NESCAC Player of the Week
Emma Yen - Bates - So. - UT - Albertson, N.Y.
Yen entered the week with one hit on the season, but this past week, Yen went 10-for-20 (.500) with five runs scored, nine runs batted in, two doubles, and two home runs as the Bobcats picked up their first conference wins of the season. Yen, who slugged .900 and had a .524 on-base percentage last week, raised her season batting average from .045 to .262. On top of that, the infielder played errorless defense in the field for the Bobcats.

NESCAC Pitcher of the Week
Kaysen Shikar - Trinity - So - P - Watchung, N.J.
Shikar earned two wins last week, including a seven-inning, two-hit shutout against Tufts. Shikar threw a one-hit, complete game in an 11-2 (5 inn.) win against Eastern Connecticut State throwing 10 strikeouts, allowing one hit, one walk, and no earned runs. Against Tufts, Shikar went the distance, firing a two-hitter with four strikeouts, in a 3-0 victory.
 
NESCAC Weekly Honor Roll
Amherst – Randi Finkelstein (Merrick, N.Y.) batted .428 (6-for-14) and walked four times for an on-base percentage of .556. The senior scored three runs and drove in another for the Mammoths.

Bates – Delaney Rankin (Harrison, Maine) helped the Bobcats to a pair of wins over Middlebury and Amherst last week, going the distance in both victories. The sophomore allowed just two runs on seven hits against the Mammoths in a thrilling 3-2 victory for the Bobcats.

Bowdoin – Centerfielder Anika Ewert (Newport Coast, Calif.) was outstanding in a 6-0 week for the Polar Bear softball team, including a 4-0 conference weekend. For the week, Ewert, Bowdoin’s leadoff hitter went 10-for-21, batting .476, with a .541 on-base percentage, scoring nine runs and going 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts. The sophomore also fielded all 10 chances perfectly in center field for the Polar Bears. Ewert leads the conference with a .518 batting average and 41 runs scored this season. Kathleen Hester (Tinley Park, Ill.) picked up two wins in a perfect 4-0 NESCAC weekend for the Polar Bears. Against Amherst on Saturday the newcomer tossed a complete game, allowing two runs and striking out five. On Sunday, Hester pitched another complete game, allowing one earned run and whiffing six Hamilton batters. For the weekend, Hester went 2-0 with a 1.75 ERA, striking out 11 and scattering seven hits in 12.0 innings pitched. 

Colby – Courtney Schumacher (Winnetka, Ill.) came back to Colby's lineup with a bang. After missing over two weeks due to injury, the sophomore helped the Mules to splits against Middlebury and Williams, including Colby's first victory over the Ephs in the NESCAC era. Schumacher went 8-for-12 at the plate (.6667), scoring seven of Colby's 19 runs this weekend. Schumacher raised her average to .478 and, with the help of two walks, elevated her on-base percentage to .510. Abby Orso (York Harbor, Maine) earned wins in two complete-game efforts last weekend.  On Saturday against Middlebury, the senior pitched 8.0 innings with no earned runs.  She recorded 10 strikeouts for the second time this season in the 2-1 victory. On Sunday against Williams, Orso went the distance in a 6-2 victory, scattering four hits for her sixth win of the year.  

Hamilton – Jordan Merklin (Wind Gap, Pa.) hit .400 (6-for-15) with three stolen bases in a 2-2 weekend in Maine. Merklin had two hits, including a triple, and scored two runs in a 7-2 win against Bates. The sophomore tied a career-high with three hits, including another triple, and drove in a run in a 7-4 victory against the Bobcats to complete the doubleheader sweep. Senior Natalie Beebe (Glenmoore, Pa.) improved to 3-3 this season in a 7-2 win against Bates. Beebe pitched the first four innings and allowed one run on four hits, struck out seven and walked none. The senior tossed 7.1 innings of relief in a 6-5 loss in nine innings at Bowdoin. Beebe gave up two runs on four hits, fanned two, and walked seven in her longest outing of the season.

Middlebury – Sophomore Kristyn Carroll (Kinnelon, N.J.) averaged .526 at the plate in a six-game week for Middlebury, tallying a team-high 10 hits and four stolen bases. The Panther was critical in securing a 7-6 win over Colby, blasting a double to drive in the winning run. Carroll also scored a team-best five times during the span and had a pair of doubles and one homer. The outfielder leads the squad and is second in the conference with a .500 batting average. McKenna Lont (Wycoff, N.J.) earned her seventh win of the season, helping Middlebury to a 7-6 victory over Colby on Saturday. The Panther went the distance, striking out seven batters while also going 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Trinity – Junior Taylor Mikolajczak (Johns Greek, Ga.) went 7-for-13 (.538) on the week with two RBI in a 3-1 week for the Bantams. Mikolajczak knocked out three hits each in a 3-2 win over Eastern Connecticut and a 3-0 victory over Tufts.

Tufts – Josie Steinberg (Larchmont, N.Y.) hit .533 (8-for-15) with three walks (.611 OBP), three doubles, six runs scored, and three RBI in a five-game week for Tufts. The graduate student was 2-for-5 and scored twice in the Trinity doubleheader on Saturday, then went 3-for-6 with three runs and two RBI in the Jumbos' sweep against Middlebury on Sunday. Sky Johnson (Pismo Beach, Calif.) continued her consistent excellence this season pitching 12 innings last week going 2-0 with a 0.58 earned run average. The junior allowed just seven hits and one run while striking out 10 with one walk. Against Trinity on Saturday, Johnson pitched a one-hit shutout with six strikeouts in six innings. On Sunday Johnson allowed just one run in six innings in a 3-1 win over Middlebury.

Wesleyan – Molly Lennon (Litchfield, Conn.) went 5-for-7 at the plate with two RBI, one double, two stolen bases, and one run scored in a Tuesday doubleheader sweep against Albertus Magnus. The sophomore extended her hit streak to five straight games while recording her ninth and 10th multi-hit games of the season in the two wins. Kelly Baker (Staten Island, N.Y.) was outstanding on Tuesday, going six shutout innings with just two hits allowed and four strikeouts as the Cardinals defeated Albertus Magnus, 6-0. For Baker, the six-shutout innings mark the longest outing of the sophomore’s career with no runs allowed. 

Williams – Justine Dunaway (Henderson, Nev.) went 2-of-3 batting and reached base three times (one walk), with three RBI and one double, in an 8-5 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Colby on Sunday. In the second inning, the rookie connected on a three-run double. Dunaway also scored a run in Game 2 of the doubleheader. Sophomore Sadie Leonard (Tiburon, Calif.) worked the first four innings, giving up no runs and two hits, while striking out six and walking two, in an 8-5 win in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Colby on Sunday.