College: NCAA Div. I National Players of the Week Includes Hitter with Game-Winning Grand Slam! (April 9, 2019)

One pitcher had four games with double-digit strikeouts including a 17-strikeout no-hitter while a prolific batter had a game-winning grand slam! Below, we feature the Division I Players of the Week as named by Louisville Slugger/NFCA and USA Softball.

Here are this week’s honorees for Apr. 1-7, 2019…

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Game-winning Grand Slam Earns Louisiana Tech’s Jazlyn Crowder USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week

After leading Louisiana Tech to a 4-0 record and a third Conference-USA series sweep of the 2019 season, senior outfielder Jazlyn Crowder (Kennedale, Texas) has earned the title of Week 9 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week. Announced today by USA Softball, Crowder recorded four multi-hit, three multi-run and two multi-RBI outings at the plate while also going a perfect 3-for-3 in stolen bases during the week.

“This year has been such a blessing playing alongside such selfless, motivated and talented teammates,” said Crowder. “Everyone on the team finds some way to contribute and make us better every day. Being named the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week is such an honor for me, but I owe so much to my teammates and coaches. It’s definitely a team award in my eyes.”

Crowder started the week with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate, recording a career-high six RBI while scoring twice. Driving out a game-winning grand slam with two outs in the sixth inning, Crowder helped the Lady Techsters to a 9-5 win on the road at Grambling State.

In a three-game conference series at home against Charlotte, Crowder totaled two doubles, four RBI and six runs scored while going 9-for-12.  In addition to a career-high RBI performance earlier in the week, Crowder also set a personal best in the series finale against Charlotte, going 4-for-4 for her first-ever four-hit contest.

“Jazz has been getting more and more consistent every week this season,” said Louisiana Tech Head Coach, Mark Montgomery. “At this point even her outs make a lot of noise.  She is having an amazing senior year, and I couldn’t be more happy for her earning the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week Award.  She is truly a special player and a great leader.”

For the week, Crowder went 12-for-16 (.775) with 10 RBI, eight runs scored, three doubles, one home run and a 1.125 slugging percentage.

This is the first USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Week for Crowder and first for an athlete from Louisiana Tech in program history.

2019 USA Softball National Collegiate Players of the Week

• Week 1 (Feb. 7-10): Kassidy Wilbur – Stephen F. Austin – Freshman – Pitcher – Bridge City, Texas
• Week 2 (Feb. 11-17): Zoe Casas – Florida State – Senior – Outfield – Rialto, Calif.
• Co-Week 3 (Feb. 18-24): Danielle Gibson – Arkansas – Sophomore – Infield – Murrieta, Calif.
• Co-Week 3 (Feb. 18-24): Andrea Scali – Kent State – RS Freshman – Pitcher – Parma, Ohio
• Week 4 (Feb. 25-March 3): Meghan Beaubien — Michigan — Sophomore — Newport, Mich.
• Week 5 (March 4-10): Jenna Cone — George Washington — Junior — Trabuco Canyon, Calif.
• Week 6 (March 11-17): Rachel Garcia — UCLA— RS Junior — Palmdale, Calif.
• Week 7 (March 18-24): Maddi Hackbarth – Arizona State – Junior – Oakdale, Calif.
• Week 8 (March 25-31): Kristina Foreman – Duke – Freshman – Tampa, Fla.
• Week 9 (April 1-7): Jazlyn Crowder – Louisiana Tech – Senior – Outfield – Kennedale, Texas

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Upstate’s Alyssa Oakes, UMBC’s Courtney Coppersmith earn 2019 Louisville Slugger/NFCA Division I weekly honors

USC Upstate’s Alyssa Oakes and UMBC’s Courtney Coppersmith were named Louisville/Slugger NFCA Division I National Player and Pitcher of the Week of the Week, respectively, for games played April 1-7.

Oakes

Oakes slugged her way her first NFCA national honor. The junior catcher hit .500 with four home runs, 15 RBI and a 1.500 slugging percentage helping the Spartans to a 5-0 week. Oakes added two doubles, a triple, seven runs scored and a .556 on-base percentage. She drove in at least one run in all five contests, including five and six RBI outputs during a Big South sweep of Campbell. The Winter Park, Fla. native cracked two homers, including a grand slam in the series finale.

Coppersmith

Coppersmith produced four 10-plus strikeout contests, which included 17 punchouts in a no-hitter against Maine. The rookie southpaw finished the week 3-0 with a 0.28 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 25.1 innings of work. She surrendered just six hits and holding the opposition to a .074 batting average. Against the Black Bears, Coppersmith matched her own program record with the 17 strikeouts. On the same day, she fanned 11 more batters in 4.1 innings of shutout relief, finish April 6 with 28 strikeouts and one hit allowed in 11.1 innings.

She capped off her dominant performance against Maine with a one hit-shutout in which she sat down 13 more Black Bears in the America East series clincher. Earlier in the week, Coppersmith fanned 10 Norfolk State batters and hit the game-winning grand slam in game one of a doubleheader. For the week, she also hit .529 with six RBI and a 1.312 OPS.

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2019 Honorees (Player /Pitcher)

• Apr. 9: Alyssa Oakes, USC Update / Courtney Coppersmith, UMBC
• Apr. 2: Amanda Sanchez, LSU / Taylor McQuillin, Arizona
• Mar. 26: Kendyl Lindaman, Florida / Miranda Elish, Texas
• Mar. 19: Rachel Garcia, UCLA / Brooke Yanez, UC Davis
• Mar. 12: Jenna Cone, George Washington / Gabbie Plain, Washington
• Mar. 5: Teaghan Cowles, Stanford & Brigette Nordbert, North Carolina State / Amber Fiser, Minnesota
• Feb. 26: Cali Harrod, Florida State /Giselle Juarez, Oklahoma
• Feb. 19: Tristen Edwards, Nebraska  / Keely Rochard, Virginia Tech
• Feb. 12: Caitlyn Nolan, Virginia Tech / Kelly Barnhill, Florida

Selected Top Performances

Nicole Newman, Drake – 2-0, SV, 0 R, 0 H, 28 K, BB, 9.1 IP, perfect game vs. Valparaiso; Summer Ellyson, Louisiana – 3-0, SV, 0.32 ERA, 28 K, 5 BB, 9 H, .129 opp. BA, 22 IP; Jessie Harper, Arizona- .667, 2 2B, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 11 R, 3 BB, .722 OBP, 1.600 SLG; Samaria Diaz, New Mexico State- 3-0, 0.30 ERA, 38 K, 4 BB, 23 IP; Taylor Pack, UCLA- .750, 6 H, 3 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 5 R; Caleigh Clifton, Oklahoma- .714, 5 H, 2 3B, HR, 5 RBI, 6 R, .700 OBP; Mya Felder, New Mexico State- .571, 8 H, 2 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, .625 OBP, 1.571 SLG; Briana Marcelino, UConn– .611, 11 H, 2 2B, HR, 7 R, 9 RBI, .650 OBP; Jazlyn Crowder, Louisiana Tech- .750, 12 H, 3 2B, HR, 8 R, 10 RBI, 3-3 SB, 1.125 SLG; Virginia Irby, Colgate- .471, 8 H, 10 R, 4 RBI, 3 2B, HR; Miranda Elish, Texas – 2-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 SHO, 15 K, 7 H, .152 opp. BA, 14 IP; Danielle Williams, Northwestern- 2-0, 0.00 ERA 2 SHO, 22 K, 4 H.