LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Christopher Newport’s Kaitlyn Hasty and Texas Lutheran’s Ashlyn Strother captured the latest Division III Louisville Slugger/NFCA Player and Wilson/NFCA Pitcher of the Week honors on Tuesday.
Hasty, a senior first baseman from Chesapeake, Va., hit .700 for the week with two doubles, three walks, four homers and 11 RBI. That gave the Western Branch High graduate 42 career homers, which was one shy of the Captains’ all-time home run mark held by Jessie Atkinson, which she then tied with a homer in a doubleheader sweep of Juniata on Monday.
Meanwhile, Strother, a sophomore right-hander for the top-ranked (16-3) Bulldogs, went 3-0 for the week with two complete-game shutouts and a combined shutout. Over 17.2 innings, the Seabrook, Texas, native allowed just nine hits and two walks, while fanning 32. A Clear Falls High product, Strother had double-digit strikeouts in all three of her contests.
Other Top Performances
Drew freshman pitcher Teagan Bradley went 3-0 with a 0.74 ERA, three complete games, one shutout, 13 hits and two earned runs allowed and 15 strikeouts. She also helped herself at the plate, going 11-for-17 with a double and three RBI. … Mount St. Joseph freshman shortstop Macy Cornelius hit .590 with 11 runs, five doubles and four RBI. … East Texas Baptist sophomore third baseman Tauryn Cummings batted .429 with all three of her hits coming in a 6-1 win over Southwestern. … WashU junior outfielder Eimear Cunningham went 3-for-5 (.750) with three runs and four RBI. … Bethany Lutheran junior left fielder Katelyn Halbach went 5-of-6 from the leadoff spot with two runs and four stolen bases. … East Texas Baptist sophomore pitcher Hannah Kelley fanned four over two innings of relief in a save, including striking out the side after coming in with a runner on and no outs in the bottom of the sixth. … Linfield junior pitcher Tayah Kelley recorded two wins and a save, twice tossing complete-game shutouts and collecting 26 strikeouts while walking three and allowing six hits over 16 innings. … Mount St. Joseph junior outfielder Ali Lang went 4-for-4 against nationally-ranked Millikin and hit .590 with eight runs, two triples and three RBI for the week. … Mount St. Joseph senior pitcher Kamryn McCool went 3-0 with 23 strikeouts over 20 innings. … William Paterson freshman pitcher Jaelynn Miller yielded no earned runs and three hits while fanning 14 over 7.2 innings. … Saint Benedict junior pitcher Elly Novak picked up three wins and two saves over five outings with three complete games, just four earned runs and 21 strikeouts in 22.2 innings. … William Paterson senior shortstop Ana Nunziato was 5-for-10 with three doubles, a two-run homer and five RBI. … Drew senior outfielder Madi Precht hit .591 with seven runs and four steals. … Gordon freshman catcher Ami Rivera batted .473 with two doubles, a triple, homer and seven RBI. … Bethel (Minn.) junior pitcher Kayla Simacek was 3-0 with two complete games, one run, seven hits and 32 strikeouts over 17 innings. … Saint Benedict junior outfielder Gabby Spencer hit .500 with a double, triple, an inside-the-park homer and two RBI, while also pitching two innings of relief. … WashU senior pitcher Holly Stoner tossed a five-hitter and fanned four.
Winners are selected by the NFCA Division III Top 25 Committee, which has a representative for each of the 10 NCAA regions.
2022 Wilson/NFCA Division III National Pitcher of the Week
March 15 — Ashlyn Strother, Texas Lutheran, So., RHP, Seabrook, Texas.
March 8 — Kate Alger, Christopher Newport, Fr., RHP, Staunton, Va.
2022 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division III National Player of the Week
March 15 — Kaitlyn Hasty, Sr., 1B, Chesapeake, Va.
March 8 — Sarah Proctor, Sr., OF, Mineral, Va.
