KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced new Athletes of the Week for week nine of the 2026 softball season. Missouri Southern’s Bailey Dillon earned the Lions’ second Hitter of the Week honor this season and Rogers State’s Kinsley Hill was named the Pitcher of the Week for the second straight week.
MIAA HITTER OF THE WEEK: Bailey Dillon, Missouri Southern
Bailey Dillon led the No. 11-ranked Lions to a 4-0 weekend with MIAA doubleheader sweeps of Washburn and Emporia State on the road. The sophomore led all MIAA hitters on the week with a .615 batting average and a .688 on-base percentage. She also totaled eight hits, five runs and two RBI in 13 at-bats. Dillon opened the weekend with a 3-for-5 outing at Washburn, tallying a double, an RBI and two stolen bases to help the Lions to a 4-3 win in game one. She added an RBI and two runs in the 9-0 doubleheader finale with the Ichabods. Dillon wrapped the weekend, going 2-for-3 and then 3-for-3 in Southern’s doubleheader sweep at Emporia State, scoring in each of the two games against the Hornets. Dillon has extended her on-base streak to 20 consecutive games. She is the second Lion this season to earn the MIAA Hitter of the Week award.
MIAA PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Kinsley Hill, Rogers State
Kinsley Hill was named the back-to-back MIAA Pitcher of the Week after collecting her fourth straight complete game shutout for the Hillcats with a pair of wins last weekend against No. 16 Central Oklahoma and Newman. The true freshman allowed only four hits and four walks, while striking out six batters in 12.0 innings of work. The 44 batters who faced Hill owned a .105 batting average against her. She improved her record to 9-1 with the two victories in the circle.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
HITTERS
Lexi Davis, Pittsburg State
Lexi Davis helped the Gorillas complete MIAA road sweeps over Emporia State and Washburn last weekend. The Harrisburg, Ark., native slashed .533/.563/.867 with eight hits, seven RBI, five runs scored a home run and caught two runners stealing. She also drove in multiple runs and collected an extra base in all but one game, and scored in each contest on the road.
Halle Bucktrot, Rogers State
Halle Bucktrot had a solid week at the plate last week, helping the Hillcats to a 4-0 week with MIAA doubleheader sweeps over No. 16 Central Oklahoma and Newman. The true freshman slashed .400/.417/.700 with four hits, six RBIs and a run. She tallied three extra-base hits with a trio of doubles. In the four starts at third base, Bucktrot fielded 1.000 with two putouts and eight assists.
Brooklynn Clark, Missouri Western
Brooklynn Clark put together an impactful four-game stretch at the plate, hitting .417 (5-for-12) while helping lead the Griffons offensively. The freshman outfielder scored five runs and drove in five RBI, producing in key moments across the weekend. Clark highlighted her performance against Central Missouri with a go-ahead home run that gave the Griffons a 5-4 lead in a game one victory. MoWest followed with a dominant 16-8 win in game two, with Clark finishing the day 3-for-6 with five RBI across the doubleheader. She carried that momentum into the Nebraska-Kearney series, adding two more hits and continuing to find ways to get on base. Clark also showed patience at the plate with a walk, finishing the four-game stretch with a .462 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging percentage.
PITCHERS
Emily Davis, Missouri Southern
Emily Davis went 2-0 with a save over her four appearances as the No. 11-ranked Lions posted a 4-0 MIAA weekend. She totaled 11 strikeouts over 12.0 innings and limited opposing batters to a .196 batting average. The freshman notched two strikeouts over an inning to pick up the save in MSSU’s game one 4-3 win over Washburn. She then went the distance in the doubleheader finale against the Ichabods, earning the complete-game shutout, throwing six innings while allowing just two hits with five strikeouts in the 9-0 run-rule victory. Davis also picked up the 7-6 win in game one with Emporia State, throwing two innings of relief work, surrendering an earned run on two hits with a strikeout. She wrapped the weekend throwing three innings in a start against the Hornets, where she allowed just one earned run on four hits with three strikeouts to help the Lions to the 4-1 victory.
Jadyn Streigle, Northwest Missouri
Jadyn Streigle gained two wins to move her season record to 12-2 and help the Bearcats move to 25-8 overall this season. The senior pitched a pair of complete games with a 1.08 ERA in 13 innings of work. Streigle tossed six shutout innings in an 8-0 win over Fort Hays State, allowing five hits and striking out four Tiger hitters. She then went the distance in a 6-2 victory against Central Missouri to gain a split of a doubleheader on Saturday. Streigle gave up two first-inning runs, then settled in and gained her 12th win of the year.
Torie Sandoval, Missouri Western
Torie Sandoval anchored the Griffon pitching staff this week, earning two wins as the game one series starter in both MIAA matchups. The senior went 2-0 across two starts, totaling 11.0 innings with just two earned runs allowed and six strikeouts. She opened the series against Central Missouri with a strong six-inning performance, allowing four runs but none earned while helping secure a 5-4 victory. Sandoval then set the tone again in the series opener against Nebraska Kearney, tossing 5.0 innings with three strikeouts in a 10-2 win. For the week, Sandoval posted a 1.27 ERA and proved to be a reliable presence at the front of the rotation, consistently giving the Griffons a chance to start each series on top.
ALSO NOMINATED:
HITTERS – Darnell Jaeleigh [Northwest Missouri], Haley Gallo [Central Oklahoma], Kinsey Perine [Emporia State], Lilly Mohr [Fort Hays State]
PITCHERS – Shelby Beard [Central Oklahoma], Chloe Odle [Nebraska Kearney], Izzy Sloan [Emporia State], Emma Crabb [Pittsburg State]
WEEK ONE HITTER: Korynn Tindel, Northeastern State
WEEK ONE PITCHER: Emily Davis, Missouri Southern
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WEEK TWO HITTER: Katie Gray, Missouri Southern
WEEK TWO PITCHER: Harley Pruetting, Missouri Western
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WEEK THREE HITTER: Kalee Higdon, Missouri Western
WEEK THREE PITCHER: Sadie Walker, Washburn
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WEEK FOUR HITTER: Lexie Davis, Pittsburg State
WEEK FOUR PITCHER: Hannah Butterbaugh, Emporia State
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WEEK FIVE HITTER: Rylee Lemos, Central Oklahoma
WEEK FIVE PITCHER: Shelby Beard, Central Oklahoma
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WEEK SIX HITTER: Heather Arnett, Pittsburg State
WEEK SIX PITCHER: Madison Hamilton, Central Oklahoma
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WEEK SEVEN HITTER: Heather Arnett, Pittsburg State
WEEK SEVEN PITCHER: Emily Davis, Missouri Southern
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WEEK EIGHT HITTER: Alexis Brown, Northwest Missouri
WEEK EIGHT PITCHER: Kinsley Hill, Rogers State
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WEEK NINE HITTER: Bailey Dillon, Missouri Southern
WEEK NINE PITCHER: Kinsley Hill, Rogers State