For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 25, 2023
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#25 Kennedy Buckman (IF, 5-9, Jr., R/R, New Prague, Minn. / New Prague HS) – Augustana
- Went 10-for-15 for a .667 average with seven home runs in a 6-0 week
- Owned a 2.067 slugging and .684 on-base percentage
- Racked up 18 RBIs with eight runs scored and three walks
- Went 3-for-3 with three home runs and eight RBIs in a 11-2 win over BSU
- Ranks second in the nation in home runs this season (19)

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#32 Lexi Lander (RHP, 5-9, Jr., R/R, Onawa, Iowa) – Augustana
- Went 3-0 over 15.0 innings of shutout ball
- Allowed just six hits and three walks while striking out eight 
- Held opponents to a .120 average against her for the week
- Had two 4.0 inning appearances where she only allowed one hit 

Other Top Performances - Players
#6 Mariah Stevenson (BSU) batted .385 through six games with five hits and a on-base percentage of .600 from four singles, four walks drawn and three hit by pitch. She scored three runs including the go-ahead run against Wayne State and batted in one run. 
Annalise Scamehorn (CSP) went 9-17 for a an average of .529 in six games. She had an on-base percentage of .578 while slugging .882. She hit two home runs with six RBI while scoring four runs. She was 3-for-4 against Northern State with two home runs and three RBI. 
Sariah Perez (UMary)  hit home runs in both games against Upper Iowa and finished the week 6-for-14 with a double, five runs scored and six RBIs for a line of .429/.429/.929 and a 1.358 OPS. She went 5-for-8 with two home runs, four runs scored and five RBIs against UIU in the Marauders first home doubleheader of the season. She was 3-for-4 with a home run, three runs scored, including the game-winner, and two RBIs in a 12-6 UMary win.
#8 Kiana Bender (UMD) slashed .429/.500/1.143 across four appearances as she went 6-for-14, with all six of those hits being for extra bases (three doubles, two triples and a home run). She smacked two RBI doubles in a 5-4 win against Sioux Falls on Sunday. She recorded a triple and a home run to rack up four RBIs in a 9-1 victory over SMSU Monday. She tallied seven RBIs total across the four games and added seven putouts and 10 assists in the field. 
Madi Newman (MSU) batted .333 last week as she recorded six hits in 18 at bats. She notched two home runs and two doubles. She led the team in RBIs with seven on the week. She put together a .788 slugging percentage as she drove in at least one run in five of MSU's six games last week.
Jordey Brown-Smith (MSUM) tallied six RBIs in MSUM's 13-3 victory over Minnesota State on Sunday afternoon, hitting a grand slam in the game to help lift the Dragons to a run rule victory. She would pick up two more RBIs to bring her season total to 26 in MSUM's sweep of Concordia-St. Paul on Monday afternoon. She hit .500 (6-12) across the four games for the Dragons and also added four runs scored. She had a .833 slugging percentage to go along with a .600 on-base percentage.
#5 Jaycie Rostad (MINOT) had a big week for the Beavers highlighted by a 3-for-5 performance in a Senior Day doubleheader while she added an RBI and scored two runs. The Minot State catcher also threw out two base stealers, adding to her all-time school record, now 23 base stealers thrown out in her career.
#10 Jamie Odlum (SCSU) went 5-for-14 over four games with six RBIs and two extra base hits.
#13 Kim Vidlak (WSC) hit .478 last week going 11 for 23 at the plate with three doubles and five RBIs. She had four multi-hit games, going 3 for 4 with two RBI and three runs scored in an 11-8 win over Minnesota Crookston. She was 2-4 with a double and a RBI in a 4-3 win over Bemidji State.
#23 Abbie Hlas (WSU) had an impressive week for WSU at the plate, leading the Warriors to a 5-1 record. She was 13-of-23 at the plate across six games. She went 4-for-4 in a 19-7 win over UMary as she collected 14 RBIs on the week. 

Other Top Performances - Pitchers
#12 Kyla Damerow  (BSU) finished the week at 2-1 with one save. She pitched two complete games and one complete game shutout. She only walked two batters in 18.2 innings worked and ended with an ERA of 3.75 with two strikeouts. 
#24 Lauren Dixon (UMD) went 2-0 with wins over Sioux Falls and SMSU while allowing just  one earned run. She gave up just eight hits and three walks compared to 15 total strikeouts in 13 innings. She tallied seven K's while allowing only five hits in a 6-1 win against USF. She allowed only three hits versus eight strikeouts in a 9-1 six-inning win against SMSU. She worked at a cumulative ERA of 0.54 for the week as she held opposing hitters to a .170 batting average. Her ERA of 1.07 is 14th in the entire country this season. 
McKayla Armbruster (MSU) went 4-1 this past week with a 1.73 ERA. She struck out 26 batters in 24.1 innings and held opposing batters to a .258 batting average. She threw two complete games.
#77 Azalya Lopez (MSUM) slung a total of 7.1 innings in MSUM's 3-1 week, picking up pitching victories against Minnesota State and Concordia-St. Paul. She did not surrender an earned run in both of her starts as she would collect one strikeout in the game two win over the Golden Bears on Monday. She only gave up nine total hits to opponents in the two starts as the opposition hit just .272 against her.
Gabi Dawyduk (MINOT) picked up a win as she went 1-0 in three appearances in the circle. She allowed just 3 earned runs in 12 innings work, struck out 3 opposing hitters, and led Minot State with the lowest opponent batting average of .217 on the week.
#15 Trinity Junker (SCSU) struck out 18 batters while allowing 15 hits with five earned runs through two games while picking up a win.
Abby Smith (WSU) went 3-0 in the circle for Winona State this past week with three complete-game victories. She allowed just 18 hits in 22 innings pitched. She notched 17 strikeouts & only six walks. She is second in the NSIC in total wins (16). 
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)
4/25/23
Player: #25 Kennedy Buckman – Augustana
Pitcher: #32 Lexi Lander  – Augustana

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.