KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced its fifth Softball Hitter and Pitcher of the Week award winners for the 2024 season.
MIAA Hitter of the Week – Terin Ritz, Central Oklahoma
Terin Ritz hit .444 with eight hits in 18 at-bats while leading the MIAA with nine runs driven in on the week as Central Oklahoma went 4-0 at the Drury Classic and split 1-1 in a doubleheader against Southern Nazarene. In total, Ritz hit two doubles, two home runs and one triple in addition to scoring nine runs. The pitcher/first baseman finished the week with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .583 on-base percentage.
MIAA Pitcher of the Week – Jade Sanders, Rogers State
Jade Sanders led the Hillcats to a 2-0 record in the circle with a sterling 0.00 ERA and only allowing two hits with 15 strikeouts. The sophomore threw the eighth no-hitter in school history – the sixth on Rogers State’s home field – in the second game of a doubleheader against Missouri S&T last Thursday with 10 strikeouts and only three walks. Sanders then turned in another complete game shutout against Rockhurst last Saturday, scattering two hits with five strikeouts and only one walk.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Hitters
Heather Arnett – Pittsburg State
Heather Arnett helped pace the Gorillas to home sweeps against Delta State and Truman State by hitting .600 for the week with nine hits, six runs scored and three RBI. She also hit her first collegiate home run while slugging .867 for an OPS of 1.467 for the week. The sophomore utility player from Pittsburg began the week with a 4-of-4 performance in the Gorillas 9-4 win over Delta State, scoring three times to add in two RBI and an inside-the-park home run for her first in her collegiate career. In the second game against DSU, Arnett went 2-of-4 with a run scored and an RBI in the 10-7 win. In the first game against Truman State, Arnett went 2-of-3 with two runs scored to pace the offense as Pitt State would no-hit and run rule the former MIAA foes 8-0. For the season, Arnett ranks first in the MIAA for batting average (.595), runs scored (31), hits (44), triples (5) and stolen bases (21) while being second in on-base percentage (.605), third in OPS (1.416) and fifth in slugging percentage (.811).
Jaycee Ginter – Washburn
Jaycee Ginter hit .500 last week going 9-for-18 scoring six runs with three doubles and five RBI for a .667 slugging percentage, a .591 on-base percentage and a 1.258 OPS drawing three walks and stealing two bases as the Ichabods were 5-1 at the McKendree Classic. Ginter recorded an RBI in four of the six games and tied her season high with three runs scored against Maryville. Ginter also went 3-0 in the circle with a 1.71 ERA striking out 19 in 16 innings of work while allowing four earned runs in four appearances.
Taylor Nuckolls – Missouri Southern
Taylor Nuckolls led the Lions offense as Missouri Southern went 4-0 in doubleheaders against Delta State and Truman State. The sophomore had six hits and eight RBI in 11 at-bats the two sweeps at home. She hit .545 on the week with a 1.000 slugging percentage and a .571 on-base percentage.
Pitchers
Terin Ritz – Central Oklahoma
The MIAA Hitter of the Week also went 3-0 with an 0.90 ERA last week, giving up just two earned runs in 20 total innings. She started three games on the week and completed two. Opponents batted just .197 against Ritz, who struck out nine and allowed just two walks.
Ava Laurent – Pittsburg State
Ava Laurent recorded the fifth no-hitter in Pitt State history and second by a freshman against Truman State this past Sunday in the Gorillas 8-0 five-inning run-rule victory with seven strikeouts in only 64 pitches. For the week, Laurent had a 1.68 ERA and 0.96 WHIP in 8.1 innings of work, striking out 11 with opponents hitting .133 against her. The freshman from Grand Island, Neb. ranks second in the MIAA in strikeouts (69), fourth in innings pitched (52.0) and opposing batting average (.191), tied for fourth in strikeouts looking (14), tied for fifth for wins (6) and is eighth in ERA (1.75) heading into the opening week of conference action.
Avery Tallman – Missouri Southern
Avery Tallman led the Lions to two huge wins over the weekend, pitching 10.0 innings total in a pair of five-inning appearances. Tallman only allowed one run in both of her wins while striking out six batters.
ALSO NOMINATED
Hitters: Abby Rogers (Rogers State), Lexi Mohr (Fort Hays State), Abbi Conrad (Lincoln)
Pitchers: Hayden Simmons (Northwest Missouri), Morgan Schmidt (Fort Hays State), Paige Rademann (Lincoln), Sadie Walker (Washburn)
2024 MIAA SOFTBALL HITTERS OF THE WEEK
WEEK ONE: Heather Arnett – Pittsburg State
WEEK TWO: Kaylee Wagner – Washburn
WEEK THREE: Alexis Dial – Emporia State
WEEK FOUR: Alexis Dial – Emporia State
WEEK FIVE: Terin Ritz – Central Oklahoma
2024 MIAA SOFTBALL PITCHERS OF THE WEEK
WEEK ONE: Sara Llamas-Howell – Rogers State
WEEK TWO: Savanah Egger – Fort Hays State
WEEK THREE: Jayda VanAckeren – Emporia State
WEEK FOUR: Sadie Walker – Washburn
WEEK FIVE: Jade Sanders – Rogers State