For Immediate Release
Monday, April 29, 2024
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#15 Ashley Fauske (UTL, Sr., L/R, Kaukauna, Wis. / Kaukauna HS) – Northern State
- Was .667 in four wins against BSU and UMC, securing the Wolves a spot in the NSIC Tournament
- Tallied ten hits, including two doubles, seven runs scored, and seven RBI
- Notched an .800 slugging percentage and .706 on base percentage
- Add five putouts, playing errorless defense
- Recorded multiple hits in three of the four wins, including a perfect 4-for-4 in game two against BSU
- Boosted her season average by 31 points

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#27 Maddi Duncan (RHP, So., Lincoln, Neb. / Lincoln Northeast HS) – Sioux Falls
- Threw a complete 7.0 inning no-hitter against Winona State leading USF to a 1-1 weekend
- Recorded five strikeouts in 24 batters faced giving up just 2 walks
- Finished the regular season 13-9 in the circle with a 3.34 ERA in 145.1 innings pitched

Others Top Performers  - Players
Gracey Brink (AUGIE)
- Went 4-5 with two runs and one RBI. Also had one home run in a sweep of MSU
Alexus Houston (CSP)
- Slashed .467/.467/.933 in CSP’s games against Winona State and Wayne State
- Tallied one double, two home runs, and six RBIs on a team-high seven hits
- Stole a team-high three bases and tallied 14 total bases on the week
- Put up two hits with a three-run home run in CSP’s 8-5 victory against Wayne State
- Hit a three-run homer in CSP’s 8-7 loss to Winona State
- Tied for the team lead with seven home runs on the season
Jaraya Diaz (UMary)
- Had a hot bat the final weekend of the season with a 5-for-11 performance (.455/.538/.545)
- Scored two runs and drove in three
- Went 3-for-3 with a double, 3 RBIs and a run scored in a 7-3 win at SCSU in the season finale
- Had a hit in 3-of-4 games
Kat Burkhardt (UMD)
- Hit in all four games the Bulldogs played in and won last week, with a total of five, including two again Mary in game one. The senior also hit a double  in each of the final three games and had five RBIs, including three against Minot in game two. The outfielder also had a perfect 1.00 field percentage, and made six catches for six putouts.
Courtney Kessler (MSU) 
- Was 4-for-12 for the final week of the regular season at the plate
- Two-hit, two-RBI, one-run performance in game one against SMSU, thanks to a triple in the third inning
- Had another two-hit game in the second matchup with the Mustangs
- Scored one run in that game
Evey Evans (MSUM)
- Hit for a .583 (7-12) average across MSUM's four wins over Minnesota Crookston and Bemidji State
- Knocked in six runs while scoring six runs of her own with two doubles and a home run
- Went 4-5 from the plate in game one against Bemidji State on Friday, tallying four RBIs in the win
- Drove in two runs in game one against Minnesota Crookston on Thursday, tying the game in the top of the seventh with the Dragons down to their final out
- Featured splits of 1.688 OPS/1.000 SLG/.688 on-base percentage for the week
Hannah Murray (MINOT)
- Led the offense hitting .417 (5-for-12) with 4 RBIs in four games for the Beavers
- Defensively, has seven putouts and seven assists without an error
Bethany Weiss (SCSU)
- Went 7-for-15 (.467) over four games for the Huskies
- Hit two doubles, recorded three RBI and scored three runs
- Had an OPS of 1.100 with a .600 slugging % and a .500 on-base %
- Was 6-for-9 (.667/.667/.889) with two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored in a split with MINOT
Sam Keller (WSU)
- Went 4-for-7 at the plate against CSP collecting  three hits and four RBIs in the doubleheader
- Also collected back-to-back homeruns in game one of the Concordia- St. Paul doubleheader
- Went 1-for-5 against Sioux Falls and was walked twice in game two of the double header

