LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Texas Lutheran’s Maitlin Raycroft won her second-straight Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week honor and Averett’s Kaitlyn Aherron scored Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player of the Week recognition.
Raycroft, a junior right-hander for the 12th-ranked (26-4) Bulldogs, continued to dominate Division III hitters, winning four games over the last week to extend her own victory streak to 14 and help the Bulldogs capture their 26th straight game.
Last week, the Galveston College transfer set the Division III record for no-hitters in a season with her sixth, and she nearly added a seventh, settling for an one-hit shutout of Centenary. She also had a five-hit shutout of Hardin-Simmons, picked up a victory in relief against Centenary and tossed 6.2 stellar innings in another triumph over Centenary. In her four games, Raycroft allowed just two earned runs and three walks while striking out 39 over 22.2 innings.
Aherron, meanwhile, batted .588 for the week, going 10-for-17 with a double, triple, three homers and 17 runs batted in. The Alton, Va., native also scored nine times, drew seven walks and stole five bases while playing perfect defense (six putouts, seven assists).
A freshman third baseman and pitcher, Aherron fanned 23 batters over 21.1 innings of work in the circle, making five appearances during the week and picking up a win and a save.
Other Selected Top Performances
Hardin-Simmons freshman pitcher Lexie Allen tossed a no-hitter and a had complete-game shutout against Belhaven in a 2-1 week. She had an one-hitter in an 1-0 loss of a pitching duel with two-time reigning National Pitcher of the Week Raycroft and allowed just four hits overall while fanning 15 over 20 innings. … Cortland senior outfielder Niki Barbato hit .667 (8-for-12) with two doubles, a triple, homer and five RBI. … Manhattanville sophomore second baseman Desiree Buboi was 4-for-6 (.667) with two doubles, two homers and eight RBI. … Plattsburgh junior catcher/third baseman Jackie Decker hit .889 (8-for-9) with six RBI in a conference sweep of Oneonta. … William Peace sophomore pitcher Kelsey Durham allowed one earned run over 27 innings, going 5-0 during that stretch. … Berry senior catcher Kenzie Fleming batted .444 with two doubles, two homers and five RBI. … St. Catherine junior pitcher/utility player Krista Flugstad was 5-for-14 (.357) with two doubles and three walks. … Johnson & Wales senior utility player Emily Gorecki was 6-for-9 (.667) with two doubles, four homers and six RBI. … Berry junior pitcher Kassie Howard had a no-hitter and an one-hitter against Hendrix, plus threw 180 pitches in an eight-inning loss to DePauw. … Otterbein sophomore pitcher Gabby Johnson went 2-0 with 19 strikeouts and just one walk over 12 innings. … St. John Fisher sophomore first baseman Sarah Kubik hit .526 (10-for-19) with two doubles, three homers, seven runs and eight RBI. … Saint Joseph’s (Brooklyn) sophomore pitcher Victoria Mahoney worked three perfect innings in a win over Brooklyn and earned the victory in relief against Mount St. Vincent. … Moravian junior catcher Janae Matos was 8-for-11 (.727) with four runs, five doubles and five RBI. … St. Catherine freshman outfielder Amber Montero had three homers in 19 plate appearances (over three games), batting .421 while continuing to make highlight reel over-the-shoulder and diving catches in center field. … Wisconsin-Whitewater senior right fielder Haley Morelli was 7-for-13 (.538) with a homer, five RBI and three multi-hit games. … Grinnell junior third baseman Kayla Morrissey hit .667 (8-for-12) with four runs and four doubles. … Moravian junior pitcher Josie Novak went 2-0 with two hits and one unearned run while striking out 13. … East Texas Baptist senior outfielder Jayme Perez went 7-for-17 (.412) with a double, homer and nine RBI. … Whitworth senior pitcher Maci Perez pitched a no-hitter among her six wins and a save. She also hit a grand slam in the game that she pitched the no-hitter. … Stevens Institute of Technology senior third baseman Emily Sellitti hit .421 (9-for-21) with three doubles, two homers and seven RBI. … Luther junior shortstop Anna Strien hit .786 (11-for-14) as the Norse’s No. 3 hitter. … St. John Fisher junior pitcher Lindsey Thayer threw five perfect innings in the Cardinals’ no-hitter against Elmira and was 3-1 for the week, with six hits, no walks and 42 strikeouts over 20 innings. … Saint Joseph’s (Brooklyn) freshman first baseman Amber Wainwright was 9-for-15 (.600) with six runs, two doubles, a triple and nine RBI.
The Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player and Pitcher of the Week are selected by the NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee, which has a representative for each of the eight NCAA regions.
2017 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week
April 5 — Maitlin Raycroft, Texas Lutheran University, Jr., RHP, Spring, Texas
March 29 — Maitlin Raycroft, Texas Lutheran University, Jr., RHP, Spring, Texas
March 22 — Danielle Ray, Trine University, Fr., RHP, Hamilton, Ohio
March 15 — Alyssa Olson, Coe College, Soph., RHP, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
March 8 — Hanna Hull, Virginia Wesleyan College, Fr. LHP, Chesterfield, Va.
March 1 — Hanna Hull, Virginia Wesleyan College, Fr. LHP, Chesterfield, Va.
Feb. 22 — Marie Collop, Berry College, Sr. RHP, Atlanta
2017 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player of the Week
April 5 — Kaitlyn Aherron, Averett University, Fr., P/UTIL, Alton, Va.
March 29 — Mallory Klotz, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, Jr., LF, New Berlin, Wis.
March 22 — Savannah Lee, Birmingham-Southern College, So., 1B, Lascassas, Tenn.
March 15 — LeAnne Collins, Salisbury University, Jr., RF, Sparks, Md.
March 8 — Karlie Jarrett, Berry College, Sr., UTIL, Summerville, Ga.
March 1 — Ashley Royer, Wesley College, So., 3B, Lititz, Pa.
Feb. 22 — Sarah Moore, Berry College, Sr., SS, Lookout Mountain, Ga.