For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#9 Abby Lien (UT, 5-8, Sr., R/R, Lakeville, Minn. / Eastview HS) – Augustana
- Slashed .625/.714/1.563 as the Vikings went 5-1
- Was 10-of-16 at the plate with eight runs scored and 10 RBIs
- Launched four home runs and three doubles
- Added three walks and two HBP

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#24 Lauren Dixon (LHP, 5-6, Jr., L/L, Sobieski, Wis. / Pulaski HS) – Minnesota Duluth
- Recorded 32 strikeouts in 20.0 innings across four appearances
- Allowed just a single run to closed the week with an ERA of just 0.35 
- Recorded 12 strikeouts, allowing one run in a 6.0 inning complete game win over BSU
- Went the full 5.0 innings against Winona State in game one on Friday
- Allowed just three hits and recording six more strikeouts 
- Went four more innings in a relief effort in a 10-inning win in game two against Winona State
- Closed the week with a complete five-inning win against Upper Iowa
- Allowed two hits versus 10 strikeouts 
- Surpassed 500 career strikeouts in her Bulldog career 
- Holds a season ERA of 1.14, which ranks 13th nationally
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the third week in a row

Other Top Performances - Players
#20 Molly Houts (BSU) batted .300 through six games as she drove in eight runs on the week with seven coming against CSP. She recorded six hits with one double and one triple.
#19 Devyn Ritz (UMary) went 8-for-16 at the plate with five doubles and two home runs for a line of .500/.600/1.188 for an OPS of 1.700. She scored three times and drove in seven runs. She also walked four times, stole a base and was perfect in the field on 46 chances. In a doubleheader against USF she was 4-for-8 with a double and two home runs, two runs scored and seven RBIs.
#18 Kat Burkhardt (UMD) went 8-for-19 (.421) with a .789 slugging percentage across six games (four being wins). Five of those eight hits were for extra bases (four doubles and a home run). She tacked on eight RBIs and seven runs. She went 3-4 from the plate with two RBIs and a run scored in game one against Bemidji on Tuesday. She recorded a walk-off homer in a 10-inning win against Winona State on Friday. She posted a 2-3 batting effort with two RBIs and two runs in the first game against Upper Iowa on Saturday.
Ava Smithson (MSU) batted .500 with eight hits, including one double and three home runs. She led the Mavericks last week with nine RBI. She posted a 1.125 slugging percentage as she recorded at least one hit in five of MSU's six games last week.
#21 Mack Gallagher (MSUM) collected four hits including a home run to go along with three RBIs in MSUM's series sweep of UMary on Wednesday. She hit .400 with another RBI and a run scored in MSUM's doubleheader with Augustana on Saturday afternoon. She tallied three more hits and worked out three walks along with two RBIs in MSUM's split with Wayne State on Monday afternoon. She also scored three runs in game two alone. Across six games, she hit for an average of .529 with seven runs scored, six RBIs and a home run.
Leo Watson (MINOT) led the way for the Beavers, hitting safely in all 5 games she played, going 6-for-17 on the week with a triple, 2 doubles, and 3 RBIs. She also made a huge impact defensively with 6 putouts and 10 assists.
#24 Kennedy Thomas (USF) held a batting average of .438 while recording three homeruns and 10 RBIs. She tacked on another four doubles and seven hits to lead Sioux Falls to a 4-2 week. She improved to a .556 slugging percentage on the year.
#18 Jasmin Estrada (SCSU) went 5-for-8 in the Huskies sweep of Minnesota Crookston scoring five runs, four RBIs, two doubles, and two home runs.
#2 Riley Holmberg  (WSC) hit a team-best .450 during the week going 9 for 20 at the plate. She had three multi-hit games and was 3 for 4 with run scored in Sunday’s 5-4 loss to Northern State. She went 2 for 4 with a double and two runs scored in Monday’s 6-1 win over MSU Moorhead and was 2 for 3 with RBI in a 6-3 loss to Northern State.

Other Top Performances - Pitchers
Lexi Lander  (AUGIE) went 2-1 including a 1-hit performance against Northern State. She held previous NSIC-leading MSU Moorhead to just one earned run in the win. She picked up a save in her fourth appearance. She tossed two complete games and held opponents to a .197 average.
#12 Kyla Damerow (BSU) went 3-2 in five appearances. She pitched a complete game shutout against UMD as she struck out nine batters and only walked three in 25.0 innings of work. She finished the week with a 3.08 ERA. 
McKayla Armbruster (MSU) put together a 3-0 record with a 1.96 ERA and 33 strikeouts. She threw a perfect game in MSU's 8-0 five inning victory over Bemidji State. She threw a two-hit shutout against Minnesota Crookston. She set down 41 consecutive batters during the week as she held opposing hitters to a .138 batting average.
#23 Evey Evans (MSUM) made three appearances across the week, pitching a total of 6.0 innings and giving up a total of just four hits to opposing batters. She had two strikeouts in those three appearances, holding opponents to just a .173 batting average. She picked up her fourth save of the season in MSUM's game two win over Wayne State on Monday afternoon.
#19 Calley Olson (MINOT) picked up a pair of wins in the circle, allowing just 1 run in a 3-1 comeback win at Southwest Minnesota State as she struck out two batters and scattered 3 hits in the complete-game victory. She also allowed just 2 runs out of the bullpen, pitching 4 innings to earn the win at Sioux Falls. Calley finished the week with a team-best 4.32 ERA in 16 2/3 innings work, striking out 4 batters.
#44 Kait Van Der Zwaag (USF) pitched a one hitter against Augustana while securing the 2-0 victory with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. She held a 3.00 ERA on the week going 3-0 in four appearances and 18.2 innings pitched. 
#15 Trinity Junker (SCSU) recorded her fourth shutout of the season after shutting out Minnesota Crookston 10-0 in five innings. She struck out six batters while allowing only four hits in 5.0 innings pitched.
#8 Sami Felt  (WSC) posted a 1-1 record with a 2.33 ERA in three starts. She fired a complete game four hitter Monday in a 6-1 win over MSU Moorhead. For the week, she pitched 12 innings and allowed just four runs and 11 hits.
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)
3/13/23
Player: #14 Ashton Dorman - Augustana
Pitcher: #16 Kristi Pilz – Concordia-St. Paul
3/20/23
Player: #18 Jasmin Estrada – St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #15 Reegan Floyd – Minot State
3/27/23
Player: #20 Andrea Cain - Augustana
Pitcher: #28 Hailey Houston  - Augustana
4/4/23
Player: #12 Delaney Young – Augustana 
Pitcher: #24 Lauren Dixon – Minnesota Duluth
4/10/23
Player: #11 Cheyenne Behrends – Minnesota State 
Pitcher: #24 Lauren Dixon – Minnesota Duluth (2)
4/18/23
Player: #9 Abby Lien – Augustana
Pitcher: #24 Lauren Dixon – Minnesota Duluth (3)

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 105 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.