KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its first Softball Athletes of the Week for the 2023 season.
 
MIAA Hitter of the Week – Leighton Withers – Missouri Southern
Leighton Withers helped Missouri Southern to a 4-1 start for the 2023 season over opening weekend. On the weekend, Withers slashed batting averages of .471, 1.000 and .571 for a 1.571 OPS with two home runs and 10 RBI off eight hits and scored four runs. Against her former team, Ouachita Baptist, the senior went 3-for-4 with two home runs, six RBI and three runs scored. Her RBI tally against the Tigers tied for the third best amount in a single-game MSSU history. Against Henderson State, Withers went 3-for-3 with two RBI. She then coming away with a double and triple against the Reddies.
 
MIAA Pitcher of the Week – Jaycee Ginter – Washburn
Jaycee Ginter finished 3-0 opening weekend and added a save with a 0.61 earned run average in four appearances. In her first start of the season, Ginter struck out 12 against No. 21-ranked Lubbock Christian in a seven-inning complete game shutout, allowing four hits while walking two. The next day she struck out 12 more against UC-Colorado Springs, allowing just two hits in six 1/3 innings pitched. The junior then tossed five innings in relief against Eastern New Mexico to get the win striking out five allowing a run. In the final game of the weekend, Ginter came in the bases loaded and one out pitching the final two 2/3 innings for the save, not allowing a hit in relief. She also batted .273 for the week with five RBI, three hits and drew five walks while being hit twice.
 
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Hitters
Jacee Minter – Central Oklahoma
Jacee Minter led Central Oklahoam to a 4-2 start in the rugged Division II Spring Invitational Kickoff, with the Bronchos knocking off a pair of top-20 teams. The junior outfielder hit .450 (9-for-20) with four doubles, one triple, one home run and seven RBI. She finished with a .900 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage. Minter belted a solo homer in the top of the eighth inning to lift the Bronchos to a 5-4 win over Texas Woman’s, then had two doubles and three RBI in a 9-5 victory over No. 3-ranked UT Tyler.
 
Carly Dembowski – Nebraska Kearney
Carly Dembowski, a left fielder for the Lopers, went 6-or-11 (.545 batting average) this weekend with two runs and two RBI to help UNK win three, one-run games. She went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in the win over ENMU and finished 2-for-3 against No. 21-ranked Lubbock Christian.
 
Pitchers
Harley Pruetting – Missouri Western
Making her collegiate debut, freshman pitcher Harley Pruetting make quite the impact in game two of the Griffons 2023 season. After striking out one batter in two innings of relief and recording a win, Pruetting followed that up with five 2/3 more innings of relief, fanning 12 Concordia-St. Paul batters. Pruetting’s performance is tied for 10th all-time in MWSU history for the most strikeouts in a single game. Through 10 1/3 innings, the Griffon freshman struck out 14, gave up zero earned runs and yielded an opponent batting average of .121.
 
ALSO NOMINATED
Hitters: Kalee Higdon (Missouri Western), Marrit Mead (Washburn)