2022 MIAA Softball Athletes of the Week: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The MIAA announced its 11th Softball Athletes of the Week, presented by Mammoth Turf, for the 2022 season. Washburn’s Jaden LaBarge was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week and Central Oklahoma’s Kylee Lynch was selected as the MIAA Pitcher of the Week.
 
MIAA Hitter of the Week – Jaden LaBarge – Washburn   
Jaden LaBarge led the Ichabods with 10 RBI as Washburn went 4-0 last week. LaBarge was 6-of-11 with a .636 slugging percentage and a .571 on-base percentage. The freshman also stole a base and scored one run. Against Missouri Southern, LaBarge had six RBI in the two games, including a career-high four RBI in the second game. In the opening game against the Lions, LaBarge had a single that drove in two runs to tie the score and then scored the winning run from second base to help the Ichabods complete the comeback from a 4-0 deficit in the bottom of the 7th to win 5-4. In game two against the Lions, she was 3-for-4 with four RBI. In the opener against Pittsburg State, LaBarge had a sac fly and drew a bases loaded walk. In game two, she drove in two runs with a double and a single.
 
MIAA Pitcher of the Week – Kylee Lynch – Central Oklahoma     
Kylee Lynch has been honored as the MIAA Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week. The left-handed sophomore had another dominating weekend in the circle and had a hand in all four Central Oklahoma’s wins as the Bronchos swept doubleheaders from Northeastern State and No. 2-ranked Rogers State. Lynch went 2-0 with one save and an 0.37 ERA while walking just one batter in 19 innings. She allowed 14 hits and just two runs, including just one earned run as opponents hit .206. Lynch threw a complete-game four-hitter in a 6-0 first-game shutout of NSU, then tossed two perfect innings in an 8-4 second game victory. Lynch came back the next day to allow one earned run in a 6-2 first-game win over RSU before picking up the save with three no-hit innings in a 1-0 second-game triumph. This is Lynch’s fourth MIAA Pitcher of the Week honor of the season.
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Hitters
Jacee Minter – Central Oklahoma
Jacee Minter led Central Oklahoma’s offense as the Bronchos swept doubleheaders from Northeastern State and No. 2-ranked Rogers State to take over the conference lead. The sophomore outfielder hit .500 with two doubles, two homers and five RBI, finishing with a 1.071 slugging percentage. She had seven hits in 14 at bats with three runs scored. Minter had a homer in each game of Saturday’s sweep of the RiverHawks, then had two hits with a key two-run double in Sunday’s 6-2 first-game win over RSU. Minter also had two hits in UCO’s 1-0 second-game shutout of the Hillcats.
 
Madison Pierce – Fort Hays State
Madison Pierce put together a strong week at the plate to help Fort Hays State to a 5-1 record over six MIAA contests. Three of her 10 hits for the week went for extra bases, producing a team-best eight RBI for the week. The freshman had four RBI in the 11-3 win over Northwest Missouri, two of which came on a double and two on a home run that put the run-rule in effect in the sixth inning. Pierce gave the Tigers the lead against Central Missouri in a 5-3 win, delivering a two-out, two-RBI single for a 2-1 lead in the third inning. She also had a two-run home run in the second of a pair of 8-0 wins for FHSU over Lincoln. Pierce had at least two hits in three of the six games for the week and was a perfect 4-for-4 at the dish in the 11-3 win over the Bearcats.
 
Katie Gosker – Nebraska Kearney
Katie Gosker batted .444 (4-for-9) over the weekend with three home runs and five RBI. The freshman hit two homeruns in Saturday’s second game, including a two-run shot in the bottom of the sixth that provided the winning margin. Gosker now has 12 of UNK’s 31 homers this spring with her career total up to 22 which ties for seventh most in school history.
 
Pitchers
Morgan Schmidt – Fort Hays State
Morgan Schmidt reached double figures in strikeouts in two of her three starts for the week, helping the Tigers go 5-1 for the week as they won each game she started. Schmidt had a season-high 12 strikeouts in an 11-3 run-rule win at Northwest Missouri throwing six innings in a complete-game effort. She surrendered just two hits and struck out three in what turned out to be a 5-3 win over Central Missouri. Schmidt then struck out 10 and allowed three hits in another run-rule shortened contest, an 8-0 six-inning win over Lincoln. Schmidt struck out 25 batters in 17 innings, averaging 10.3 per seven innings (1.5 per inning) for the week, while holding the opposition to a .209 batting average.
 
Jaycee Ginter – Washburn
Jaycee Ginter was 2-0 in the circle last week with a 1.91 ERA. Ginter struck out 12 batters with one walk in two complete games and one shutout in three appearances during the week. The sophomore pitcher also led the Ichabods with a .571 batting average going 8-for-14 with five RBI and a .571 slugging percentage. In the opener against the Lions, she tossed a complete game in the 5-4 win striking out six. The opener against Pitt state, she tossed another complete game shoutout striking out five. In the Pitt State win, Ginter tied the Ichabod single season record with 23 wins in a season.
 
ALSO NOMINATED
Hitters: Emma Furnish – Emporia State, Raegan Edwards – Northeastern State, Jacqueline Marquez – Lincoln
Pitchers: Sydney Rader – Missouri Western, Stacy Bott – Nebraska Kearney, Breck Dickey – Northwest Missouri, Aidan Dayberry – Lincoln