For Immediate Release
Monday, April 8, 2024
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#10 Torri Chute (C/INF, 5-6, Sr., L/L, Woodbury, Minn. / Stillwater HS) – Augustana
- Hit at a .600 clip with a 1.400 slugging percentage
- Belted four home runs and four doubles as part of 12 hits
- Recorded 14 RBI over a 6-0 Augustana week
- On-base percentage was a .619 percentage
- Leads the NSIC with five home runs and 19 RBI in league play
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (3/26/24)

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#50 Grace Glanzer (RHP, 5-3, Sr., R/R, Sioux Falls, S.D. / Roosevelt HS) – Augustana
- Went 3-0 with a 0.78 ERA
- Struck out 14 batters in 18.0 innings
- Tossed two complete games
- Batters hit just .109 off of her for the week
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the third time this season (2/5/24 & 3/26/24) 

Others Top Performers  - Players
Clara Heislen (CSP) 
- Slashed .417/.563/.667 leading the Golden Bears to doubleheader sweeps against SCSU and UMD
- Tallied five hits and walked twice on the weekend with a team-high four RBIs
- Smacked a three-run home run in Concordia’s 6-5 victory against Minnesota Duluth
- Recorded a season-high four RBIs vs. the Bulldogs
- Totaled two hits and scored three times in CSP’s 12-11 comeback win against the Huskies
- Improved to second on the team in hitting percentage on the season at .368
Paige Shwaluk (UMC) 
- Three multi-hit games over the weekend
- Nine multi-hit games on the season
- Scored four runs on the weekend
- Helped the Golden Eagles beat Winona State for first time since 2011
- 6-13 at the dish on the weekend
Courtney Kessler (MSU) 
- Went 13-21 (.619 batting average) in six wins against USF, BSU and UMC
- Drove in five RBI, scored eight runs and recorded four extra-base hits (three doubles, one triple)
- Went 3-4 in games against Bemidji State and Minnesota Crookston
- Drove in two runs in the second game against Sioux Falls
- Scored the game-winning run in walk-off victory against the Golden Eagles
- Now hitting .402 on the season, rose batting average by .053, OPS of .970, 29 RBI, 11 doubles
Mack Gallagher (MSUM) 
- Hit for a .538 average across six games played for MSUM during the week
-  Also featured a .667 on-base percentage and a 1.308 slugging percentage
- Scored four runs while driving in seven more throughout the week
- Hit her first home run of the season in MSUM's game two win over Northern State on Tuesday
- In Friday's win over WSC, cracked a pair of home runs in two at-bats, driving in four runs in the process
- Her first home run on Friday came in a pinch hit scenario
- Also tallied a double and five walks over the course of the week
Claire Zbylut (NSU) 
- Hit .391 with a .696 slugging percentage in the Wolves week against MSUM, USF, and WSC
- Tallied nine hits, including two homeruns and one double
- Led the team with seven RBI and added two runs scored and two stolen bases
- Recorded a 1.000 field percentage with seven put outs and 23 assists
- Notched three hits in two separate contests versus the Cougars and Wildcats
Damaris Cuevas (USF) 
- Went 5-for-12 on the weekend with 6 RBI, 1 walk and no strikeouts
- Hit for .417 with a double in two USF wins
- Moves to .355 with 11 hits, 5 doubles and 11 RBI with 2 walks and just 1 strikeout in conference play
Emma Humpal (SMSU) 
- Posted a .455 average (5 for 11) over the week including a double and her second collegiate home run
- Led SMSU in a 2-1 win over SCSU going 2 for 3 at the plate with an RBI
- Tallied tied for a team-high four RBI this week
- Posted a .818 slugging pct. while scoring a pair of runs
Abbie Hlas (WSU) 
- Was a force at the plate for Winona State in a 3-1 NSIC weekend at home
- Was 6-of-14 at the plate across four games
- Collected four RBI 
- Scored four times 

Others Top Performers  - Pitcher
Erica McCullough (CSP) 
- Went 3-0 with a save in CSP’s 4-0 weekend against St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth
- Threw 381 pitches in 20.1 innings throwing a total of 14 strikeouts
- Tallied seven strikeouts in Concordia’s 3-1 opening victory against St. Cloud State
- Threw three strikeouts in the seventh inning picking up a save in a 3-2 victory against UMD
- Picked up her 18th victory of the season tying for seventh in school history
- Four saves on the season is tied for fourth in school history and one away from tying for first
- Has the most wins and the second-most saves in the NSIC this season
Thayda Houser (UMC)
- Went the distance in a 5-2 win over Winona State
- Second complete game of the season
- Allowed just two runs to one of the best offenses in the NSIC
- Leads the Golden Eagles in innings pitched
Lexi Chase (NSU)
- Led the Northern State staff with two wins and a 3.27 ERA through 22 innings pitched
- Recorded 16 strikeouts and a .242 opponent batting average
- Tossed two complete games in three appearances
- Offensively tallied a .313 averaged with five hits, two doubles, one homerun, five RBI, and one run scored
Maddi Duncan (USF)
- Recorded a 1.42 ERA on the weekend with 19.0 innings pitched and seven strikeouts
- Gave up just 3 earned runs on the weekend
- Pitched a complete 12.0 innings game against NSU
Izzy Howe (WSU) 
- Collected a pair of wins in a 3-1 weekend for Winona State
- Allowed just four hits in 8 2/3s innings pitched
- Struck out eight batters across two games
- Allowed just one earned run in the two starts
- Earned victories in both games
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)

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.