For Immediate Release
Monday, March 6, 2023
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#21 Clara Heislen (OF, 5-2, Jr., R/L, Las Vegas, Nev. / Faith Lutheran HS) – Concordia-St. Paul
- Went 9-of-15 in four games for a .600 batting average
- Had a on base percentage of .647 while slugging 1.467
- Added two doubles, a triple, and three home runs with 13 RBI in four games
- Had a walk-off double in extra innings against Gannon
- Went 3-4 with a triple and home run against Bridgeport

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#15 Trinity Junker (RHP, 5-8, Sr., Lindstrom, Minn. / Chisago Lakes HS) – St. Cloud State
- Struck out 22 batters over 20.0 innings pitched
- Picked up two wins and a shutout as she allowed just four earned runs
- Shutout No. 8 Grand Valley State in a 1-0 win tallying her second shutout of the season
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season (2/14/23)

Other Top Performances - Players
Gracey Brink (AUGIE) hit .643 at the Drury Invite as she went 9-for-14 with eight RBI and seven runs scored. She owned a .647 on-base percentage while slugging at a 1.143 clip. In the field, committed zero errors.
Ava Smithson (MSU) led the Mavericks this past week with a .417 batting average. She led the team in hits (5), runs scored (4), RBI (6) and home runs (2). She notched two home runs and five RBI against Assumption.
#9 Megan Lawson (USF) owned a .500 batting average in six games with a .650 slugging percentage. She went 10-for-20 while driving in 7 RBIs. She leads USF on the weekend with a .522 on base percentage. She secured USFs win over Kentucky Wesleyan with a walk-off base hit. 
Savannah Serdynski (WSU) helped Winona State to a 5-1 record at the Spring Games last week. She went 7-for-13 at the plate with four RBIs. She collected a double in a shutout win over Holy Family. 

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
Sophia Del Vecchio (MSU) went 1-1 last week, with a 0.00 ERA as she struck out six batters.
#10 Stella Dolan  (BSU) tossed her fourth complete game of the season and earned her third victory of the year in the 3-2 win over Pittsburgh-Johnstown. The left-hander tallied four strikeouts and walked just two, while scattering 11 hits, with only one being an extra base hit.
#15 Erica McCullough (CSP) went 2-0 and had a 2.86 ERA with a .200 batting average against in 13 innings pitched. She allowed nine hits while striking out 11. She gave up just one run on four hits with six strikeouts in seven innings against Saint Rose. She allowed a run and a hit while striking out five in 4.2 innings of work against Gannon
#44 KaitVan Der Zwaag (USF) holds a 1.11 ERA after five appearances and 19.0 innings pitched. She had 13 strikeouts only giving up four runs and was 3-0 on the week. 
Abby Smith (WSU) claimed three wins in the circle for Winona State at the Spring Games last week. She threw a complete-game victory vs. Dominican College. She came on in relief for a win over Ferris State. She also came in midway through a contest vs. Clarion to pick up the win. On the week, she gave up just four earned runs in 15 innings of work. 
NSIC Softball Players of the Week
2/7/23
Player: #3 Ellie Tallman – Minnesota State
Pitcher: #26 Allyssa Williams - Minnesota Duluth
2/14/23
Player: #5 Sidney Zavoral – Minnesota Duluth
Pitcher: #15 Trinity Junker – St. Cloud State
2/21/23
Player: #10 Avery Steffen – MSU Moorhead
Pitcher: #9 McKayla Armbruster - Minnesota State
2/27/23
Player: #14 Maggie Fitzgerald – St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #26 Allyssa Williams – Minnesota Duluth
3/6/23
Player: #21 Clara Heislen – Concordia-St. Paul
Pitcher: #15 Trinity Junker – St. Cloud State (2)

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 96 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.