Others Top Performers  - Pitcher
Grace Glanzer (AUGIE)
- Threw a complete game one-hitter with six strikeouts in Augustana's win over Minnesota State
Erica McCullough (CSP) 
- Pitched 20.1 innings on the weekend improving her season record to 24-6
- Threw a career-high 10 strikeouts in CSP’s 5-2 win against Wayne State
- Added six strikeouts in Concordia’s 8-5 victory over the Wildcats
- Only threw one walk in the doubleheader against Wayne State
- Has now pitched 23 complete games on the season which is the fifth most in school history
- Her 24 wins are the third most in school history
Azalya Lopez (MSUM) 
Collected two more wins in her two starts for the Dragons against UMC and BSU
- Pitched a total of 14.2 innings with a weekly ERA of 0.47
- Twirled all nine innings in MSUM's 6-2 victory over the Golden Eagles on Friday, fanning eight batters
- Pitched a five inning shutout against Bemidji State on Friday, surrendering just one hit and striking out five Beavers
- Had a total of 13 strikeouts for the week, holding batters to a .125 average in her appearances
Nicole Eckhardt (UMary)
- Allowed three runs in nine innings over two outings in the final weekend of the season
- Limited UMD to one run on four hits in four innings
- Held SCSU to two runs in five innings to earn the win in her final collegiate outing
Lauren Dixon (UMD)
- Pitched in three of UMD's four games last week
- Recorded two wins with two complete games and 18 strikeouts
- Pitched the final three innings in her first appearance against Minot State
- Started and finished the second game, helping UMD to three straight-shutouts
- Recorded the 800th strikeout of her record breaking Bulldog career
- Helped UMD set a new single-season record for team strikeouts with 340
- Gave up just four hits in the three games she pitched (13 innings total), and didn't allow a single run
Kierra Fournier (MINOT)
- Led the way in the circle, picking up a complete-game win for the Beavers
- Had a team-best 1.70 ERA and a team-high 12 1/3 innings pitched on the week in 3 games
- Also struck out 6 opposing batters and allowed just 3 earned runs
Lexi Chase (NSU)
- Led the Northern State staff in the circle with two wins and a 1.39 ERA
- Threw two complete games, giving up just two earned runs
- Struck out 12 batters and held her opponents to a .288 average
- Offensively tallied a .400 average with four hits, including one double, and three runs scored
Justyce Porter (SCSU)
- Made three relief appearances and pitched 7.1 innings in the Huskies four games
- Posted a 0.95 ERA and held opposing batters to a .273 average
- Struck out three batters and only allowed one extra base hit
- Earned her 11th win of the season in SCSU's 14-13 walk-off win over Minot State after pitching the final 3.1 innings
Jayda Berg (WSU) 
- Pitched six innings against CSP with only allowing six hits and one run along with four strikeouts
- Pitched a full seven innings against Sioux Falls, only allowing three hits and collecting two strikeouts
- Collective ERA after the weekend is 3.50
NSIC Softball Players of the Week
2/5/24
Player: #28 Reese Holzhueter – St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #50 Grace Glanzer - Augustana
2/13/24
Player: #16 Shaelyn Grant – Minnesota Crookston
Pitcher: #3 Taylor Coleman – Northern State
2/20/24
Player: #1 Sam Keller – Winona State
Pitcher: #55 Justyce Porter - St. Cloud State 
2/27/24
Player: #13 Gianna Lara – Minnesota State
Pitcher: #22 Maddie Oetzmann – Minnesota State
3/4/24
Player: #18 Riley Rosenthal - Concordia-St. Paul
Pitcher: #22 Maddie Oetzmann – Minnesota State (2)
3/11/24
Player: #44 Alexis Monty - Concordia-St. Paul 
Pitcher: #24 Lauren Dixon – Minnesota Duluth
3/18/24
Player: #44 Alexis Monty - Concordia-St. Paul (2)
Pitcher: #77 Azalya Lopez – MSU Moorhead
3/26/24
Player: #10 Torri Chute – Augustana
Pitcher: #50 Grace Glanzer - Augustana (2)
4/1/24
Player: #44 Alexis Monty - Concordia-St. Paul (3)
Pitcher: #77 Azalya Lopez – MSU Moorhead (2)
4/8/24
Player: #10 Torri Chute – Augustana (2)
Pitcher: #50 Grace Glanzer - Augustana (3)
4/15/24
Player: #25 Kennedy Buckman – Augustana
Pitcher: #50 Grace Glanzer - Augustana (4)
4/22/24
Player: #20 Andrea Cain - Augustana
Pitcher: #24 Lauren Dixon – Minnesota Duluth
4/29/24
Player: #15 Ashley Fauske – Northern State
Pitcher: #27 Maddi Duncan – Sioux Falls

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 15-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in 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 union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 27 team national championships and crowned 113 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.