2022 MIAA Softball Athletes of the Week: Week 1 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA announced its second Softball Athletes of the Week, presented by Mammoth Turf, for the 2022 season. Central Oklahoma swept this week’s honors with Jacee Minter selected as the MIAA Hitter of the Week and Kylee Lynch as the MIAA Pitcher of the Week.
 
MIAA Hitter of the Week – Jacee Minterr – Central Oklahoma
Jacee Minter led the Central Oklahoma offense as the Bronchos went 4-0 at the Edmond Regional Festival. The sophomore slugger hit .643 with three doubles, one triple and seven RBI to finish the weekend with a 1.000 slugging percentage. Minter went 3-for-3 with four RBI in a win over Midwestern State (9-0) and had three-hit outings in wins over Cameron (8-3) and Southwestern Oklahoma (8-0). Her RBI single in the bottom of the sixth against SWOSU gave UCO an 8-0 run rule win.
 
MIAA Pitcher of the Week – Kylee Lynch – Central Oklahoma
Kylee Lynch dominated in the circle as No. 20 Central Oklahoma went 4-0 in the Edmond Regional Festival. The sophomore left-hander went 3-0 with an 0.50 ERA while pitching three complete games with two shutouts. Lynch gave up just seven hits and one run in 18 innings while striking out seven and walking three.
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Hitters
Leighton Withers – Missouri Southern
Leighton Withers led Missouri Southern to a pair of wins at the Edmond Regional Festival. The junior first baseman finished the week with eight hits, 10 RBIs, a .471 batting average, a .765 slugging percentage and two stolen bases while recording 18 putouts and two assists on defense. Against Midwestern State, Withers picked up four RBI in the Lions 17-8 run rule win going 2-for-3 with a double and a stolen base. Against SWOSU, she hit her first home run of the season and scored twice while drawing a walk as well. Withers picked an RBI in each of the five games the Lions played in and recorded at least a hit a game while scoring in four of the games.
 
Madison Szymanski – Pittsburg State  
Madison Szymanski hit .588 for the week to help Pittsburg State open the season with a 5-1 record. The Bolingbrook, Ill., native collected 10 hits in 17 at-bats to score a team-leading eight runs. The junior catcher had a double, a home run and six RBI in five games played. Szymanski helped the Gorillas to five straight wins to open the season before dropping a 9-8 decision to Harding in the last game of the Alvy Early Memorial Classic at Bentonville, Ark.
 
Pitchers
Andrea Morales – Rogers State
In four starts this week, Andrea Morales continued her dominant performance in the circle going 4-0 with wins over Texas Woman’s (11-0), Southwestern Oklahoma State (3-0), No. 15 Oklahoma Christian (1-0) and Cameron (17-2). In total, Morales averaged 9.0 strikeouts over 37.0 innings while only allowing only two runs on 13 hits with six walks and a 1.14 ERA. In the 1-0 win at No. 15 Oklahoma Christian, Morales earned the complete game shutout with seven strikeouts and only two hits.
 
Abby Atkin – Pittsburg State
Abby Atkin, a graduate transfer from MSSU, started her Pittsburg State career with a 3-0 record helping the Gorillas to an early 5-1 record. The Garden City, Mo., native made five appearances with four starts on the week, posting a 4.81 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 16.0 innings of work.
 
ALSO NOMINATED
Hitters: Chelsea Spain – Rogers State, Katie Gosker – Nebraska Kearney, Alexis Dial – Emporia State, Chloe Bohuslavicky – Northeastern State, Autymn Sschreiner – Washburn
Pitchers: Savannah Evans – Northeastern State, Jayda VanAckeren – Emporia State, Jaycee Ginter – Washburn