6 (.667) with three runs, five RBI, two doubles, and one round-tripper in a pair of games against Walsh and Shippensburg on March 9.
Riley Holmberg (WSC) hit a team-high .438 in seven games in Florida last week, going 7 for 16 at the plate with five runs scored. She had two multi-hit games with two doubles and five walks. She was 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored vs. Pittsburgh-Johnstown and 2 for 3 vs. Ferris State.
#5 Abbie Hlas (WSU) went 9-for-20 at the plate as she collected a home run and a double with a pair of RBI.

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
#26 Ashley Mickschl  (AUGIE) went 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA for Augustana at The Spring Games in Florida. She totaled 15 innings, giving up just three runs while striking out six.
#9 Bryanna Olson (CSP) went 3-0 with a save in 4 appearance (3 starts) and a 1.35 ERA for a 5-1-1 CSP squad last week in Florida. She had a 21.2 inning scoreless streak snapped in a 9-1 win over Lewis. She allowed just 9 hits and a .130 opponent average across 20.2 innings. She produced a 0.77 WHIP on the week. She has won 9 consecutive decisions and 8-straight starts and is CSP's ace on a 13-2-1 squad with a 9-1 record, 2 saves and a 1.02 ERA in 61.2 IP with 61 strikeouts and a .188 opponent average on the year.  
#22 Hanna Cress (USF) was 1-0 with a 1.56 earned run average in two appearances as the Cougars were 2-0 this week to complete play at The Spring Games in Florida. Cress had a complete game, allowed just four hits and two runs with four strikeouts across nine innings. During USF's nine-game winning streak - longest at USF since 2018 (15 games), she is 4-0 with a 1.43 earned run average with three complete games in five starts and six appearances. In that span, teams are hitting ust .181 and she has registered 16 strikeouts in 29.1 innings.
#22 Sydney Wilcox (UIU) went 2-2 with four complete games while compiling a 2.07 earned run average, striking out 10, and walking four over 27.1 innings. She earned the win against Walsh after pitching five innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits, striking out one, and walking none in a 9-1 (5 inn.) UIU victory. She went 1-1 in two complete games on Mar. 10, allowing eight hits and five earned runs while striking out four and walking four across 14 innings.
 

NSIC Softball Players of the Week
2/8/22
Player: #12 Jordyn Thomas - Minnesota Duluth
Pitcher: #20 Sam Pederson - Minnesota Duluth
2/15/22
Player: #10 Jamie Odlum - Minot State
Pitcher: #9 Meghan Anderson - Northern State
2/22/22
Player: #8 Kiana Bender - Minnesota Duluth 
Pitcher: #24 Liz Pautz - Winona State
3/1/22
Player: #13 Sydney Trees  – St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #15 Trinity Junker – St. Cloud State
3/7/22
Player: #10 Kylie Madrid – Sioux Falls
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State
3/14/22
Player:  #12 Delaney Young – Augustana
Pitcher: #17 Mackenzie Ward – Minnesota State

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 25 team national championships and crowned 90 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 can 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.