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Northwestern was last in the Women’s College World Series in 2007 and this year makes their sixth overall appearance with the others being in 2006, 1986, ’85 and ’84.
They have a tall order in facing the juggernaut Oklahoma Sooners today but they have some firepower of their own including pitcher Danielle Williams who was a finalist for National Player of the Year this season and has been a standout since her club and high school days.
This year, Danielle has gone 31-4 with a 1.86 ERA and has 323 K’s in 241 innings and opposing batters are hitting just .185 against her.
Here’s a story we did on her over four years ago when she was getting it down for her high school out of Northern California…
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Extra Inning Softball National Player of the Week (May 6, 2018)
Originally published May 6, 2018
We announce this week’s Extra Inning Softball National High School Player of the Week awards by heading to Northern California to honor one one of the top senior pitchers in the nation who has overcome a knee injury from last summer and has resumed the form that earned her a scholarship to a Big Ten school!
And our Co-Runner Up is an ACC-bound junior who hails from Indiana and had a near perfect week at the plate.
If you’d like to nominate players for future consideration, email us at [email protected].
We’re looking for top performances in high school play each week that can be on a single game or cumulative week-by-week basis.
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Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week
Danielle Williams (Amador Valley, Pleasanton, California)
Danielle has been a three-time All-American and the Northwestern signee has also earned North Coast Section Player of the Year, East Bay Athletic League MVP and 1st Team All-State honors each of her freshman, sophomore and junior years as well.
She hasn’t missed a beat as she’s finishing up her senior season likely to be a four-time All-American, All-State Player and with a good chance to be a four-peat Section Player of the Year as well as she’s gone 17-3-1 this season with a 0.31 ERA and 277 K’s with only 15 walks in 137 innings. She’s also batting .400 with four home runs and 20 RBI.
The three losses were all in the talent-heavy Michelle Carew Classic to top ranked teams in the nation—Norco, Mater Dei and Cathedral Catholic—the latter led by two-time Extra Inning Softball National Player of the Week Megan Faraimo headed to UCLA.
In that match-up, Amador Valley lost 1-0 as Danielle gave up just four hits while striking out seven, but Megan won the battle by scattering three hits and striking out 16.
Danielle has bounced back from the early season losses and hit her groove, going 11-0 in league play with a 0.00 ERA and batting .500.
This week, she showed how dominant she can be: in 7-0 and 11-0 wins, the senior hurler went 12 innings with only three hits allowed, no walks, no runs allowed and 27 strikeouts.
Danielle pitched a one-hit masterpiece in the first game going seven innings and striking out 16 batters—ironically, the only thing keeping her from a perfect game was a single given up to Sorcerer teammate, Madison Kahwaty, a senior signed with Pacific.
“I’m not sure what was said after the game,” Mike Williams laughs, “but Madison is one of the nicest and sharpest kids that you’ll run into and they’re good friends so I’m sure that they had some fun with it.”
The future Wildcat also went 3-for-4 with two runs batted in.
In the second victory, she struck out 11 in the run-rule win and gave up just two hits while going 1-for-2 with a bases-clearing double.
No doubt Danielle is poised to make another big playoff run and finish off as the rare four-year All-American, but at one time last summer it looked like even playing her senior year might be in jeopardy.
Competing in a tournament in Colorado, Danielle was running down the first baseline when the first baseman’s foot got in the way and she tripped, landing awkwardly on her knee.
She continued to hit but it was clear something was definitely wrong.
At first, according to the athlete’s father, the extent of her injury was underestimated, but ultimately it was revealed the athlete had torn her knee cartilage and needed surgery.
“I thought that she showed incredible toughness last summer, continuing to throw at a very high level, while literally not being able to run,” says Danielle’s father, Mike—who is also her club coach with the Sorcerer Gold 18U team.
“At that point she never complained and, in the end, while I wouldn’t want anyone to have an injury, the rest and time off in the fall were good for her body. The scary part was catching her when she started throwing again in January. She looked rested, felt good and was throwing very hard, but let’s just say that the control was not quite back yet!”
Danielle believes there were definite benefits from the down time as well.
“The surgery went well and I was only out for about six or so weeks before I was working out again so it was very quick. All the time off allowed for my mental game to get stronger.”
“I’m glad to be hitting again because I was not able to hit in my summer season after I hurt my knee in Colorado. Offensively I have been working on consistently driving the ball. In the circle I have been working on my drop ball and we have been throwing more drops this year compared to previous years.”
Runner-Up National Player of the Week
Lexi Carver (Owen Valley, Spencer, Indiana)
You can’t do much more at the plate than what junior catcher/shortstop Lexi Carver did this week for her Owen Valley High team in Spencer, Indiana.
The Pitt-commit went 13-for-14 (a remarkable .929 average) with eight RBI, eight runs scored, six doubles and even 11 stolen bases.
Add to that a pair of walks and it must have seem to opponents of the Patriots that the 2019 grad considered one of the top 100 players in her class was getting on base at will.
She’s had a strong season as well, hitting at a .622 clip (28-for-45) and has scored 20 runs, hit four home runs, 12 doubles, walked seven times (four intentionally) and put up a .673 on-base percentage, a 1.200 slugging percentage and an impressive 1.873 OPS.
Lexi is also known to elevate her game and come up clutch when it counts— she’s hit 10 last-inning game winners at the club and prep level and after leading the state in batting average and doubles as a freshman, she repeated last year as a 1st Team All-Region selection which is a very likely honor again as well as being a strong candidate for All-Indiana and even All-American honors.
The versatile athlete committed to Pitt in the fall of her freshman year over strong interest from Big 12, Big Ten and other ACC programs.
Previous Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week
- April 29: P Montana Fouts (East Carter, Grayson, Kentucky)
- April 22: IF Kasey Simpson (Keller, Texas)
- April 15: SS Jayda Coleman (The Colony, Texas)
- April 8: P Megan Faraimo (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, California)
- April 1: C Macy Simmons (Hamilton, Chandler, Arizona)
- March 25: C Paige Pfent (Springstead, Spring Hill, Florida)
- March 18: SS/OF Deja Westbrook (Arcadia, California)
- March 11: P Megan Faraimo (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, California)